Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet at-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-apl-56-apl56-pkt-at-packet-md
-
[2]Shipscribe, 'USS APL-2 Class' (APL02) - construction and disposition tables and per-hull ship notes compiled from official U.S. Navy vessel registers (Stephen S. Roberts) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Construction table row 56; Disposition table row 56 ('1 Jun 61 | 16 Apr 60 | Trf.'); Ship Notes row 56 (reserve by Jan 47; transferred 1960 to U.S. Army Engineering District, Memphis); class header
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Register-based compilation record for this hull: ordered 26 July 1944 (Tampa Shipbuilding contract covering APL 53-56); laid down 19 March 1945; launched 30 June 1945; in service ('Commiss.' column) 27 July 1945; disposal entry 16 April 1960 coded 'Trf.' (transfer); stricken 1 June 1961. Per-hull ship note: 'Out of service in reserve by Jan 47. Transferred 1960 to U.S. Army Engineering District, Memphis, Tenn.' Class characteristics for the Navy APL-2 design: 1,300 t light / 2,600 t full load; 261.2 ft oa x 49.2 ft x 8.5 ft; complement 71 + 583 troops; no propulsion machinery; original armament 4-20mm.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1961
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of official register data (NVR/BuShips-derived), not itself a primary document; build and disposal dates corroborated by the TASCO yard table and partially by NavalCoverMuseum for this hull. The 'Commiss.' column carries the in-service date for non-commissioned craft. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-56-01
-
[3]ShipbuildingHistory (Tim Colton), 'Tampa Shipbuilding TASCO' yard production table [other_primary]
- Locator
- TASCO build table row 153
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder-yard production table row for this hull: Tampa Shipbuilding (TASCO), Tampa FL, yard hull no. 153, 'APL 56', US Navy, 1,300 tons, delivery 27-Jul-45, fate 'To US Army CoE 1960' (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1960
- Population
- Tampa Shipbuilding construction trades (1945, construction site)
- Limitations
- Independent yard-production compilation agreeing with Shipscribe's register-derived dates (delivery/in-service 27 Jul 45; 1960 transfer to the Army Corps of Engineers). Compilation source, not a primary document. No asbestos, materials, or condition content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-56-02
-
[4]NavalCoverMuseum, 'APL 56' wiki page (navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/APL_56) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship Name and Designation History list; Postmarks section (post office established 31 Jan 1946 / disestablished 25 Jul 1946; Locy Type 2 postmark 1946-02-06; covers page '1946')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavalCoverMuseum designation history for APL 56 (styled 'APL-54 Class Non-self-propelled Barracks Ship'): 'Keel Laid March 19 1945 - Launched June 30 1945'; 'Placed In Service February 1 1946 - Out of Service January 1947'; 'Fate unknown.' Postal history documents activity: a ship post office 'Established January 31 1946 - Disestablished July 25 1946,' covers preserved for 1946, and a Locy Type 2 postmark dated 6 February 1946 - documentary evidence the craft was operational and crewed in early-to-mid 1946.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1947
- Population
- Ship's company (class complement ~71) and berthed personnel, 1946 postal window
- Limitations
- Volunteer philatelic museum wiki - a secondary compilation, but its postmark/cover data is documentary (covers and postmarks are artifacts). The 'Placed In Service February 1 1946' conflicts with the register-derived 27 July 1945 in-service date (Shipscribe and TASCO yard table agree) - treated as a documented discrepancy, not adopted; the out-of-service January 1947 entry corroborates Shipscribe's 'in reserve by Jan 47.' No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-56-03
-
[5]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Hopping (APD-51) page, photo caption for images 100405102/100405103 attributing Florida Memory Project (State Archives of Florida) Steinmetz photographs JJS0459 and JJ50458 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Photo table entries 100405102/100405103 (Steinmetz caption text); NavSource has NO dedicated APL-56 hull page (hull index entry unlinked)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Photographic documentation of this hull in reserve lay-up: NavSource's USS Hopping (APD-51) page carries the captioned image 'USS Hopping (APD-51) and the non-self-propelled barracks craft APL-56 at Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Green Cove Springs Florida, circa 1948. Joseph Janney Steinmetz. Photo # JJS0459 and JJ50458 from the collections of the Florida Memory Project.' This places the specific hull at the Green Cove Springs (St. Johns River) Atlantic Reserve Fleet group circa 1948 - consistent with the register's 'out of service in reserve by Jan 47' note.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- circa 1948
- Population
- Reserve-fleet lay-up/caretaker personnel, Green Cove Springs (context)
- Limitations
- Photo caption reproduced on a volunteer archive page; the underlying photographs are held by the Florida Memory Project, State Archives of Florida (floridamemory.com) - an official state archive whose item pages block automated access (HTTP 403), so the caption is carried via the NavSource reproduction. 'Circa 1948' is the caption's own date. No asbestos or materials content; documents mooring location and period only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-56-04
-
[6]Cross-source reconciliation: Shipscribe register compilation; shipbuildinghistory TASCO yard table; NavalCoverMuseum APL 56; NavSource APL index [other_primary]
- Locator
- All cited pages; Construction/Disposition row 56 and Ship Note 56 vs NavalCoverMuseum designation list
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies logged: (a) In-service date - Shipscribe register 'Commiss.' column and the TASCO yard table both give 27 July 1945 (delivery/in-service), while NavalCoverMuseum gives 'Placed In Service February 1 1946.' The 27 Jul 45 register/yard pair is carried as the in-service date; the NCM figure - which sits one day after the documented ship post-office establishment of 31 January 1946 - is treated as a possible transcription of a later administrative step and is not adopted. (b) Disposal chronology - transfer executed 16 April 1960 ('Trf.') with register strike on 1 June 1961, a ~13-month lag consistent with custody transfer preceding formal strike in the register. (c) Class styling - NavalCoverMuseum's 'APL-54 class' versus the register-level Navy APL-2 design group; hull numbering and builder group (Tampa APL 53-56) are not in dispute. (d) Final fate - 'fate unknown' (NavalCoverMuseum) after the 1960 transfer; Army-era record not located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1961
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies among secondary/transcription sources. Controlling primary records (deck logs, NVR extract, the 1960 Navy-Army transfer instrument, USACE Memphis District property records) were not retrieved. None affects identity or the asbestos assessment.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-56-05
-
[7]Fleischer WE, Viles FJ Jr, Gade RL, Drinker P, 'A Health Survey of Pipe Covering Operations in Constructing Naval Vessels,' Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 28:9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Article, J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28:9-16 (1946); PubMed record PMID 21016030
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/construction-practice documentation: the Navy-commissioned survey states that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - an asbestos mineral - and documents pipe-covering, asbestos-cloth, and insulation work at Government Navy Yards and Navy contract yards during the construction era in which APL-56 was built (1945) at a Navy contract yard (Tampa Shipbuilding, Tampa FL).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1946
- Population
- Tampa Shipbuilding construction trades (1945); ship's company and berthed personnel (1945-1960); USACE Memphis District crews (1960-?)
- Limitations
- Class/era documentation only - the survey covered four yards designated A-D (not Tampa Shipbuilding) and does not name this hull or the APL-2 class. Non-self-propelled barracks barges had no boilers or steam propulsion plant, so the steam-system asbestos applications documented for combatant types do not transfer; any asbestos aboard this hull would most plausibly have been in pipe/exhaust insulation, accommodation-space insulation, gaskets, packing, floor coverings, or cement-board products - none documented aboard APL-56. Establishes no quantities and no individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-56-06
-
[8]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) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and emergency-construction program under which this 1945-built accommodation barge was produced.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or the APL type and does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. A non-propelled barge carried far less machinery-era asbestos scope than a steam-driven combatant; the inference rests on accommodation outfit and hotel machinery.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-56-07
-
[9]Task & Purpose, 'The Navy has a floating barracks that is somehow worse than living on an actual ship' (published 26 July 2021) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article body, fleet-age paragraph
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Contemporary press documents the berthing-barge fleet cohort this hull belonged to: '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.' APL-56 was built in 1945 within that cohort; it left Navy custody in 1960, decades before the article's 2021 fleet snapshot.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2021
- Population
- Sailors berthed on WWII-era APL barges (program-wide)
- Limitations
- Fleet-level characterization - the article does not name APL-56 or any single hull, and 'industry standards' is journalism, not a survey; moreover APL-56 was not part of the 2021 fleet (transferred to the Army in 1960). Establishes era context for the WWII-built berthing-barge design cohort, not asbestos aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-56-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 opinion + docket searches via authenticated fleet-paced helper (cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-56-09 through sl-uss-apl-56-12
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweeps of the opinion and docket indexes for the hull tokens "APL-56" and "APL 56": opinion searches returned 0 results for both tokens; docket searches returned 2 hits, both name collisions - Smartflash LLC v. Apple Inc. (E.D. Tex. 6:13-cv-00447, patent; 'APL-56' appears as an exhibit-list token) and American President Lines LLC v. Matson Inc. (D.D.C. 1:21-cv-02040, antitrust; 'APL' is the carrier American President Lines). Neither names the Navy craft; no qualifying asbestos litigation located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Name-token sweeps cannot prove no filing exists - pleadings that omit the hull number or index only a party name would not surface, and asbestos complaints typically name shipyards or manufacturers rather than a berthing barge. The hull left Navy custody in 1960, predating modern asbestos docketing; CourtListener indexes are not exhaustive (PACER-only dockets, state courts, settled claims).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-56-09
-
[11]Batch-2510 search ledger (this record): Shipscribe; shipbuildinghistory TASCO; NavalCoverMuseum; NavSource (index + APD-51 page); NARA SL-44; NVR; VA ship list; CourtListener API v4; general web asbestos/mesothelioma sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-56-01 through sl-uss-apl-56-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, FOIA release, or docketed case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The vessel left Navy custody by a 1960 transfer to the Army Corps of Engineers, predating asbestos-disclosure practices in Navy vessel disposals, and no preservation or museum organization exists for this hull.
- 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-built accommodation craft is era-consistent with asbestos-containing building and machinery materials. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-56-10
-
[12]NARA Special List 44 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' (ship-number ordering checked 2026-09-26); NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 19 / RG 77; DTIC ADA636006 [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL-44 ship-number sequence - APL entries listed at page 6 of the PDF; no APL-56 row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA Special List 44 shows NO WWII logbook coverage for APL-56 (the hull-number sequence contains no APL-56 entry; coverage exists for APL-8, -9, -10, -12, -14, -15, -17, -19, -21, -29, -30, -42, and APLP-32 only) - the craft's 1945-47 active window may be thinly logged or logs scattered under unit custody. (b) NARA RG 19 (BuShips) contract/construction records for the Tampa order of 26 July 1944 (APL 53-56) and RG 338/other USACE records for the Memphis Engineering District could contain material schedules and the 1960-61 transfer file. (c) The official Memphis District history - Floyd M. Clay, 'A Century on the Mississippi: A History of the Memphis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1876-1976' (DTIC ADA636006) - is the likeliest published lead on the barge's Army employment, but its full text was not retrievable in this session (dtic.mil served a non-PDF interstitial to automated fetch).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1961 records
- Limitations
- Finding-aid and record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. SL-44 absence concerns only the WWII-era logbook series. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-56-11