Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
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[1]research packet ay-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: ARD-24 (never named; served as USS ARD-24 while in USN service)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-ard-24-ard24-pkt-ay-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive, USS ARD-24 page (compiled Navy records and Navy/shipyard photographs; no DANFS entry exists for this hull - 'There is no DANFS history available for USS ARD-24') [other_primary]
- Locator
- USS ARD-24 class history block, specifications block, ribbon block, and photo captions (images 09672403, 09672401, 09670603, 09672402, 09053509)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ARD-12 Class Auxiliary Repair Dock: laid down (date unknown) at Pacific Bridge Co., Alameda, CA; commissioned USS ARD-24 in 1944; decommissioned (date unknown); placed in service at Mare Island Naval Shipyard (date unknown); struck from the Naval Register (date unknown); NavSource page lists 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Specifications: displacement 5,200 t., length 492 ft, beam 81 ft, draft 6 ft, no propulsion. Call sign NHZE. Ribbon block: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal. Photo record: USS ARD-24 moored in Apra Harbor, Guam, circa 1945 (two US Navy photos); Apra Harbor Industrial Department drydocks photo grouping ABSD-3, ABSD-6, ARDC-3, ARD-24, ARD-26; USS Uhlmann (DD-687) riding in floating drydock ARD-24 at the south end of Mare Island, December 1967; Mare Island aerial photo showing ARD-24 in the yard waterfront, May 1980 (MINSY photo 168005-5-80).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- NavSource is a curated secondary compilation of official Navy records, not itself a primary document; its 'fate unknown' disposition line is outdated against the archived Naval Vessel Register (stricken 1979-12-20, disposed 1982-10-01) and Ecuadorian-service documentation. Photo captions establish documented presence at Apra Harbor (1945) and Mare Island (1967, 1980). No asbestos or material content addressed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-24-01
-
[3]Carter, W.R., Beans, Bullets and Black Oil: The Story of Fleet Logistics Afloat in the Pacific During World War II (Department of the Navy), Appendix - Floating Drydocks roster and vessel-type descriptions (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Appendix, Floating Drydocks section, ARD-24 line ('ARD-24 | Comdr L. Sederholt'); ARD type description, p. 453
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official CNO fleet-logistics history 'Beans, Bullets and Black Oil' (RAdm Worrall Reed Carter, USN Ret.) lists ARD-24 in its appendix of representative Service Force Pacific vessels, under Floating Drydocks, with 'Comdr L. Sederholt' as wartime commander. The same history describes the ARD type: 'Floating drydocks. These, some 485 feet and some 491 feet long, had a lift capacity of 3,500 tons and could accommodate destroyers, submarines, and landing ships (tank). They were the bulwark of repair forces of service organizations in logistic support anchorages in the accomplishment of repair where docking was required.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Official Department of the Navy history. Roster entry names the dock and its wartime commander among Service Force Pacific floating drydocks; it does not state the dock's station (Guam is established by the photo record and docking events, not this row's roster). Type description is class-level. Contains no asbestos or material information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-24-02
-
[4]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List #44: List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, by ship number [other_primary]
- Locator
- ARD-24 index line: 'ARD-24 5/19/1944 6/30/1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List #44 (deck logs by ship number) lists ARD-24 deck-log coverage 19 May 1944 through 30 June 1945 - a window consistent with the recorded May 1944 delivery/commissioning and spanning the dock's wartime service including the documented Guam deployment.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Index-level confirmation that deck logs exist for this window; the logs themselves were not pulled or inspected, and digitized availability was not confirmed. Log content is the strongest untapped primary source for docking events, crew, and material work aboard this hull. Coverage ending 30 June 1945 does not mark decommissioning - the dock is documented at Guam through at least 22 September 1945.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-24-03
-
[5]USS Gunnel (SS-253) Eighth War Patrol report transcription (jmlavelle.com, via Wayback capture 2024-06-23; transcribed verbatim from the captain's official patrol report); USS PGM-10 'Unofficial Log' 5 Jan-7 Dec 1945 (NavSource 12/11010d, contributed by crew member) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Gunnel patrol8.htm lines '9 June 1945 to 13 June 1945 ... Spent one day in floating drydock ARD-24'; PGM-10 log entries 1 Aug-10 Oct 1945 (navsource.net/archives/12/11010d.htm)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented dockings aboard ARD-24 at Apra Harbor, Guam, 1945: USS Gunnel (SS-253) 'spent one day in floating drydock ARD-24' during a 9-13 June 1945 voyage-repairs availability alongside USS Holland at Apra Harbor (port propeller nicks removed; ballast adjusted), per the verbatim transcription of the boat's official eighth war patrol report; and the unofficial log of USS PGM-10 records '22 SEPT 1945. WENT IN DRY DOCK ON ARD 24' while the gunboat was operating out of Guam (arrived August 1945, departed 10 October 1945).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Transcriptions of primary records (patrol report; crew logbook) posted by private contributors; the underlying NARA originals were not directly inspected. The Gunnel transcript's '26,000 tons of lead ballast' figure is as-transcribed and almost certainly a unit error (pounds) - not relied on here. Establishes the dock performing its repair function at Guam in mid/late 1945; no material or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-24-04
-
[6]Naval Vessel Register (nvr.navy.mil), SHIPSDETAIL_ARD_24 and QUICKFIND inactive-hulls listing (Wayback captures 2016-09-27 / 2017-01-26) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR ARD-24 detail page (stricken 12/20/1979; status change 10/01/1982); QUICKFIND SHIPSDETAIL_INACTIVE_N listing row 'ARD 24 | 10/01/1982'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Naval Vessel Register detail page for ARD 24 (archived; page live 2016) records: 'NO NAME (ARD 24), AUXILIARY REPAIR DRY DOCK (N-S-P)'; UIC 05374; Class ARD 12; Stricken Date 12/20/1979; status 'Disposed of through the Security Assistance Program (SAP), transferred, cash sale, ex-US fleet hull foreign military sale case number assigned,' date status changed 10/01/1982.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Official register data via Wayback capture - the current live NVR no longer lists this hull (disposed 1982). Records strike and disposal dates and the SAP cash-sale mechanism; the destination country is not named in the NVR entry (Ecuador is established by shipbuildinghistory and Ecuadorian sources). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-24-05
-
[7]shipbuildinghistory.com, 'US Navy Dry Docks AFDB AFDM AFDL ARDM ARD YFD' table, ARD-24 row; 'Pacific Bridge, Alameda CA' yard construction table (navalmarinearchive.com mirror also consulted) [other_primary]
- Locator
- auxafd table: 'ARD 24 | Pacific Bridge | Alameda CA | 5,200 | 489 | May-44 | To Ecuador 1982 as Napo (DF 82), active'; Pacific Bridge yard table ARD 24 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipbuildinghistory (Tim Colton shipyard records) lists ARD-24 in both the US Navy dry-dock table and the Pacific Bridge Co., Alameda yard table: built by Pacific Bridge, 5,200 tons, 489 feet, delivered May 1944, 'to Ecuador 1982 as Napo (DF 82), active.' The companion yard table gives the same entry and notes Pacific Bridge was one of the construction companies in Henry Kaiser's wartime 'Group of Six,' located on the Oakland-Alameda estuary at Clement Avenue and Chestnut Street.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Standard compiled reference for US shipbuilding/delivery and disposition records - secondary compilation, not a primary document. Consistent with the archived NVR disposal record (1982 SAP cash sale). Length given as 489 ft vs NavSource's 492 ft - minor spec variant carried in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-24-06
-
[8]Morocho Lindao, D.A. & Vera Cortes, V.S., 'Analisis tecnico y economico de un dique flotante modular auto-carenable' (thesis, Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral, ESPOL institutional repository, dspace.espol.edu.ec) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Thesis chapter 1, Astinave floating-dock history paragraph; Tabla 1.1 (Astinave EP 2020 characteristics)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- An Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral (ESPOL) engineering thesis on Astinave's floating docks identifies the yard's 'Dique Rio Napo' as the ex-ARD-24: 'The first of these docks, ARD-24, was bought from the United States, which used it for repairs in the ocean during World War II. Later, in 1984 it was incorporated into the Ecuadorian Navy and christened with the name Rio Napo. Since then it has been located in the Base Naval Sur area to provide ship maintenance and repair services.' The thesis also records Astinave's acquisition of companion dock ARD-26 (renamed Rio Orellana 2005) and tabulates Rio Napo characteristics (lift capacity 3,600 t; useful length 100 m; useful beam 16 m; useful draft 6 m) from Astinave 2020 data.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Academic secondary source citing company (Astinave) data; establishes the Napo = ex-ARD-24 identity and 1984 Ecuadorian incorporation. The 1984 incorporation vs the NVR's October 1982 disposal is a plausible delivery/flagging lag but is unresolved in the sources - logged in gaps. Capacity figures (3,600 t in the Astinave table; ~3,000 t in press) differ from the 3,500-t class design figure - variants noted in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-24-07
-
[9]El Universo (Guayaquil), 'Nuevo dique flotante potenciara la capacidad de mantenimiento de embarcaciones en la Base Naval Sur' (2023-10-18); Primicias, 'Guayaquil pierde capacidad como astillero del Pacifico' (updated 2026-05-11, citing Astinave EP informe de rendicion de cuentas 2025) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- El Universo article body (Astinave manager Byron Machuca statements); Primicias article (primicias.ec/economia/astillero-pacifico-construccion-mantenimiento-naval-flota-pesquera-reparaciones-embarcaciones-paises-vecinos-astinave-122206/)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ecuadorian press documents the hull's working status into 2025: El Universo (Guayaquil, 2023-10-18) reports Astinave's floating docks Napo and Orellana as WWII-built ex-U.S. Navy docks ('in their day were of the American navy, then transferred to the Ecuadorian navy') still in service after 80+ years, with Napo degraded to roughly 1,400-ton effective capacity - about half its original ~3,000 tons - handling under 25 vessels a year, and a 6,200-ton replacement dock approved for procurement. Primicias (updated 2026-05-11), citing Astinave's 2025 accountability report, records the Dique Napo out of service since December 2025 with a failed main bilge pump, and USD 12.5M in Banco de Desarrollo del Ecuador financing secured April 2025 toward a ~USD 24M new floating dock.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Reputable Ecuadorian press reporting company statements; establishes the dock remained in service into 2025 and went out of service December 2025 - the hull's ~81-year working life is consistent with retention of original-era fabric, but no hazmat, asbestos, or material-content disclosure appears in this coverage. Identity of 'Napo' as ex-ARD-24 rests on the ESPOL and shipbuildinghistory rows.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-24-08
-
[10]Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II,' Chapter IX Floating Drydocks (GPO 1947; HyperWar transcription); U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, 'ARD-1, The Pioneer' (July 1967) - design description of bow/wing-wall berthing, storeroom, and machinery spaces [other_primary]
- Locator
- Building Bases ch. IX (ARD-1 design paragraph and type taxonomy, pp. 209-211); USNI Proceedings July 1967 design paragraphs
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/design context for asbestos inference: the Bureau of Yards and Docks' official history of its WWII floating-drydock program describes the ARD type as 'a one-piece dock, ship-shaped in form ... equipped with its own diesel-electric power plant, pumping plant, repair shops, and crew's accommodations,' the first drydock 'sufficiently self-sustaining to accompany a fleet into remote waters'; thirty enlarged docks of this type were built 1942-44. A U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings account of the ARD-1 design describes berthing, storerooms, and machinery spaces inside the bow and wing walls. Ships and craft built for the Navy in 1944 were constructed in the era when asbestos was the standard marine insulation, gasket, packing, and fireproofing material; typical applications in a structure of this type would be machinery and pipe insulation, gaskets, packing, electrical insulation, and fire-resistant accommodation-space material. As a non-propelled drydock it had no boilers or steam propulsion plant.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record: no source inspected names asbestos aboard ARD-24 specifically. The absence of a propulsion plant narrows the plausible material scope relative to powered ships. Does not establish presence, quantity, condition, or exposure aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-24-09
-
[11]Corn JK, Starr J. 'Historical perspective on asbestos: policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding.' Am J Ind Med 12(4):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Am J Ind Med 12(4):359-373 (1987), DOI 10.1002/ajim.4700120402
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical scholarship documents that WWII-era U.S. shipyards extensively installed asbestos-containing insulation, lagging, gaskets, and fireproofing in naval construction - the era and program under which this 1944-built steel drydock was constructed at a wartime emergency yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (study scope)
- Population
- WWII-era shipyard and floating-drydock crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Era-level scholarship; does not name this hull or class and does not establish that any specific material aboard this structure contained asbestos. The dock's documented crew accommodations, repair shops, and machinery spaces are ship-specific (per the BuDocks type description), but the asbestos-material inference remains era-level, not ship-proven.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-24-10
-
[12]CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket search via cl-auth-search.py (authenticated, fleet-paced) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ard-24-07 through sl-uss-ard-24-10 (queries and classifications)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Completed CourtListener sweep via the authenticated fleet helper (cl-auth-search.py), 2026-09-26: opinion-index query '"ARD-24" asbestos' returned 0 results; '"USS ARD-24"' returned 0 results; '"ARD-24"' returned 2 opinions, both name collisions - Spring Branch Indep Sch Dist v. O.W., 938 F.3d 695 (5th Cir. 2019) (Texas 'ARD' special-education admission/review/dismissal terminology) and Cain v. Darby Borough, 7 F.3d 377 (3d Cir. 1993) (Pennsylvania 'ARD' accelerated rehabilitative disposition context); docket-index query '"ARD-24"' returned 56 hits, all surname ('Ard')/acronym/OCR-fragment collisions with no asbestos, maritime, or drydock content. Classification: no qualifying asbestos litigation naming USS ARD-24 located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Sweep completed across opinion and docket indexes. Absence of a located case does not prove no exposure occurred - floating drydocks had small crews and brief per-worker tenures, and maritime asbestos claims were often brought as personal-injury suits that name employers or product manufacturers rather than hull numbers. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-24-11
-
[13]Batch-2563 search ledger (this record) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ard-24-01 through sl-uss-ard-24-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, material schedule, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed exposure case naming ARD-24 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). NHHC maintains no DANFS entry for this hull; the live Naval Vessel Register carries no ARD-24 record (archived 2016 page used). The hull's survival in working service in Ecuador into 2025 is consistent with retained original-era material, but no Ecuadorian survey or abatement documentation was located either.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - 1944 construction and 80+ years of repair work are consistent with era-typical materials, and the dock remains extant in Ecuador (out of service Dec 2025, disposition pending). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-24-12