Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA), live ship-detail page for shipId 39 - 'NO NAME (IX 553) (ex - IX 502, ex- APL 50), UNCLASSIFIED MISCELLANEOUS'; UIC 01670; record updated 03/12/2025 [other_primary]
- Locator
- getHull.htm?shipId=39; VESSEL STATUS and MILESTONE DATES blocks; 'Last Updated: 03/12/2025'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The live Naval Vessel Register lists this hull as 'NO NAME (IX 553) (ex - IX 502, ex- APL 50)', Unclassified Miscellaneous, UIC 01670: status 'active, in service', date status changed 10/01/1974; builder Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Co.; award 07/20/1944, keel 01/29/1945, launch 07/26/1945, delivery 01/02/1946; custodian Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA (NAVSHIPYD); planning yard Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & IMF; ships program manager PMS 300. Commission/decommission/in-service/out-of-service/stricken fields blank - consistent with continuous in-service custody since delivery. The hull's current designation is IX-553.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-2026 (record updated 2025-03-12)
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy registry record naming this hull by milestones and UIC - establishes identity, status, custodian, and the APL-50/IX-502/IX-553 designation chain as NVR records it. Does not state when the IX-553 redesignation occurred (post-dates the Oct-2020 archived NVR capture showing 'APL 50'); the 'ex - IX 502' notation conflicts with the documented IX-502 assignment to ex-Mercer (APB-39) from Nov 1975 - unresolved, flagged in gaps. Live page suppresses physical characteristics 'as we update our public information policies' - dimensions/accommodations sourced from archived captures (ev-02). Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-50-apl50-01
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[2]Naval Vessel Register archived detail pages SHIPSDETAIL_APL_50.HTML / SHIPSDETAIL_APL_50_39.HTML - captures 2016-10-25, 2017-02-11, 2020-10-29 (Internet Archive Wayback) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback captures 20161025050850, 20170211180452, 20201029012140 of SHIPSDETAIL_APL_50.HTML
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Archived NVR captures (2016-2020) show the hull as 'NO NAME (APL 50) (ex - IX 502)', Barracks Craft (N-S-P), class APL 41, UIC 01670, status 'active, in service', status-change 10/01/1974; builder Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Co.; identical milestone dates; physical characteristics: 261 ft overall / 260 ft waterline length, 48 ft extreme beam (49 ft waterline beam), 10 ft max navigational draft, 1,216 tons light / 2,663 tons full load, 1,447 tons deadweight; steel hull, steel superstructure; propulsion type 'none'; accommodations 7 officers / 716 enlisted; custodian Norfolk Naval Shipyard Portsmouth VA; planning yard Puget Sound NSY Bremerton WA; ships program manager 325.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2016-2020 captures of continuously updated register
- Population
- Sailors berthed aboard during Norfolk-area ship availabilities (transient population, capacity ~700)
- Limitations
- NVR data as captured 2016-2020 (page 'Last Updated: 04/25/2016') - establishes the hull was still designated APL-50 through Oct 2020 with the 'ex - IX 502' notation already present. Physical characteristics differ slightly from NavSource's spec block (displacement and accommodations) - flagged in gaps. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-50-apl50-02
-
[3]shipscribe.com, 'USS APL-2 Class' consolidated APL data page (S. Roberts compilation of BuShips/NVR data) - construction table row for APL-50; disposition table; ship note; class notes [other_primary]
- Locator
- Construction table APL-50 row; Disposition table row ('2011 / I.S.'); Ship Notes APL-50 entry; Class Notes (design + APL 44-58 program paragraphs)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe's consolidated APL record carries APL-50: ordered 20 Jul 1944 (Auxiliary Vessels Board program), builder Puget Sound Bridge (& Dredging), keel 29 Jan 1945, launched 26 Jul 1945, in service 2 Jan 1946; disposition row shows no decommission/strike and 'in service' status as of 2011; ship note: 'In service in reserve by Jan 47. In service 2011 on the East Coast.' Class notes document the design - 'standard non-self-propelled 2,000-ton 260-foot Navy covered barges with a two-story barracks built on top instead of the usual simple warehouse,' YF-type hull with raised bow and towing skegs - and the program context (APL 44-58 recommended 2 May 1944 under the landing-craft program's auxiliary tonnage to float-berth repair-force crews).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-2011
- Limitations
- Scholarly compilation of official BuShips/NVR data, not itself a government record - but the standard reference for auxiliary construction data and cross-verified against NVR. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; establishes identity, design type, program context, and continuous-service status only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-50-apl50-03
-
[4]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive, 'APL-50' page (09/71/7150, last updated 3 Aug 2007) + APL index (09/71/71idx) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/09/71/7150.htm timeline and spec block; index page archives/09/71/71idx.htm (no reclassification note - index predates IX-553)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource records: APL-41 class non-self-propelled barracks ship; laid down 29 Jan 1945 at Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Company, Seattle WA; launched 26 Jul 1945; delivered and placed in service 2 Jan 1946; 'Current Disposition, active in service at NAB Little Creek, VA' (as of 2007); National Defense Service Medal (2); specifications 1,300 t lt / 2,580 t fl, 261' x 49' x 11', accommodation 6 officers / 680 enlisted. Page notes 'There is no DANFS history currently available for APL-50' - no NHHC DANFS entry exists for this unnamed service craft.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-2007 (page last updated 2007)
- Limitations
- Secondary volunteer-compiled archive, not an official record - used for corroboration and as the DANFS-absence indicator (NHHC search also returns no APL-50 entry). Little Creek disposition is 2007-era data and predates the documented NNSY Portsmouth custodianship and the IX-553 redesignation. Spec figures differ from NVR's (2,580 fl vs 2,663 fl; 6/680 vs 7/716 accommodations) - flagged in gaps. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-50-apl50-04
-
[5]shipbuildinghistory.com (Colton), 'Barracks Ships and Barges (APB, APL)' table - APL 50 row; corroborating yard entry on the Lockheed Shipbuilding (ex-Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging) page [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/auxapl.htm APL-50 row; shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-comm-large/lockheed/ hull-89 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipbuildinghistory's APB/APL construction table carries: APL 50, Puget Sound Bridge, Seattle WA, 1,300 LDT, 261 ft LOA, delivered 2-Jan-46, disposition 'Active.' The yard's hull list (published under its later name, Lockheed Shipbuilding - Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging became Lockheed in 1959) carries hull 89 as 'APL-50, US Navy, barracks barge, 1945.' Independently corroborates builder, dates, and continuing active status.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-2020
- Limitations
- Secondary compiler table (updated 2020), corroborating the NVR/shipscribe record - not itself a government document. 'Active' disposition consistent with NVR but undated within the table. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-50-apl50-05
-
[6]DVIDS (official DoD media), 'Navy Cuts Ribbon For New Facilities Onboard Norfolk Naval Shipyard' - APL 68 commissioning ceremony, NNSY Portsmouth, 21 Nov 2022 [other_primary]
- Locator
- DVIDS article 433724, 21 Nov 2022; Adm. Caudle / NNSY ceremony remarks
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy coverage documents the function this hull performs: Auxiliary Personnel Lighters provide 'living space and berthing for the crew while the ship undergoes a planned maintenance availability' at Norfolk Naval Shipyard; APL-68 is 'the second in a new class of berthing barges set to replace the 27 legacy berthing barges that are reaching the end of their service lives.' APL-50/IX-553 - NVR custodian NNSY Portsmouth - is within that legacy fleet being replaced.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2022
- Population
- Ship crews in maintenance availabilities at NNSY Portsmouth (transient berthing population)
- Limitations
- Program-level official coverage of a different barge's commissioning; does not name APL-50 or IX-553 and contains no asbestos information. Establishes only the documented mission context for this hull's current service.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-50-apl50-06
-
[7]Task & Purpose, Kyle Gunn, 'The Navy has a floating barracks that is somehow worse than living on an actual ship' (updated 29 Jul 2021) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-berthing-barge/, paragraph following APL-67 delivery discussion
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Reputable-press fleet-level statement: 'At the moment, 13 of the service's current fleet of 18 [berthing barges] were built between 1944 and 1946, back when lead paint and asbestos were industry standards.' This 1945-keel, still-active hull is within the population described - the most direct asbestos-adjacent published statement touching this hull's fleet.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2021 (fleet statement); 1944-46 construction era
- Population
- Sailors berthed on legacy APL barges (fleet-level)
- Limitations
- Editorial characterization of the legacy barge fleet generally - names no specific hull, cites no survey or record, and does not establish that asbestos is or was aboard APL-50/IX-553, nor quantity, condition, or any individual exposure. Pop-culture framing; carried as context, not as a finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-50-apl50-07
-
[8]USNI News, 'New Barges, Budgeting Tweaks Set to Ease Crew's Life During Ship Repair, Maintenance' (19 Sep 2023) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- news.usni.org article, berthing-barge program section (USFF fleet maintenance officer remarks)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- USNI documents the replacement program for this hull's cohort: the new APL-67 class 'will replace 27 older barges,' the legacy fleet averaging ~40 years old with the oldest 56; and records that 'as older barges undergo repairs and upgrades, such as for mitigating leaded paint, that drives the cost of the program.' Lead paint - not asbestos - is the named legacy-material remediation scope on the aging barge fleet.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2023
- Population
- Sailors berthed during availabilities; barge repair/upgrade workforces
- Limitations
- Program-level reporting naming no individual hull; documents lead-paint remediation scope on legacy barges - asbestos is not named. Carried as context for this hull's ongoing use and its documented hazmat-remediation exposure pathway (disturbance during upgrades), not as an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-50-apl50-08
-
[9]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987); and Fleischer, W.E. et al., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373 abstract/article; PubMed PMID 21016030 pp. 9-16; design scope per shipscribe class notes (ev-03)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull is a WWII-built naval accommodation craft - a YF-type steel covered barge carrying a two-story barracks deckhouse (berthing for ~600-700, messing, galley, heads, laundry, offices) with diesel-generator ship's-service power and no propulsion plant. Its asbestos-relevant scope is the accommodation fit-out: joiner and bulkhead insulation, floor tile and deck covering, pipe/heating-line lagging, generator-exhaust lagging, galley and laundry equipment insulation, and fireproofing - all commonly asbestos-containing in 1944-45 naval construction. Corn & Starr document that asbestos was used extensively as fireproofing/insulation in WWII U.S. shipbuilding, and the USMC-commissioned 1944-45 survey (Fleischer et al.) found amosite 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels.' ~80 years of continuous in-service use with undocumented refit history are the disturbance-phase pathways for this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-present
- Population
- Construction trades at Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging, Seattle (1945); barge caretaker crews and transient berthing populations 1946-present; refit/maintenance workers at NNSY and planning-yard facilities across ~80 years
- Limitations
- Inference from documented design type and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming APL-50/IX-553 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. Whether Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging's construction practices matched the surveyed yards is unverified. Whether original materials survive or were removed in undocumented refits is unknown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-50-apl50-09
-
[10]Batch-2506 search ledger (this record): NVR live + Wayback captures; shipscribe APL02; NavSource 7150/71idx; shipbuildinghistory auxapl + Lockheed list; NHHC/DANFS check; CourtListener API v4; VA BVA index via indexed web; MARAD ShipHistory; DVIDS/USNI/Task & Purpose program coverage [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-50-apl50-01 through sl-uss-apl-50-apl50-12
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record or litigation located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming APL-50, IX-502, IX-553, or UIC 01670 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion search '"APL-50" OR "IX-553"' returned 2 hits, both name collisions - American President Lines Ltd. v. United States (Fed. Cir. 1987, 821 F.2d 1571) and its companion Claims Court decision (10 Cl. Ct. 1, 1986) - 'APL' the shipping company, not this hull. VA BVA indexed decisions: no decision naming the craft. Law-firm marketing pages asserting era-typical asbestos content for APL-type craft (mesotheliomahelp.center barrack-craft page, simmonsfirm.com navy ship list) carry no primary support - excluded source class.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1945 accommodation barge is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and ~80 years of continuous service with undocumented refits is a disturbance history of unknown scope. A second CourtListener sweep ('"USS APL-50" OR "APL 50" asbestos') was blocked by fleet pacing (quota-management throttle, not a refusal) - residual litigation surface assessed via indexed-web checking plus the one clean API result. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-50-apl50-10
-
[11]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) + RG 181 (Naval Districts and Shore Establishments); NAVSEA/NNSY program records; NVR administrative file for UIC 01670 [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov record-group guides /019.html and /181.html; NVR record metadata (UIC 01670)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): BuShips design and contract records for the APL-41 group and any Booklet of General Plans for the 261-ft covered-barge barracks design (RG 19, NARA College Park); construction/acceptance correspondence via the Thirteenth Naval District for the Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging contract (RG 181) and Fifth Naval District custodial records for the Norfolk period; NAVSEA PMS 300 and NNSY custodian maintenance/modernization records for IX-553 - post-1987 availability work packages are the most promising hazmat/abatement lead for this hull; the NVR administrative file for UIC 01670 should document the IX-502/IX-553 designation sequence the public register only hints at.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-present records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-50-apl50-11