Evidence
16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).
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[1]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 program under which this 1943-44 auxiliary repair dock was built, and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard U.S. naval vessels.
- 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 and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-17-01
-
[2]Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II' (U.S. GPO, 1947), Chapter IX 'Floating Drydocks' - ARD design section (HyperWar mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter IX, 'Auxiliary Repair Dock' section, pp. 215-216 (wing-wall C/B machinery decks, diesel generators, welding equipment, crew quarters/messing, carpenter-shop barge, no propulsion fitted)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos record located. Class/era inference only: the official Bureau of Yards and Docks history of WWII floating drydocks documents that ARD-type docks carried their own diesel-electric power plant (four railway-type diesel engines directly connected to electric generators), two pumping plants, welding equipment and repair shops, and crew quarters and messing in the wing-wall machinery decks - a self-sustaining industrial facility built in the 1943-44 period when asbestos insulation products were standard in U.S. naval construction. Era-typical asbestos applications for such a facility include insulation and gaskets on diesel-generator exhaust and piping, gaskets and packing in pump/valve machinery, electrical insulation, fire-resistant bulkhead and deck panels, welding-area heat shielding, and brake linings on winches and cranes.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Construction trades (Pacific Bridge Co., Alameda, 1943-44); ARD ship's company and repair parties (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the official history describes the ARD type generally, never names ARD-17, and contains no 'asbestos' statement. Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, location, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-17-02
-
[3]Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II' (U.S. GPO, 1947), Chapter IX 'Floating Drydocks' (HyperWar mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter IX, 'Auxiliary Repair Dock' section, pp. 215-217
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Bureau of Yards and Docks' official history defines the ARD type as 'Mobile, military, steel unit dock, ship-form hull, with a normal lifting capacity of 3,500 tons, for destroyers, submarines, and small auxiliaries,' and documents the design: a bottom pontoon subdivided into ballast tanks; wing-wall machinery decks housing two pumping plants (each with two vertical-shaft 15,000-gpm pumps), pump and valve motors, welding equipment and storage (C deck), and main diesel generators, heavy equipment, and crew quarters and messing (B deck); power from 'four railway-type diesel engines directly connected to electric generators'; a bottom-hinged stern gate; and a carpenter-shop barge moored alongside, powered by the dock. Provision was made for low-power electric-drive propulsion machinery, but 'none of the docks was actually equipped with propulsion.' Later docks of the type were widened to a 59-foot clear width between wing walls to accommodate LSTs.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1945 design/construction era
- Limitations
- Type-level design documentation; does not name ARD-17. ARD-17 is of the enlarged (LST-capable) ARD-12 design, consistent with its documented 81-ft beam. Supports era/class context only; no asbestos statement in source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-17-03
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[4]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, 'USS ARD-17' (archives/09/67/6717), compiler Gary P. Priolo [other_primary]
- Locator
- ARD-17 archive page (navsource.org declined automated fetch; reviewed via Wayback Machine capture 2023-09-30)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource service-ship archive record for ARD-17: laid down 1943 at Pacific Bridge Co., Alameda CA; delivered 1944; commissioned USS ARD-17 on 18 February 1944 with LCDR Anton Anderson in command; assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater with campaign credits for the Marianas operation (capture and occupation of Guam, 30 July-15 August 1944) and the Western Caroline Islands operation (southern Palau Islands, 6 September-14 October 1944); awards: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1 star), WWII Victory Medal; decommissioned 1 July 1946; struck from the Naval Register 1 December 1977; final disposition sold under the Security Assistance Program to Ecuador the same day. Specifications: 5,200 t; 492 ft length; 81 ft beam; 6 ft draft; propulsion none; complement and armament unknown. Photos document the dock laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Naval Shipyard Boston (South Annex, date unknown) and transiting the Panama Canal en route to Ecuadorian service. Commanding officers: LCDR Anton Anderson (Feb 1944-Dec 1945); LCDR Earnest C. Wilson (Dec 1945-Apr 1946); LT Lucian Barger (Apr-1 Jul 1946). No DANFS entry exists for this vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1977
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-compiled archival site, not an official record - used for build/milestone/campaign/spec data and photo captions; core milestones corroborated by NVR, DANFS (Zuni), official histories, and All Hands where available. Contributor-supplied photo captions (Boston layup, canal transit) are not independently verified. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-17-04
-
[5]U.S. Navy, Naval Vessel Register, ship details page for ARD 17 (shipId=1572) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR Ship Details page, Vessel Status / Milestone Dates / Program Characteristics blocks
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Vessel Register ship-details record for 'NO NAME (ARD 17)': type 'AUXILIARY REPAIR DRY DOCK (N-S-P)', class ARD 12, UIC 05367; status 'stricken, to be disposed of by the security assistance program (sap), for cash sale'; stricken date and status-changed date 12/01/1977; custodian ECUADOR; record last updated 09/13/2000.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1977-2000
- Limitations
- Official register records the administrative disposal milestone and classification only; 'N-S-P' confirms non-self-propelled configuration. Does not document the transfer mechanism (loan vs. sale) preceding the strike, and carries no construction, service, or asbestos detail.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-17-05
-
[6]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Zuni' (AT-95/ATF-95), Naval Historical Center [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Zuni DANFS entry, Central Pacific operations paragraph (live NHHC page not located; Wayback capture 2005-02-15 of history.navy.mil/danfs/z1/zuni.htm)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for fleet tug Zuni (ATF-95) records that late in September 1944 Zuni 'towed ARD-17 to the Palau Islands where, during the first 18 days of October, she provided support services to the combined forces invading Peleliu.' Confirms ARD-17's forward deployment to the Palaus during the Peleliu operation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- September-October 1944
- Limitations
- No DANFS entry exists for ARD-17 itself - this is a companion-vessel entry confirming the tow and deployment window only; the support-services clause describes Zuni's activity, not conditions aboard the dock.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-17-06
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[7]Cressman, Robert J., 'The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II' (Naval Institute Press, 2000), Chapter VI: 1944 (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter VI, 30 November 1944 Pacific entry
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II records under 30 November 1944: 'Japanese bomber, evading a 12-plane combat air patrol, damages floating drydock ARD-17 with a near-miss, Kossol Roads, Palau.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-11-30
- Population
- ARD-17 ship's company (Kossol Roads anchorage)
- Limitations
- Documents the air-attack incident only; damage extent, casualties, and repair scope are not described. The ship's own action report of 1 December 1944 is cataloged at NARA (NAID 139897460) - see archival-lead row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-17-07
-
[8]Carter, Worrall Reed, 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil: The Story of Fleet Logistics Afloat in the Pacific During World War II' (Department of the Navy, 1953), Chapter XXV (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter XXV, 'Leyte' staging-logistics section, pp. 316-317
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Carter's official fleet-logistics history records that for the Okinawa (ICEBERG) staging at Leyte, of the two floating drydocks brought forward from Kossol, 'ARD-16 was unavailable for the staging work because it contained a battle-damaged destroyer, the Renshaw. Consequently ARD-17 carried most of this type of work, with Seventh Fleet facilities used on several occasions.' The Leyte force serviced 432 ships, including amphibious craft returning from Iwo Jima.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- February-March 1945
- Population
- ARD-17 ship's company; crews of docked/repaired vessels (Leyte staging period)
- Limitations
- Official logistics history; establishes the dock's workload and Leyte location for ICEBERG staging, not materials aboard or per-ship repair scope. The '3,500-ton ARD' phrasing in the same passage is the type's nominal lifting capacity.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-17-08
-
[9]NARA, 'USS ARD-17 - War Diary, 3/1-31/45,' World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), National Archives Identifier 139949604, Micro Serial 113946 [other_primary]
- Locator
- War diary transmittal letter scan (digitized via DPLA/NARA College Park; Wikimedia Commons file 'USS ARD-17 - War Diary, 3-1-31-45 - DPLA - 129bdba9648de6a4b5935e9fcc2067a1.jpg')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own war diary transmittal letter for March 1945 (ARD17/A12, Serial 46, dated 3 April 1945, signed 'A. Andersen,' Commanding Officer) states the dock was 'Anchored between berths 60 and 61, San Pedro Bay, Leyte, Phillippine [sic] Islands docking and repairing thirty two (32) ships' for the period 1-31 March 1945. Digitized cover-letter scan reviewed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- March 1945
- Population
- ARD-17 ship's company
- Limitations
- Primary record of operations: confirms docking/repair work on 32 ships at San Pedro Bay, Leyte during March 1945. Transmittal cover letter only - daily diary entries and annexes were not reviewed. Contains no materials or asbestos information. Signature reads 'A. Andersen' vs. NavSource 'Anton Anderson' - flagged in correction row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-17-09
-
[10]National Park Service / War in the Pacific National Historical Park, 'LIBERATION - Guam Remembers' (1994), participating-units page (npshistory.com mirror of the official NPS publication) [nps]
- Locator
- Unit listing page (service/support units section)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The National Park Service 1994 commemorative publication 'LIBERATION - Guam Remembers: A Golden Salute for the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of Guam' lists ARD-17 (with ARD-16 and fleet tug Zuni ATF-95) among the U.S. Navy units that participated in the liberation of Guam.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- July-August 1944
- Limitations
- Commemorative unit list corroborating participation in the Guam liberation period (NavSource campaign credit: Marianas operation, 30 July-15 August 1944); the list documents participation, not duties or conditions aboard. Mirror host npshistory.com is a private archive of official NPS publications - the underlying publication is official NPS.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-17-10
-
[11]All Hands (Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin), 'Sailing for Ecuador's Navy,' March 1961 issue (Nav-Pers-O No. 530); photo caption p. 24, April 1961 issue (No. 531) - bound-volume scan, Internet Archive identifier allhands5285unit [other_primary]
- Locator
- 1961 bound volume (issues 528-539): 'Sailing for Ecuador's Navy' article in March 1961 issue; 'DOCK IN LOCK' caption p. 24 in April 1961 issue
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy's official enlisted magazine reported (March 1961 issue) under 'Sailing for Ecuador's Navy': 'Auxiliary Floating Drydock Number 17 (ARD 17) has a new name: BAE Amazonas. The 489-foot vessel is now a member of the Ecuadorian navy, following transfer from the U.S. Navy in ceremonies at the Rodman Naval Station, Panama Canal Zone. From the Naval Station, the ship was towed to the Ecuadorian seaport of Salinas by the fleet tug Los Rios, a former U.S. Navy tug also serving in the Ecuadorian navy. With accommodations for three officers and 66 enlisted men, the drydock has an 81-foot beam and can service submarines and destroyers up to 1650 tons. The ship was accepted for Ecuador by the country's defense min[ister].' The April 1961 issue carries the photo caption 'DOCK IN LOCK - Auxiliary floating drydock (ARD 17) eases through Panama Canal on way to join Ecuadorian navy at Rodman Naval Station, Canal Zone.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1961
- Limitations
- Official U.S. Navy publication documenting the physical flag-transfer ceremony at Rodman by early 1961 - sixteen years before the NVR stricken/cash-sale milestone of 1 Dec 1977 (reconciliation in correction row). The '1650 tons' service figure conflicts with the type's 3,500-ton nominal lifting capacity (BuYards&Docks) - treated as a publication figure, not design data. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-17-11
-
[12]El Universo (Guayaquil, Ecuador), 'El dique Amazonas sera desguazado,' 18 February 2006 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article text, Comunidad/Guayaquil section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- El Universo (Guayaquil) reported 18 February 2006 that the floating dock 'Amazonas' lay at the pier of Acerias Nacionales del Ecuador S.A. (Andec) and 'sera desguazado y posteriormente fundido' - was to be scrapped and melted down - and that during its service life it had performed repair and maintenance work on merchant, fishing, and military vessels.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2006
- Population
- Ecuadorian navy and shipyard/dismantling workers (service and disposal periods)
- Limitations
- Press report of intended disposition; completion of scrapping not separately confirmed. 'Dique Amazonas' is identified with ex-ARD-17 via the documented BAE Amazonas rename (All Hands) and Colton's build table. Contains no hazmat, asbestos, or pre-scrapping survey information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-17-12
-
[13]NARA catalog record NAID 139897460 (National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference; indexed via Digital Pasifik/DPLA item 381140) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Catalog title line and serial/date fields
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds the ship's action report 'USS ARD-17 - Rep of act with enemy aircraft in Kossol Passage, Palau Is on 11/30/44' (Serial 73, dated 12/1/1944, Micro Serial 109573; National Archives Identifier 139897460) in the World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories series at College Park. Catalog-level identification only - contents not reviewed.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-12-01 (document date)
- Limitations
- Catalog entry confirms the document exists and its subject; contents (damage description, casualties, repair) unreviewed. Companion records: monthly war diaries for this hull exist in the same series (e.g., NAID 139949604, March 1945); Navy deck logs would sit in RG 24 Entry 118 (NAID 581208) at College Park per NARA logbook guidance. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-17-13
-
[14]NVR ship detail (strike/sale 1977) vs. All Hands March/April 1961 issues (Rodman transfer ceremony, BAE Amazonas rename); NavSource specs vs. All Hands/Colton length; NavSource CO list vs. war diary signature [other_primary]
- Locator
- All Hands March 1961 'Sailing for Ecuador's Navy'; NVR milestone dates; NavSource specs/CO list; war diary cover signature
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved: (a) Transfer date - NVR and NavSource record stricken/sold-to-Ecuador on 1 December 1977, while the Navy's own All Hands magazine documents the Ecuadorian flag-transfer ceremony at Rodman Naval Station and the rename to BAE Amazonas by early 1961 (March 1961 article; April 1961 canal photo caption); the Ecuadorian state shipyard ASTINAVE's social media also gives 1961. The consistent reading is transfer/loan to Ecuadorian custody in 1961 with the U.S. strike and outright Security Assistance Program cash sale finalized 1 December 1977 - the interim legal status is not documented in the sources reviewed. (b) Length - All Hands and the Colton construction table give 489 ft; NavSource gives 492 ft. (c) First commanding officer - NavSource lists 'LCDR Anton Anderson' while the March 1945 war diary is signed 'A. Andersen.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1961-1977
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies; the 1961-transfer/1977-sale reconciliation is an interpretation consistent with the MAP-era loan-then-outright-sale pattern, not a located instrument. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-17-14
-
[15]Batch-2557 search ledger (this record): NVR, NavSource, DANFS index, HyperWar official histories, NARA catalog/DPLA, All Hands 1961 volume, El Universo, CourtListener opinion+docket sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ard-17-01 through sl-uss-ard-17-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, condition survey, or docketed asbestos case naming ARD-17 / BAE Amazonas (DF-81) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No DANFS entry exists for the hull; the located primary records (NVR detail page, digitized war diary transmittal, action-report catalog entry, official chronology and logistics histories, All Hands, press) contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement.
- 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 1943-44 self-contained repair dock with diesel-electric plant, welding/repair shops, and crew accommodations is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the dock's work on battle-damaged warships is a plausible disturbance pathway for ACM aboard docked vessels; none of that is ship-proven here. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-17-15
-
[16]CourtListener API v4 search results (opinion type=o and docket type=r), queries '"ARD-17"', '"ARD-17" asbestos', '"ARD 17" asbestos OR drydock OR navy', run 2026-09-26 via authenticated helper cl-auth-search.py [court_record]
- Locator
- opinion search count=17; docket search count=46; asbestos-qualified queries count=0/collision-only
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener API v4 sweep (2026-09-26): opinion search '"ARD-17"' returned 17 hits - all token collisions in non-maritime matters (criminal, bankruptcy, contract, patent, immigration dockets; the string appears as exhibit/form/docket fragments); '"ARD-17" asbestos' returned 0; '"ARD 17" asbestos OR drydock OR navy' returned the same collision set; RECAP docket search '"ARD-17"' returned 46 dockets - all token collisions, none referencing the Navy drydock. Classification: no qualifying litigation located; hits are name collisions, not cases involving this vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- CourtListener coverage is not exhaustive - state-court filings, MDL-875 claimant exhibits, and PACER-only dockets may not be indexed; a negative result does not prove no claim ever named the dock. The hull's Ecuadorian identity (BAE Amazonas, DF-81) is outside CourtListener coverage and was not separately swept in Spanish-language court sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-17-16