Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet ba-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-arco-ardm5-pkt-ba-packet-md
-
[2]Naval History and Heritage Command, DANFS entry "Arco II (ARDM)" (published 2015-06-18) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2024-05-20 of canonical NHHC URL; entry text, paragraphs headed 'Arco II (ARDM)'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS identifies the second Arco (ARDM-5) as a medium auxiliary repair drydock (l. 492'; b. 96'; height 61'; lifting capacity 7,800 tons; cl. Arco) named for Arco, Idaho, near the Lost River Nuclear Reactor Testing Station. Laid down 9 May 1983 at Seattle, Wash., by Todd-Pacific Shipyards Corp.; launched 14 December 1984; delivered to the Navy at Bremerton, Wash., 27 February 1986; towed to San Diego 19-27 March 1986; placed in service at Naval Station, San Diego, 23 June 1986, Comdr. Richard A. Riddle in command. Completed final contract trials at San Diego late August 1986, then began active service supporting the Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet, under Commander, Submarine Group 5; still drydocking and repairing Pacific Fleet submarine units at Submarine Base San Diego as of early 1987.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1982-1987
- Population
- Drydock crew (officer-in-charge command, ~5 officers + ~125 enlisted accommodations)
- Limitations
- Covers events only through early 1987 - DANFS entry not updated for later service. Live NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-09-26 (link rot consistent with Batch-01 standing defect); content verified via Wayback capture 2024-05-20. 'In command' is DANFS phrasing - the unit is officered by an Officer in Charge, not a commissioned command. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arco-ardm5-01
-
[3]Naval Vessel Register, Ship Details: ARCO (ARDM 5), Medium Auxiliary Repair Dry Dock (N-S-P) - NAVSEA/NAVSHIPSO record (record last updated 2018-06-27) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2024-09-09: http://web.archive.org/web/20240909130332/https://www.nvr.navy.mil/SHIPDETAILS/SHIPSDETAIL_ARDM_5.HTML
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NVR record for ARCO (ARDM 5): UIC 20036; status Active, in service, date status changed 06/23/1986; builder Todd Shipyards Corp., Seattle Div; award date 10/13/1982; keel date 07/25/1983; launch 12/14/1984; delivery 02/27/1986; overall length 492 ft, waterline 432 ft; extreme beam 98 ft; light displacement 5,400 tons; steel hull and superstructure; no propulsion (non-self-propelled); accommodations 5 officers / 125 enlisted; custodian Submarine Squadron Eleven, San Diego, CA; planning yard Norfolk Naval Shipyard; ships program manager PMS 392.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- record as of 2018-06-27
- Limitations
- Official register of record for milestones and characteristics. NVR keel date 07/25/1983 conflicts with DANFS/NavSource laid-down date 05/09/1983 - unresolved, logged in gaps. NVR extreme beam 98 ft vs. 96 ft in DANFS/COMSUBPAC/NavSource - unresolved, logged in gaps. Record last updated 2018-06-27; live detail URL did not resolve on 2026-09-26 - verified via Wayback capture 2024-09-09. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arco-ardm5-02
-
[4]Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet - ARCO (ARDM 5) unit page, "About ARCO" (official U.S. Navy site) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2024-12-12: https://web.archive.org/web/20241212071530/https://www.csp.navy.mil/arco/About/ ; 'About ARCO' section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- COMSUBPAC unit history distinguishes the two drydocks named Arco: ARD-29 (Pacific Bridge Co., Alameda, 1944; named 'Arco' 28 March 1967 for Arco, Idaho under the Navy practice of naming repair drydocks for towns associated with nuclear power or research; transferred to the Imperial Iranian Navy 1 November 1971) versus ARCO (ARDM 5), 'the second drydock to bear the name ARCO,' built by Todd Pacific Shipyard Corporation, Seattle, 'the second of a new class of medium drydocks,' construction begun June 1983, placed in service 23 June 1986. Characteristics per the page: 492 ft long, 96 ft beam, 61-ft wing-wall height, two 25-ton wing-wall cranes, ballast pumps rated 10,000 gal/min combined; used primarily for dry-docking and servicing 637- and 688-class submarines; a Submarine Squadron ELEVEN asset under COMSUBPAC with a crew of approximately 130 personnel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1986 (two-hull narrative); unit page current
- Population
- Approximately 130 personnel (CSP)
- Limitations
- Page states lifting capacity '1800 long tons' - contradicted by DANFS, NavSource, and the unit's own (archived) arco.navy.mil site stating NAVSEA certification to 7,800 long tons; treated as a typographical error on the CSP page and logged in gaps, not carried as fact. Page's 'construction began June 1983' differs from DANFS laid-down 05/09/1983 and NVR keel 07/25/1983. Live page returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch on 2026-09-26; content verified via Wayback capture 2024-12-12. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arco-ardm5-03
-
[5]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive - Arco (ARDM-5) page (transcription of DANFS entry plus contributor-dated captions, awards, and officer-in-charge roster) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page header block 'ARDM-5 Class Medium Auxiliary Repair Dry Dock'; Specifications block; awards line; Officers in Charge table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource ARDM-5 record: laid down 9 May 1983 at Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle, WA; launched 14 December 1984; delivered to the Navy at Bremerton, WA 27 February 1986; placed in service at Naval Station San Diego, CA as Arco (ARDM-5) 23 June 1986, CDR Richard A. Riddle, Officer in Charge; 'Arco is the only Sailor-operated and maintained dry dock facility in the Navy'; status active, Submarine Squadron Eleven, San Diego. Specifications: 5,400 t displacement, 492' length, 96' beam, 7,800-ton lifting capacity, 5 officers / 125 enlisted. Awards: Navy Battle 'E' Ribbon (4), National Defense Service Medal. Officer-in-charge roster carried through LCDR Philip J. Carey (from 27 July 2018).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1983-2018
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained archive used as corroborating transcription - all material milestones independently verified against NHHC DANFS and NVR (which differ only on keel/laid-down date). NavSource lifting-capacity figure (7,800 t) matches DANFS and the unit's archived NAVSEA-certification claim, against CSP's '1800'. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arco-ardm5-04
-
[6]U.S. Navy official releases: 'Floating Drydock Arco Holds Change of Command' (navy.mil, 2016; CSP photo 160513-N-UK333-232) and 2018 change-of-command release (Lt. Cmdr. Philip J. Carey relieving Lt. Cmdr. Zachary Harry, 27 July 2018) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.csp.navy.mil/Photos/igphoto/2001538338/ (2016); https://www.navy.mil/DesktopModules/ArticleCS/Print.aspx?Article=2249850&ModuleId=523&PortalId=1 (2018)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy releases document the unit at Naval Base Point Loma under Submarine Squadron 11: 2016 release records Lt. Cmdr. Zachary Harry relieving Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Sims on 13 May 2016 and states 'Arco is the second drydock to bear the name Arco and was built by the Todd Pacific Shipyard Corporation, Seattle, Washington. It was placed in service on June 23, 1986, and currently has a crew of 104.' The 2018 release records Lt. Cmdr. Philip J. Carey relieving Harry on 27 July 2018 and credits Harry's tenure with docking and undocking three Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarines and the research vessel FLIP, plus more than 500 hours of precision crane lifts of submarine parts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2016-2018
- Population
- Crew of 104 (2016, navy.mil)
- Limitations
- Confirms continued active service, Point Loma basing, and submarine-docking mission through 2018; the 104-person crew figure is a point-in-time manning statement, distinct from NVR accommodations (5 officers/125 enlisted) and CSP's ~130. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arco-ardm5-05
-
[7]U.S. General Accounting Office, HRD-80-2, "Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure" (1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 report text (Navy correspondence and findings sections); product page https://www.gao.gov/products/hrd-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documents the Navy asbestos era bounding this hull's construction: product specifications for thermal insulation were changed in 1973 to specify asbestos-free materials; the Navy's October 1975 policy eliminated use of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials where suitable alternates had been designated; nevertheless, asbestos materials already purchased were in some cases installed in ships under construction, and 'some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978.' GAO also notes 'a few shipboard applications for which no acceptable substitute asbestos-free materials have been identified.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- report issued 1979-10-17; policies 1973-1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and ship crews (program level)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not a hull record - GAO does not name ARDM-5, and the report's fieldwork predates this hull's award (1982) and construction (1983-86). It bounds the era: this hull postdates the last documented asbestos-insulation deliveries (May 1978) by about five years, which is consistent with asbestos-free insulation but does not establish it; the 'few applications' caveat means non-insulation asbestos aboard cannot be ruled in or out by this source. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches; finding taken from the report's indexed text - full-text pull remains an open lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arco-ardm5-06
-
[8]Lewis v. Todd Pacific Shipyards Corp., U.S. Department of Labor Benefits Review Board, BRB No. 93-0661 (published LHWCA decision) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BRB No. 93-0661 slip opinion, factual-background section (dol.gov published decisions, LHWCA)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- A published DOL Benefits Review Board decision (affirming the ALJ) records that claimant Lewis 'worked intermittently for Todd between 1974 and 1983, where he was exposed to asbestos' in the Seattle shipyards, and holds Todd liable as responsible employer for an occupational lung disease claim under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act. This documents asbestos present at the builder's Seattle yard during the years immediately preceding and overlapping the start of ARDM-5's construction (laid down May 1983).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- claim exposure 1974-1983; decision 1990s
- Population
- Todd Pacific Shipyards Seattle workforce (yard level)
- Limitations
- Yard-level context only - the decision names no hull and concerns exposure during the claimant's 1974-1983 employment, largely repair-era work predating ARDM-5's construction contract (awarded 10/13/1982). It does not establish that asbestos was installed in or is present aboard ARDM-5, a new-construction hull begun in 1983 after the Navy's asbestos-free insulation specifications were a decade old. Claim was resolved at the merits level as a workers'-compensation employer-liability adjudication, not a vessel-exposure finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arco-ardm5-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 opinion search (authenticated), queries run 2026-09-26: "ARDM-5" OR "ARDM 5" (0 opinions); "USS Arco" (0 opinions); "Arco" asbestos Navy drydock (0 opinions); "Arco" asbestos bare-name (176 opinions, all name collisions) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-arco-ardm5-07 through sl-uss-arco-ardm5-10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this vessel was located in CourtListener opinion search: the hull-designation query "ARDM-5"/"ARDM 5" returned zero opinions; the exact-name query "USS Arco" returned zero opinions; the qualified query "Arco" + asbestos + Navy + drydock returned zero opinions; and the bare-name query "Arco" + asbestos returned 176 opinions whose first-page results (20 reviewed) are all name collisions - ARCO/Atlantic Richfield corporate defendants, asbestos insurance and bankruptcy-trust litigation, and incidental uses of 'Arco' - none naming USS Arco or ARDM-5.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Sweep covers the CourtListener opinion index as queried on 2026-09-26; it does not search dockets, PACER, or state-court systems, and absence of an indexed opinion does not prove no filing or settlement ever occurred. 'Arco' is a high-collision name; the 176-hit bare-name result was classified by reviewing the first page of case names/courts - no hull-specific hit, but the full 176-hit list was not exhaustively opened, and a vessel mention buried deep in the result set cannot be ruled out. See search_ledger.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arco-ardm5-08
-
[10]Batch-2581 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; Naval Vessel Register; COMSUBPAC csp.navy.mil unit page and navy.mil releases; archived arco.navy.mil unit site; NavSource; GAO HRD-80-2; DOL BRB published decisions; CourtListener [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-arco-ardm5-01 through sl-uss-arco-ardm5-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, insulation-material statement, or litigation naming the hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger).
- 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 - the hull is a 1983-1986 new construction begun after the Navy's asbestos-free thermal-insulation specifications and the documented May 1978 delivery tail, which supports (but does not prove) minimal asbestos; non-insulation applications and any later-installed materials remain undocumented. Nothing here establishes or defeats any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arco-ardm5-09
-
[11]NARA Guide to Federal Records (record-group path mapping for 1980s Navy auxiliary construction); NVR planning-yard assignment (Norfolk Naval Shipyard); NAVSEA PMS 392 program office [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Guide to Federal Records index; NVR 'Planning Yard: Norfolk Naval Shipyard' and 'Ships Program Manager: PMS 392' fields
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or FOIA work; no spend authorized): the construction contract file for the 13 October 1982 award to Todd-Pacific (NAVSEA contract records, modern-era accessions at WNRC/NARA rather than WWII-era record groups); planning-yard records at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, the dock's assigned planning yard per NVR; PMS 392 (floating drydock) program records under NAVSEA; and any surviving Todd-Pacific Shipyards Seattle division construction/specification records, which would carry the hull's actual materials list. An as-built material specification or insulation schedule, if extant, is the only document class that could resolve the asbestos question to ship_specific.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1982-present records
- Limitations
- Record-path mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed, and no asbestos-specific document is known to exist in these holdings until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arco-ardm5-10