Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet ay-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: ARD-25 (never named; served as USS ARD-25 while in USN service)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-ard-25-ard25-pkt-ay-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive - USS ARD-25 (auxiliary repair dock record compiled from Naval Vessel Register and related data; page notes no DANFS history exists) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USS ARD-25 page, NavSource archives 09/67/6725
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ARD-25 is an ARD-12-class auxiliary repair dock (floating drydock): built at Pacific Bridge Co., Alameda, CA (laid-down year truncated in source); delivered and commissioned USS ARD-25 in May 1944; assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and served in the Marianas Islands at Saipan during World War II; decommissioned and struck dates unknown; leased to Chile 15 December 1960 and renamed Ingeniero Mery (131); sold to Chile 20 August 1973; reported active in the Chilean navy. Displacement 5,200 tons, length 492 ft, beam 81 ft, draft 6 ft; propulsion none; complement and armament unknown. Awards listed: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal. International radio call sign NHZG.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1973 U.S. period; 1960-present Chilean period
- Population
- WWII crew of ARD-25 (size undocumented); Chilean dockyard workforce 1960-present
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained secondary archive, not a primary source; values cross-check against Carter's official Navy logistics history (Saipan service, wartime COs), the Naval Vessel Register inactive-hull list (1973 SAP disposal), shipbuildinghistory.com's Pacific Bridge build table (May-44 delivery, 489 ft), and official Chilean Navy sources (Mery in service). Laid-down year is truncated ('194') in the NavSource entry; decommissioning and striking dates are not given. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-25-ard25-01
-
[3]Carter, Worrall Reed (RADM, USN Ret.), 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil: The Story of Fleet Logistics Afloat in the Pacific During World War II,' Department of the Navy, 1953 - Chapter XIX, 'Service Squadron Ten Main Body Moves to Ulithi' (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BBBO Chapter XIX, ~p. 217-218 - second convoy passage naming ARD-25 and Lt. Comdr. Otto Knudsen
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- In the October 1944 Service Squadron Ten move from Eniwetok toward Ulithi, War Shipping Administration tug Cubits Gap had brought out the floating dock ARD-25 - Lieutenant Commander Otto Knudsen commanding - and was routed forward to Guam for the use of Service Squadron Twelve (Commodore Fiske); the dock carried in her basin the suction dredge Point Loma and dredge Benson.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-10
- Population
- ARD-25 crew; WSA tug Cubits Gap crew
- Limitations
- Official Navy-sponsored operational history by the former commander of Service Squadron Ten; documents the dock's October 1944 forward movement to Guam, not an asbestos condition. Does not state when ARD-25 first entered the theater or when she shifted from Guam to Saipan. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-25-ard25-02
-
[4]Carter, Worrall Reed (RADM, USN Ret.), 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil,' Department of the Navy, 1953 - Chapter XXVI, 'Activities at Saipan and Ulithi' (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BBBO Chapter XXVI, ~p. 322-323 - repair-availability passage naming floating docks ARD-25 and AFD-17 at Saipan
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- In March 1945 at Saipan, ARD-25 (with floating dock AFD-17) performed drydocking work within Captain Rhoads's repair organization - which also included destroyer tender Hamul, repair ship Vestal, battle-damage repair ship Phaon, internal-combustion-engine repair ship Luzon, and submarine tender Fulton - making task-force vessels ready for the Okinawa operation; small-craft drydock facilities in Saipan's inner harbor were severely overtaxed and operations were at times suspended by heavy swells.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-03
- Population
- ARD-25 crew; repair-party and ships' forces personnel docked in her
- Limitations
- Confirms ship-specific operational drydocking work at Saipan in March 1945; does not name vessels docked, record quantities of work, or describe materials aboard the dock. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-25-ard25-03
-
[5]Carter, Worrall Reed (RADM, USN Ret.), 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil,' Department of the Navy, 1953 - Appendix, 'List of Commanding Officers' (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BBBO Appendix, Floating Drydocks section - ARD-25 row listing Comdr. T.F. Gorman and Comdr. O. Knudsen
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The appendix's list of commanding officers of principal vessels engaged in logistic work under Commander Service Force Pacific records for ARD-25: Comdr. T.F. Gorman and Comdr. O. Knudsen.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- ARD-25 wartime officers
- Limitations
- Names wartime commanding officers without dates of relief; rank styling differs between the chapter text (Lt. Comdr. Otto Knudsen) and the appendix (Comdr. O. Knudsen), consistent with a wartime promotion. Not an asbestos record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-25-ard25-04
-
[6]Naval Vessel Register, QUICKFIND 'US Navy Hulls in a Non Active status' (Wayback Machine capture of nvr.navy.mil, 2016-09-27) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR inactive-hull list, N section: 'NO NAME | ARD 25 | 08/01/1973 | Disposed of through the Security Assistance Program (SAP), transferred, cash sale'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Naval Vessel Register's inactive-hull listing records ARD 25 (no name) disposed of 08/01/1973 through the Security Assistance Program - transferred by cash sale with an ex-US fleet hull foreign military sales case number assigned.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1973
- Limitations
- Authoritative U.S. Navy register entry, retrieved via Internet Archive capture (live nvr.navy.mil no longer serves this legacy page). NVR disposition date 1973-08-01 differs from NavSource's sale date 1973-08-20 - administrative vs. contractual dating; both carried, conflict logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos or condition information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-25-ard25-05
-
[7]Armada de Chile, official naval news releases: 'Exitoso reflotamiento del dique Mery contribuye a recuperar la normalidad de la bahia de Concepcion' and 'Dique Flotante Mutilla fue reflotado por personal de la Armada' (Segunda Zona Naval public affairs, 2010) [other_primary]
- Locator
- armada.cl news release; companion release https://www.armada.cl/noticias-navales/dique-flotante-mutilla-fue-reflotado-por-personal-de-la-armada-e ; minister-visit release https://www.armada.cl/noticias-navales/ministro-ravinet-inspecciono-trabajos-de-reconstruccion-en-la-base-naval
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile) reports that during the 27 February 2010 earthquake/tsunami the floating dock 'Mery' - 150 m long, 24 m beam, used for repair and maintenance of units up to 3,500 tons - was dragged from her position into the middle of the ASMAR Talcahuano basin and sank; diving inspection found 19 hull breaches (17 below the waterline, one of 28 m extent), and the dock was refloated after roughly 23,000 tons of water were pumped out. The same operation also refloated her twin floating dock 'Mutilla' (ex-ARD-32).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2010
- Population
- ASMAR Talcahuano salvage and repair workforce (2010)
- Limitations
- Official Chilean Navy public-affairs reporting; identifies the dock only as 'Mery' - the ex-ARD-25 identity rests on NavSource's transfer record (Ingeniero Mery 131) and the paired listing with 'Mutilla' (ex-ARD-32). Salvage involved hull repair work on a 1944-era structure; no asbestos, hazardous-material, or insulation statement appears in the releases.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-25-ard25-06
-
[8]ASMAR official services page, 'Diques - Diques Flotantes Mery y Mutilla' (asmar.cl); SABES regional news, 'Mery, el dique de ASMAR donde periciaran el PAM Cobra de Blumar' (2025-04-25) [other_primary]
- Locator
- asmar.cl services listing; https://sabes.cl/2025/04/25/mery-dique-asmar-periciaran-pam-cobra-blumar-40-millones-diarios-esclarecer-tragedia/
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ASMAR (Astilleros y Maestranzas de la Armada), the Chilean state naval shipyard at Talcahuano, lists floating docks 'Mery' and 'Mutilla' among its drydocking facilities; Chilean press coverage of April-May 2025 documents the Mery in active service, accepting the fishing vessel Cobra for forensic inspection (Caso Bruma), and describes her useful length as 120 m, beam 18.59 m, and maximum capacity 3,000 tons.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2025-2026
- Population
- ASMAR Talcahuano dockyard workforce (contemporary)
- Limitations
- Confirms the ex-ARD-25 hull remains an operating industrial asset in 2025-2026. Reported working dimensions (120 m useful length, 3,000-ton capacity) differ from U.S. overall figures (492 ft, 5,200 t displacement, ~3,500 t lift) - capacity figures reflect different measurement bases; discrepancy noted, not resolved. No asbestos or materials information in either source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-25-ard25-07
-
[9]Department of the Navy, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II: History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps 1940-1946,' GPO 1947 - Chapter IX (HyperWar transcription); Carter, 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil' Appendix ship-type glossary (ARD: 'some 485 feet and some 491 feet long... lift capacity of 3,500 tons... accommodate destroyers, submarines, and landing ships (tank)') [other_primary]
- Locator
- Building the Navy's Bases Chapter IX, floating-drydock program section; BBBO Appendix glossary entry for ARD
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Bureau of Yards and Docks' official base-development history describes the ARD design lineage: ARD-1 (1934) was a revolutionary one-piece, ship-shaped, self-sustaining mobile drydock with its own diesel-electric power plant, pumping plant, repair shops, and crew accommodations; the follow-on ARD-2 class and successors were built in rapid succession at a rate of more than one a month during 1943-44, roughly 485-491 ft long with 3,500-ton lift capacity, sized for destroyers, submarines, and LSTs - the design family to which this hull belongs.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1934-1946
- Population
- ARD-type crews and construction trades (class context)
- Limitations
- Type-level design and program history; does not name ARD-25 and makes no statement about materials, insulation, or asbestos aboard any specific dock. Establishes the machinery/spaces categories (diesel-electric plant, shops, accommodations) relevant to era-inference only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-25-ard25-08
-
[10]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 program and era under which this 1944 steel floating drydock was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant hulls.
- 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 service-craft crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or the ARD type 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-25-ard25-09
-
[11]Bartlett History Museum (Village of Bartlett Museums), PastPerfect Online collection - keyword record 'USS ARD-25', photo records 2017.10.47-.49 [museum_official]
- Locator
- PastPerfect keyword search 'USS ARD-25' - 3 photo records, Eugene Haase biography captions
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Bartlett History Museum (Village of Bartlett, Illinois) online collection holds three photo records (accessions 2017.10.47, 2017.10.48, 2017.10.49) of Eugene 'Gene' Haase (1926-2007), a Navy enlistee of December 1944, cataloged under the keyword 'USS ARD-25' with description text stating he served aboard the dock in the Pacific Theater.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- ARD-25 crew (individual member documented)
- Limitations
- Museum cataloging record, not a service document - the caption biography ties donor Haase to ARD-25 service; individual record pages were fetch-blocked (403) and only the collection's summary text was retrieved. Confirms one crew member's association with the hull; says nothing about asbestos, materials, or conditions.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-25-ard25-10
-
[12]Batch-2564 search ledger (this record): NavSource ARD-25 page (no DANFS); NHHC/DANFS lookup; HyperWar BBBO and Building-the-Bases histories; NVR inactive-hull list; CourtListener opinion/docket searches; ASMAR and Armada de Chile sources; Bartlett History Museum [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ard-25-ard25-01 through sl-uss-ard-25-ard25-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming ARD-25/Ingeniero Mery was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener searches returned seven opinion hits and thirty-seven docket hits on 'ARD-25' - every one a name collision (California criminal docket codes, prisoner civil-rights suits, patent part numbers, the surname 'Ard') - and zero hits on 'Ingeniero Mery' or 'auxiliary repair dock' + asbestos (see search_ledger). No DANFS entry exists for this hull.
- 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-built dock still in industrial service, sunk and salvaged in 2010, is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials. 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-25-ard25-11
-
[13]NARA record-group mapping: RG 24 deck logs; RG 19 Bureau of Ships; RG 181 naval-district records (NARA guide to federal records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html ; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/181.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 (Navy deck logs) holds deck logs for commissioned floating drydocks including ARD-25, covering the 1944 Guam/Saipan period; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) and BuDocks contract files would hold the Pacific Bridge ARD-12-class construction specifications; RG 181 (12th Naval District records, San Bruno) may hold delivery and in-service documentation for Alameda-built yard craft.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1973 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - the NARA online catalog is JavaScript-gated and its API requires a key, so no catalog-level confirmation of digitized ARD-25 records was performed; nothing retrieved. Existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-25-ard25-12