USS ARD-21

Evidence

15 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-15).

1. [1]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS ARD-21 page (compiled from official records; no DANFS entry exists for this hull) [other_primary]

   Locator

   ARD-21 class data block, awards list, and BuShips/NARA photo caption (USS Stack DD-406 plan view, Mare Island, 5 May 1944)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource service record for USS ARD-21: ARD-12-class auxiliary repair dock built by Pacific Bridge Co., Alameda, CA; delivered April 1944; commissioned date unknown; assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during WWII; occupation service in the Far East 9 October to 24 December 1945; decommissioned and struck dates unknown; transferred to the Maritime Commission, date unknown; final disposition fate unknown. Specifications: 5,200 t displacement, 492 ft length, 81 ft beam, 6 ft draft, no propulsion. Awards: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia clasp. Page reproduces a Bureau of Ships photo (NARA collections) showing ARD-21 at Mare Island Navy Yard on 5 May 1944.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1947

   Limitations

   NavSource is a compiled secondary archive, not a primary document; its register-style data here is corroborated by the Pacific Bridge production table (ev-10) and three DANFS entries. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information - supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ard-21-ard21-01

2. [2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Jicarilla (ATF-104)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (via Wayback capture 2024-06-21; live NHHC URL currently returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Jicarilla DANFS entry, paragraph beginning 'Following shakedown training in Chesapeake Bay'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS (Jicarilla, ATF-104): 'Following shakedown training in Chesapeake Bay, Jicarilla departed New York towing barges 9 August 1944, bound for San Francisco via the Panama Canal. She arrived 22 September, but sailed again seven days later towing ARD-21 to Pearl Harbor.' The fleet tug departed San Francisco about 29 September 1944 towing ARD-21 to Pearl Harbor.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   September-October 1944

   Population

   ARD-21 crew during trans-Pacific tow

   Limitations

   Documents the San Francisco-to-Pearl Harbor tow event only; DANFS has no ARD-21 entry of its own. A secondary-site transcription of this entry renders the tow as 'ARD-27' - that reading is a transcription error; the NHHC text reads ARD-21. No arrival date is stated; no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ard-21-ard21-02

3. [3]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Arapaho II (AT-68)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (live page) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Arapaho II DANFS entry, paragraph on the Okinawa assignment

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS (Arapaho II, AT-68): 'Late that month [August 1945], she voyaged back to Guam to pick up ARD-21 for tow to Okinawa. She returned to Kerama Retto with her charge on 7 September.' ARD-21 was stationed at or staged through Guam by late August 1945 and was towed to Kerama Retto, Okinawa, arriving 7 September 1945 for duty with the forward repair establishment.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   August-September 1945

   Population

   ARD-21 crew and Kerama Retto repair personnel

   Limitations

   Establishes Guam-to-Kerama Retto movement and arrival date; does not state when ARD-21 reached Guam from Pearl Harbor, and carries no asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ard-21-ard21-03

4. [4]Typhoon Louise damage/status table, transcription hosted at rpadden.com/216dispatch/typhoon.htm (private site reproducing a contemporary post-storm report; corroborated by DANFS Safeguard, ev-05) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Status table, floating drydock section, row 'ARD 21'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Post-typhoon status tabulation for Typhoon Louise (9 October 1945, Okinawa) lists 'ARD 21 - Grounded - salvage doubtful. Recover, tow to Guam, dock, refloated 11/20/45.' ARD-21 went aground at Nago Wan (Nago Bay), Okinawa, during the typhoon; initial salvage assessment was doubtful.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   October-November 1945

   Population

   ARD-21 crew; salvage crews

   Limitations

   Secondary transcription of a contemporary damage/status report - the underlying official report was not directly examined. The grounding and 20 November 1945 refloat are independently corroborated by the DANFS Safeguard entry; the 'salvage doubtful' rating rests on this tabulation alone. No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ard-21-ard21-04

5. [5]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Safeguard (ARS-25)' entry, Naval Historical Center (via Wayback capture 2014-10-06 of history.navy.mil/danfs/s2/safeguard.htm) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Safeguard DANFS entry, paragraph on Ryukyus salvage operations

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS (Safeguard, ARS-25): 'On 20 November, after continued attempts, she refloated ARD-21, a typhoon victim, at Nago Wan, Okinawa.' The rescue and salvage ship Safeguard refloated the grounded ARD-21 at Nago Wan, Okinawa, on 20 November 1945 following Typhoon Louise.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   October-November 1945

   Population

   ARD-21 crew; USS Safeguard salvage crew

   Limitations

   Documents the grounding (as 'typhoon victim') and refloat date/location; does not state damage extent or subsequent repair disposition. No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ard-21-ard21-05

6. [6]National Archives, Special List #44 (Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations finding aid), row 'ARD-21 3/7/1945 6/30/1945' [other_primary]

   Locator

   SL-44 ship-number section, ARD block: 'ARD-21 ... 3/7/1945 ... 6/30/1945'

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA Special List #44 (Navy deck logs in the National Archives) lists ARD-21 deck logs covering 3/7/1945 through 6/30/1945 - contemporaneous records of the dock's station, operations, and weather/events during that window, which includes the Pearl Harbor-to-Guam period and predates the Kerama Retto arrival.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   March-June 1945

   Limitations

   Finding aid establishes that the logs exist; their contents were not examined and they are not indexed by event. Deck-log entries could document crew size, stations, and any materials/handling notes, but their informational content is unverified.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ard-21-ard21-06

7. [7]National Archives Catalog, file unit 125474878 'ARD-21, 3/7/45-6/19/47', RG 24 Muster Rolls (digitized via Ancestry partnership) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NARA Catalog file unit 125474878

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA file unit 125474878, 'ARD-21, 3/7/45-6/19/47,' in RG 24 (Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities) - 174 scanned pages of muster rolls documenting the dock's Navy complement from March 1945 through 19 June 1947, consistent with Navy manning into mid-1947 before the Maritime Commission transfer.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1945-1947

   Population

   ARD-21 complement 1945-1947

   Limitations

   Muster rolls document personnel rosters, not materials; contents not individually examined. Establishes the crewed period window; contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ard-21-ard21-07

8. [8]Building the Navy's Bases in World War II: History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps, 1940-1946, Vol. I (Washington: GPO, 1947), ch. 9 'Floating Drydocks' (HyperWar mirror) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Chapter 9, Auxiliary Repair Dock section (pp. ~209-217)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The Bureau of Yards and Docks official history documents the ARD design: a one-piece ship-form steel dock with bottom-hinged stern gate, equipped with 'its own diesel-electric power plant, pumping plant, repair shops, and crew's accommodations' - the first drydock self-sustaining enough to accompany the fleet into remote waters. The ARD-12 group was widened to 59 ft clear width to accommodate LSTs and made trans-Pacific tows at 6-8 knots.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1942-1945 (program era); publication 1947

   Population

   ARD-type dock crews (class context)

   Limitations

   Class/design-level documentation for the type; does not name ARD-21 specifically and contains no asbestos or materials-fiber statements. Establishes machinery/spaces aboard the type only.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ard-21-ard21-08

9. [9]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 1944 steel auxiliary dock was built at a wartime yard, and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in naval construction.

   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 dock and does not establish that asbestos was or is aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ard-21-ard21-09

10. [10]Tim Colton, ShipbuildingHistory, 'US Navy Dry Docks AFDB AFDM AFDL ARDM ARD YFD' table (also mirrored at navalmarinearchive.com Pacific Bridge yard table) [other_primary]

    Locator

    ARD table, row 'ARD 21'

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Shipbuilding production table: 'ARD 21 - Pacific Bridge, Alameda CA - 5,200 [tons] - 489 [ft] - Apr-44 - To MARAD 1947.' Independently corroborates builder, April 1944 delivery, and 1947 Maritime Commission/MARAD transfer.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1944-1947

    Limitations

    Compiled production table (standard reference for U.S. yard output), not an original document; corroborated by NavSource for builder/delivery. Gives 489 ft vs. NavSource's 492 ft - discrepancy in gaps. No asbestos information.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-ard-21-ard21-10

11. [11]Carter, Worrall Reed, Rear Admiral USN, Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil: The Story of Fleet Logistics Afloat in the Pacific During World War II (Washington: GPO, 1953), Appendix 'List of Commanding Officers' (HyperWar mirror) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Appendix, Floating Drydocks (Auxiliary Repair Dock) section, row 'ARD-21'

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    The official Service Force Pacific logistics history's appendix lists ARD-21's officer-in-charge as Lt. Comdr. J. G. Bevelander among the principal vessels engaged in logistic work under Commander Service Force Pacific.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1944-1945

    Population

    ARD-21 crew under ServForPac

    Limitations

    Establishes the Service Force Pacific officer-in-charge only; no asbestos information.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-ard-21-ard21-11

12. [12]Batch-2560 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC, NARA (deck logs, muster rolls, BuShips dock manual), NavSource, shipbuilding production tables, CourtListener opinion and RECAP docket indexes, MARAD Vessel History Database [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-ard-21-ard21-01 through sl-uss-ard-21-ard21-11

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS ARD-21 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The dock's disposition post-1947 is unknown, so no transfer-condition or demolition asbestos disclosure 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 - 1944 steel construction with power plant, shops, and accommodations is era-consistent with asbestos-containing 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-ard-21-ard21-12

13. [13]National Archives Catalog, file unit 1741196 'USS ARD 21 Dock Manual', RG 19 Records of the Bureau of Ships [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA Catalog file unit 1741196

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    NARA file unit 1741196, 'USS ARD 21 Dock Manual,' exists in RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), series 'Manuals and Other Documentation Relating to Floating Drydocks' - a Bureau of Ships technical manual specific to this dock, not digitized. A dock manual would document machinery, systems, and fittings - the most direct potential ship-specific source for materials content.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    c. 1944

    Limitations

    Catalog description verified; manual contents not examined (not digitized). Whether it contains materials/insulation specifications is unknown - the title alone does not establish asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-ard-21-ard21-13

14. [14]U.S. Navy Research (usnavyresearch.info), 12th Naval District Letters index, line 2106 - document-reproduction service indexing archival correspondence [other_primary]

    Locator

    Letters index 2001-3000, line 2106

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    A commercial index to Twelfth Naval District correspondence lists document 'ND12-14-CC/Hs A4-1/FS(1) Serial 2418 - ARD-21 and ARD-22 - Placing in Service' - an archival record of the placing-in-service action for this dock and sister ARD-22.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    c. 1944

    Limitations

    Commercial index entry only - the underlying letter was not retrieved or examined; establishes that a placing-in-service document exists, not its contents. Date of the document is not stated in the index.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-ard-21-ard21-14

15. [15]CourtListener API v4 searches: q='"ARD-21"' type=o (0 results); q='"ARD-21"' type=r (~50 results, all name collisions) [court_record]

    Locator

    CourtListener search results; authenticated API via fleet helper

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    CourtListener API v4 sweep, 2026-09-26: opinion index (type=o) for phrase 'ARD-21' returned 0 results; RECAP docket index (type=r) for 'ARD-21' returned ~50 dockets, all reviewed hits being name collisions (surname 'Ard' litigants, docket/document numbers containing '21') - none mention a vessel, drydock, Navy service, or asbestos. No qualifying asbestos litigation, no other vessel litigation, and no case naming this hull.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    2026-09-26

    Limitations

    Absence of indexed opinions/dockets does not prove no claim was ever filed - PACER coverage gaps and non-digitized state filings exist, and crew exposure claims would typically name manufacturers or the government rather than the hull designation. No MDL-875 or pleading-stage hit located.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-ard-21-ard21-15