Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]research packet at-packet.md (6 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-8-apl8-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 8; Disposition table row 8 ('2 Jul 73 | 6 Nov 74 | Sold'); Ship Notes row 8 (completed 14 Sep 44, delivered 3 Oct 44, reserve by Jan 47, Merc. MCL-261 ca. 1974); class header
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Register-based compilation record for this hull: ordered 18 November 1943 (Nashville Bridge contract covering APL 8-10); laid down 21 March 1944; launched 5 June 1944; in service ('Commiss.' column) 6 October 1944; stricken 2 July 1973; disposal entry 6 November 1974 coded 'Sold'. Per-hull ship note: 'Completed 14 Sep 44, delivered 3 Oct 44. Out of service in reserve by Jan 47. Merc. MCL-261 ca. 1974.' 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; machinery 'None'; original armament 4-20mm.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1974
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of official register data (NVR/BuShips-derived), not itself a primary document; build and disposal dates corroborated by the NavSource hull page and the Nashville Bridge yard table 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-8-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, APL-8 hull page (archives/09/71/7108.htm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Hull-page data block, wartime itinerary, and specification block; photo table entry (SC-317150 caption)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Dedicated NavSource hull page for APL-8: built by Nashville Bridge Co., Nashville TN; ordered 18 November 1943; laid down 21 March 1944; launched 5 June 1944; placed in service 6 October 1944; assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; towed from New Orleans to the Admiralty Islands with APL-17 by ATA-177, October-December 1944; towed from Hollandia to Samar 9-17 February 1945; at San Pedro Bay, P.I., May 1945; at Manila Bay, P.I., June 1945; placed out of service (date unknown); stricken from the Naval Register 2 July 1973; 'sold for scrapping' by DRMS 6 November 1974; placed in service as merchant barge MLC-261 (ON 580686) circa 1974; 'Final Disposition, unknown, still extant early 1990s.' Hull spec block: 1,300 t light / 2,660 t full load; 261.2 ft oa / 260 ft wl x 49'2" x 8'6"; armament 'none'; complement 5 officers + 66 enlisted; accommodation 583 enlisted; three diesel-drive 100 kW 450 V AC ship's-service generators; diesel capacity 1,600 bbls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1990s
- Population
- Ship's company (71 per spec block) and berthed personnel (up to ~583), 1944-1947
- Limitations
- Volunteer archive compilation transcribing register/photo-caption data, not itself a primary document; dates corroborated by Shipscribe's register compilation and the Nashville Bridge yard table. The page's own 'sold for scrapping' disposition wording conflicts with its merchant-barge MLC-261 continuation line - logged as a correction row, not resolved. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-8-02
-
[4]NavalCoverMuseum, 'APL 8' wiki page (navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/APL_8) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship Name and Designation History list; Postmarks section (post office established 1 Oct 1944 / disestablished 18 May 1946; Locy Type 2# postmark 1946-05-18; covers page '1946'); Awards listing
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavalCoverMuseum designation history and postal record for APL-8: designation list carries 'APL-8' then 'MLC-261 (Commercial Service)'; ship post office 'Established October 1 1944 - Disestablished May 18 1946'; 1946 covers preserved; Locy Type 2# postmark (Br. #15953) dated 1946-05-18 marked last day of postal service - documentary evidence the craft was operational and crewed into mid-1946. Ribbon listing: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Philippines Liberation Medal.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Ship's company (class complement ~71) and berthed personnel, 1944-1946 postal window
- Limitations
- Volunteer philatelic museum wiki - a secondary compilation, but its postmark/cover data is documentary (covers and postmarks are artifacts). The post-office establishment date of 1 Oct 1944 precedes the register in-service date of 6 Oct 1944 by five days - a minor administrative-granularity discrepancy noted in the correction row, not adopted as the in-service date. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-8-03
-
[5]ShipbuildingHistory compilation (Tim Colton), 'Nashville Bridge Co. (NABRICO) Barges, Nashville TN' yard production table (navalmarinearchive.com mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NABRICO barge table, US Navy wartime rows: 'APL 8 ... Barracks Barge ... 6-Oct-44 ... Scrapped 1974'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder-yard production table row for this hull: Nashville Bridge Co. (NABRICO), Nashville TN barge table carries 'APL 8 | US Navy | Barracks Barge | 1,300 (GT) | delivered 6-Oct-44 | Scrapped 1974' - corroborating builder, tonnage, and the 6 October 1944 delivery/in-service date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Population
- Nashville Bridge (NABRICO) construction trades (1944, construction site)
- Limitations
- Independent yard-production compilation agreeing with Shipscribe/NavSource dates; 'Scrapped 1974' is its summary fate wording and conflicts with the documented commercial service as MLC-261 ca. 1974 - carried in the correction row. Compilation source, not a primary document. No asbestos, materials, or condition content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-8-04
-
[6]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List 44 - ship-number index of Navy logbooks (archives.gov) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL-44 ship-number sequence, APL entries (PDF page 6): three APL-8 rows spanning 6 Oct 1944-31 Jan 1945, 1 Mar-30 Jun 1945, and 1 Nov 1946-21 Jan 1947
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 ('List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947') lists logbook coverage for this hull: 'APL-8 10/6/1944 1/31/1945', 'APL-8 3/1/1945 6/30/1945', and 'APL-8 11/1/1946 1/21/1947' - three wartime/post-war logbook series corroborating operational Navy service across the documented itinerary window and a reserve-entry date of January 1947.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Ship's company and berthed personnel during logged windows
- Limitations
- Finding-aid entry verified by direct PDF extraction; the underlying logbooks were NOT retrieved or read - their contents (operations detail, materials notes, personnel) are unexamined. A February 1945 gap in the listing coincides with the documented 9-17 Feb 1945 Hollandia-Samar tow, and no coverage is listed for July 1945-October 1946. No asbestos content; logbooks of non-propelled craft seldom record material schedules.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-8-05
-
[7]U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph SC-317150, U.S. National Archives collections; caption reproduced on the NavSource APL-8 hull page (contributor Dave Kerr) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Photo table, full-size image 09710801.jpg; caption text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Photographic documentation of this specific hull in theater: NavSource's APL-8 page carries the captioned image 'APL-8 at anchor in Manila Bay, 19 June 1945' identified as 'US Army Signal Corps photo # SC-317150 from the collections of the US National Archives' - placing this hull at Manila Bay at the documented date, consistent with the itinerary line 'At Manila Bay, PI, during June 1945.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-06-19
- Population
- Ship's company and berthed personnel, Manila Bay, June 1945
- Limitations
- Photo caption reproduced on a volunteer archive page; the underlying photograph is a U.S. Signal Corps negative held by NARA (RG 111 series coverage) - the NARA catalog record for SC-317150 was not separately retrieved. Documents location and date only; no asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-8-06
-
[8]Cross-source reconciliation: Shipscribe register compilation; NavSource APL-8 hull page; NABRICO yard table; NavalCoverMuseum APL 8 [other_primary]
- Locator
- All cited pages; NavSource disposition lines vs NCM designation history and Shipscribe ship note 8
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies logged: (a) Final disposition wording - NavSource carries both 'sold for scrapping by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS), 06 November 1974' and 'Placed in service as merchant barge MLC-261 (ON 580686), circa 1974 / still extant early 1990s'; the Nashville Bridge yard table says 'Scrapped 1974'; Shipscribe's disposition code is 'Sold' with ship note 'Merc. MCL-261 ca. 1974'; NavalCoverMuseum's designation history carries 'MLC-261 (Commercial Service)'. The record adopts the reconciled reading - a DRMS surplus sale on 6 Nov 1974 followed by documented commercial service as merchant barge MLC-261 - while flagging that 'sold for scrapping'/'Scrapped 1974' wording survives in two compilations. (b) Merchant-barge identifier spelling - NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum 'MLC-261' vs Shipscribe 'MCL-261' (likely transcription); ON 580686 is consistent across sources. (c) Armament - class data list original fit 4-20mm while this hull's NavSource spec block lists 'none' - consistent with removal of the wartime gun fit after reserve-fleet entry, but neither source is hull-photographic evidence of fit state. (d) Post-office establishment 1 Oct 1944 (NavalCoverMuseum) precedes the register in-service date 6 Oct 1944 by five days - postal-administration granularity, not adopted as the in-service date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1990s
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies among secondary/transcription sources. Controlling primary records (the DRMS sale instrument, USCG merchant-vessel documentation file for ON 580686, NVR extract) were not retrieved. None affects identity or the asbestos assessment.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-8-07
-
[9]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-8 was built (1944) at a Navy contract yard (Nashville Bridge Co., Nashville TN).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1946
- Population
- Nashville Bridge construction trades (1944); ship's company and berthed personnel (1944-1947); commercial crews aboard MLC-261 (ca. 1974-early 1990s)
- Limitations
- Class/era documentation only - the survey covered four yards designated A-D (not Nashville Bridge) 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-8. Establishes no quantities and no individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-8-08
-
[10]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 1944-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-8-09
-
[11]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-8 was built in 1944 within that cohort; it left Navy custody by the 1974 DRMS sale, 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-8 or any single hull, and 'industry standards' is journalism, not a survey; moreover APL-8 was not part of the 2021 fleet (sold out of Navy custody 1974). Establishes era context for the WWII-built berthing-barge design cohort, not asbestos aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-8-10
-
[12]CourtListener API v4 opinion + docket searches via authenticated fleet-paced helper (cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-8-09 through sl-uss-apl-8-12
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweeps of the opinion and docket indexes for the hull tokens "APL-8" and "APL 8": opinion searches returned 3 hits for both tokens, all name collisions - APL Co. PTE Ltd. and American President Lines Ltd. v. Blue Water Shipping (2d Cir. 2010, 'APL' = the carrier American President Lines); In re St. Felix (Bankr. E.D. Pa. 2010, bankruptcy - non-vessel token); Wells v. Babcock (Mich. 1885, an 1879 copartnership dispute predating the hull). Docket searches returned 71 results for both tokens, all name collisions (American President Lines/APL container-carrier matters including Adak Fisheries v. M/V APL RUBY; Apple Inc. litigation; bankruptcy and criminal dockets). None 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 1974 and spent its active period in the Pacific, predating modern asbestos docketing; CourtListener indexes are not exhaustive (PACER-only dockets, state courts, settled claims).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-8-11
-
[13]Batch-2514 search ledger (this record): Shipscribe; NavSource APL-8 hull page; NavalCoverMuseum; NABRICO yard table; NARA SL-44; NVR; VA ship list; CourtListener API v4; general web asbestos/mesothelioma sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-8-01 through sl-uss-apl-8-14
- 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 craft left Navy custody by a 1974 DRMS surplus sale, 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 1944-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-8-12
-
[14]NARA Special List 44 (ship-number ordering checked 2026-09-26); NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 19 / RG 24 / RG 111; USCG merchant-vessel documentation (ON 580686) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL-44 ship-number sequence - APL-8 rows at page 6 of the PDF
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) the three APL-8 logbook series listed in NARA Special List 44 (Oct 1944-Jan 1945; Mar-Jun 1945; Nov 1946-Jan 1947) - among the Nashville-built hulls, SL-44 coverage exists for APL-8, -9, -10, -14, and -15 only; the logs would confirm wartime itinerary detail and personnel; (b) NARA RG 19 (BuShips) contract/construction records for the 18 November 1943 Nashville Bridge order (APL 8-10) could contain material schedules; (c) the November 1974 DRMS sale file and U.S. Coast Guard merchant-vessel documentation for official number 580686 (MLC-261) would resolve the scrapping-vs-commercial-service disposition discrepancy and document the barge's commercial career; (d) NARA RG 111 Signal Corps photo SC-317150 (Manila Bay, 19 Jun 1945) - catalog-level verification of the photograph not separately retrieved.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1990s 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. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-8-13