Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet au-packet.md (7 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-9-apl9-pkt-au-packet-md
-
[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. III: Auxiliary, District Craft and Unclassified Vessels (NAVSHIPS 250-012, April 15, 1945) - Barracks Ships (APL) tables, pp. 318-321 (scan hosted at shipscribe.com/pubs) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSHIPS 250-012 Vol. III pp. 318-321 - 'Auxiliaries - Barracks Ships (APL)' tables, construction row 8 (APL-9)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official BuShips 1945 data book lists APL-9 individually: built by Nashville Bridge Co., Nashville, Tenn.; keel laid 5 May 44; launched 21 Jul 44; date of first commission 24 Nov 44. The class table (APL 2-34) gives 261.2 ft overall / 260.0 ft waterline, 49.2 ft extreme beam, ~2,660 tons estimated full load, accommodations for 5 officers and 66 enlisted plus troop capacity of 583 enlisted, no boom capacity, and three diesel-driven 100-kW 450-VAC ship's service generators with 1,600 bbls diesel fuel; footnote: 'These ships are non-self-propelled and have no main propulsion machinery or armament.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Limitations
- Primary official source for construction dates and class characteristics. The characteristics table is class-level (APL 2-34), not hull-specific; 'date of first commission' is the in-service date for an unnamed service craft. The 'no armament' class note is contradicted for this hull by photographic and compilation evidence - see correction row. Asserts nothing about construction materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-9-apl9-01
-
[3]ShipScribe (Stephen S. Roberts), 'USS APL-2 Class' - construction/disposition tables, APL-9 ship note, and class design notes (secondary compilation of official Navy contract, NVR, and Auxiliary Vessels Board records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ShipScribe APL02.html - construction table row 9; disposition table row 9; ship-notes row 9; class notes paragraphs 1-2
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ShipScribe records APL-9 ordered 18 Nov 43 from Nashville Bridge Co.; keel 5 May 44; launched 21 Jul 44; in service 24 Nov 44; ship note: 'Completed 4 Nov 44, delivered 18 Nov 44. In service in reserve by Jan 47. Merc. MCL-260 ca. 1974.' Disposition table: struck 1 Apr 74; disposed 14 Aug 74; fate 'Sold.' Class design notes: the APL type was a standard non-self-propelled 2,000-ton 260-foot Navy covered barge with a two-story barracks built on top, created by the Auxiliary Vessels Board to berth the repair-force personnel needed to man tenders' and repair ships' machine tools on a three-shift basis; hulls were fitted with a ship-style raised bow and large skegs for long-distance ocean towing.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1974
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of official records, not a digitized primary document; completion/delivery dates and the Jan-1947 reserve placement are single-source (ShipScribe). The merchant-barge rendering 'MCL-260' conflicts with NavSource's 'MLC-260 (ON 581255)' - unresolved. Asserts no asbestos fact.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-9-apl9-02
-
[4]NavSource Naval History, APL-9 page (Service Ship Photo Archive) - wartime assignment, tow itinerary, disposition chain, awards list, specification block, and contributed photograph [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 09/71/7109 - timeline block, specification block, awards block, and image caption for contributed photo 09710901
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource records APL-9 assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; towed from New Orleans to Manus (Admiralty Islands) by fleet tug ATA-184, 10 Dec 1944-22 Feb 1945, via the Canal Zone, Galapagos, Bora Bora and Tulagi; stationed at Manus through at least November 1945; placed out of service, date unknown; struck from the Naval Register 1 Apr 1974; 'sold for scrapping' by DRMS 14 Aug 1974; then placed in service as merchant barge MLC-260 (ON 581255) ca. 1974; 'Final Disposition, unknown, still extant early 1990s.' Ribbon entitlement listed: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1990s
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation; itinerary detail (Canal Zone, Galapagos, Bora Bora, Tulagi) and 'extant early 1990s' are single-source to this page. 'Sold for scrapping' is inconsistent with the documented commercial reuse as MLC-260 - the DRMS sale apparently enabled reuse rather than scrapping, but the wording conflict is unresolved. A contributed photograph shows APL-9 carrying four single 20mm mounts (see correction row). Asserts no asbestos fact.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-9-apl9-03
-
[5]National Archives, Special List #44 (Vessel and Station Log Books at the National Archives, by ship number): entry 'APL-9 11/24/1944 - 6/30/1945' [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, alphabetical section 'APL-9' (single entry, 11/24/1944-6/30/1945)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's deck-log finding aid lists logbooks for APL-9 covering 11/24/1944 through 6/30/1945 - corroborating the in-service date (24 Nov 1944) and spanning the tow to Manus and the wartime stationing period documented by NavSource.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Limitations
- A finding-aid listing establishes that NARA holds APL-9 logbooks for this range, not their contents. No post-June-1945 logs are listed for this craft, and the logs' digitization status in the NARA Catalog (series 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1978') was not verified - the catalog is not machine-fetchable by automated query.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-9-apl9-04
-
[6]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), PMID 3555021; Rushworth, Denis H., 'The Navy and Asbestos Thermal Insulation,' Naval Engineers Journal 117(2):35-48 (2005), doi:10.1111/j.1559-3584.2005.tb00336.x [other_primary]
- Locator
- Am. J. Ind. Med. 11(3):359-373 (1987), doi:10.1002/ajim.4700110311; Nav. Eng. J. 117(2):35-48 (2005), doi:10.1111/j.1559-3584.2005.tb00336.x - abstract text
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII, and Rushworth documents that asbestos was used in Navy shipboard pipe and machinery thermal insulation and 'in many other shipboard products,' with plaintiffs including personnel exposed 'while serving in Navy ships built during and following WWII' - the era and program under which this Navy-standard 260-foot covered-barge hull with a two-story barracks superstructure was built (ordered Nov 1943, in service Nov 1944). For a non-self-propelled accommodation craft of this design, era-typical asbestos applications would be accommodation insulation and asbestos-board joiner panels, deck coverings, and gaskets/packing/exhaust insulation around the three diesel ship's service generators rather than propulsion-plant insulation.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1947 (era documented); articles 1987, 2005
- Population
- Nashville Bridge construction workers (1944); Navy crew and berthed repair-force personnel (1944-47); commercial barge crews (post-1974) - populations, not documented exposures
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarship and class design description only - neither source names this craft or its material list, and no BuShips specification or plan for APL-9 was retrieved. Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven; the NARA deck logs and BuShips RG 19 design files are the strongest unretrieved hull-level leads. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-9-apl9-05
-
[7]Batch-2515 search ledger (this record): NAVSHIPS 250-012 (1945) Vol. III; ShipScribe APL-2 class page; NavSource APL-9 page; NARA Special List #44; NHHC/DANFS coverage check; NVR coverage check; CourtListener opinion and docket sweeps; shipyards.json yard check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-9-apl9-01 through sl-uss-apl-9-apl9-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record, or docketed case naming APL-9 was found in the public sources searched. No DANFS entry exists - unnamed service craft are not covered, and NavSource explicitly notes no DANFS history is available for APL-9. The 1945 Ships' Data Book entry contains no insulation-material or asbestos statement. The Naval Vessel Register's online inventory does not cover the craft - NVR states ships and service craft disposed of prior to 1987 are not currently included, and APL-9 was disposed of in 1974. No NRHP, NHL, museum, or other historic designation exists.
- 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 Navy-standard hull is consistent with era-typical asbestos materials. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-9-apl9-06
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 searches, 2026-09-26, via authenticated fleet helper: opinion search "APL-9" (6 hits); docket search "APL-9" (63 hits) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-9-apl9-07 and sl-uss-apl-9-apl9-08
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming APL-9 was located. All six opinion hits are name collisions or token matches, not the craft: Alterman Properties LLC v. Sunshine Plaza Associates (Ga. Ct. App. 2021); American President Lines, Ltd. v. Zolin (Cal. App. 1995) - 'APL' is the corporate party; Sawyer v. Mayhew (S.D. 1897), Bromberg v. First Nat. Bank of Mobile (Ala. 1937), and Becker v. Donalson (Ga. 1912) - all decided before the craft existed; Armstrong v. American Pallet Leasing Inc. (N.D. Iowa 2009). The 63 docket hits are likewise collisions: APL Co Pte Ltd/American President Lines maritime entities, Apple Inc. 'APL' token matches (e.g., Epic Games v. Apple; Masimo v. Apple), and unrelated bankruptcy/civil dockets. None is an asbestos case and none concerns the naval craft.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- CourtListener coverage is not the full litigation record; PACER, state-court, and MDL-875 pleading-level text were not exhaustively searchable by hull number alone, and unnamed service craft are rarely named in complaints in any event. Absence of an indexed hit does not prove no claim was ever asserted; it establishes that no qualifying opinion or docket naming the craft was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-9-apl9-07
-
[9]Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. III (NAVSHIPS 250-012, April 15, 1945) APL class-table footnote ('no main propulsion machinery or armament') vs. ShipScribe class data ('Original Armament: 4-20mm') and NavSource APL-9 photo caption ('four single 20mm AA mounts on top of 03 deck') [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSHIPS 250-012 p. 318 footnote; ShipScribe APL02.html class data header; NavSource 09/71/7109 image caption 09710901
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The April 1945 official class table states these craft have 'no ... armament,' while secondary class data list the original armament as four 20mm guns and a contributed photograph of APL-9 herself shows four single 20mm mounts on the 03 deck. The data-book statement reflects the design baseline; the photograph establishes mounts carried aboard this hull at some point - most plausibly fitted for the wartime transit and forward-base deployment (inference, not documented).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Limitations
- The photograph is undated and its location unknown; the timing and authorization of the gun fit are not documented. Whether the mounts were aboard during the Manus period cannot be established from these sources. This row asserts nothing about asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-9-apl9-08
-
[10]Unretrieved archival leads: NARA APL-9 deck logs for 11/24/1944-6/30/1945 (series 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations,' catalog.archives.gov/id/594258); NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) APL design/specification files and Nashville Bridge contract records; USCG vessel documentation file for merchant Official Number 581255 (ex-APL-9 / MLC-260); NHHC photographic collections (Naval Subjects Collection) for APL-9 imagery [other_primary]
- Locator
- leads identified from NARA SL-44, NARA digitized-logs guidance page, and the USCG documentation number cited by NavSource
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Hull-level leads not retrieved in this pass: the wartime deck logs themselves (NARA holds the Nov 1944-Jun 1945 span; digitization status in the NARA Catalog unverified) are the strongest primary source for the craft's stationing, embarked population, and any material events; BuShips RG 19 design/contract files for the APL program could carry accommodation-material schedules; the USCG documentation file for ON 581255 could resolve the MLC/MCL spelling and post-Navy disposition.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Leads only - nothing asserts these files exist in retrievable form for this hull or that they contain asbestos-relevant content. No fieldwork or archival retrieval was performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-9-apl9-09