Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet az-packet.md (11 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-ard-31-ard31-pkt-az-packet-md
-
[2]U.S. Navy, Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. III - Auxiliary, District Craft & Unclassified Vessels, NAVSHIPS 250-012 (13 April 1945), Floating Dry Dock Characteristics table, p. 607 (shipscribe.com scan mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSHIPS 250-012, p. 607, Floating Dry Dock Characteristics table, row '7ARD31' (PDF page 626 of the shipscribe.com scan)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy's own 1945 characteristics table lists ARD-31 (entry '7ARD31') in the one-piece steel ARD group: nominal lifted capacity 3,500 tons; 'suitable in general for docking' DD, SS, LST; length over-all 491 ft 8 in; length on pontoon 413 ft 6 in; length on blocks 389 ft 0 in; width over-all molded 81 ft 0 in; width clear inside 59 ft 0 in; draft clear over blocks 20 ft 9 in; maximum submerged draft 33 ft 3 in; light draft 5 ft 8 in; construction start and finish both 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Limitations
- Official Navy characteristics table - establishes identity, design data, and construction year only. Contains no asbestos, materials, crewing, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-31-ard31-01
-
[3]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive - ARD-31 page (registry timeline compiled from official Navy data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource ARD-31 entry, specifications and service notes
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Service timeline for ARD-31 (ARD-12 class auxiliary repair dock): built by Pacific Bridge Co., Alameda, CA; laid down 9 June 1944; launched 29 July 1944; completed August 1944; assigned to Kaiser Company's Richmond No. 3 shipyard, Richmond, CA, August 1944 - July 1945; commissioned USS ARD-31 at Richmond 21 July 1945, LT Francis W. Barrington commanding; Asiatic-Pacific Theater service at Guam and Okinawa, returning to Guam, Marianas Islands, circa 1947; China Service Medal (extended) 11 December 1945 - 19 October 1946 and Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) 20 October - 9 November 1946; decommissioned at Long Beach, CA circa September 1947; towed to Naval Station Kodiak, AK September 1951 and placed in service; loaned to the U.S. Air Force circa 1956 and towed to Tuktoyaktuk Harbor, NWT, Canada for DEW Line support via Northern Transportation Company Limited; placed out of service (date unknown); struck from the Naval Register 1 April 1974; transferred to Canadian flag for Northern Transportation Company Limited (date unknown); sold for commercial service to MarCom Inc., Portland, OR circa 2000.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-2000
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-compiled archive drawing on official registry data - it is not itself an official source, and no DANFS entry exists to corroborate at primary level. Milestones are consistent across independent compilations (shipbuildinghistory.com drydock list; kadiak.org reproduction gives delivery 19 August 1944). 'Loaned circa 1956' vs shipbuildinghistory's 'To US Air Force 1974' reconciled as operational loan c.1956 with formal strike/disposal 1974. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-31-ard31-02
-
[4]Bureau of Yards and Docks, Building the Navy's Bases in World War II, Vol. II (GPO 1947), Chapter IX 'Floating Drydocks' (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter IX, 'Floating Drydocks' - ARD sections (book pages 209-217)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official BuDocks history defines the ARD as a 'mobile, military, steel unit dock, ship-form hull, with a normal lifting capacity of 3,500 tons, for destroyers, submarines, and small auxiliaries.' The wartime design carried a diesel-electric power plant (four railway-type diesel engines direct-connected to generators), two ballast pumping plants of two 15,000-gpm vertical-shaft pumps each, welding equipment and small machines on the lower (C) machinery deck, quarters and messing facilities for the crew on the upper (B) machinery deck, a hull repair shop in the bow, and a covered wooden carpenter-shop barge moored alongside supplied with power from the dock. After 1942 all subsequent docks of the class were built to a revised design with 59-ft clear width to accommodate LSTs - the group ARD-31 belongs to per the 1945 Ships' Data table (59 ft 0 in clear inside width). None of the docks was equipped with propulsion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1934-1945 design and construction program
- Population
- ARD construction crews; dock operating crews; ships' crews docked for repair (class context)
- Limitations
- Class/design-level official history - does not name ARD-31 and contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement. Documents the onboard industrial plant (welding equipment, repair shops, diesel machinery, crew accommodations) characteristic of the type; any asbestos inference for this hull is era inference only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-31-ard31-03
-
[5]The Kodiak Bear (U.S. Naval Station Kodiak base newspaper), 30 May 1952 issue - ARD-31 feature article and photographs, reproduced at kadiak.org (Kodiak Military History) [other_primary]
- Locator
- kadiak.org/ships/ard31.html - 'The above text and photos are from THE KODIAK BEAR May 30, 1952'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A contemporaneous base-newspaper feature describes ARD-31 at Kodiak since September 1951: the dock 'is self-sustaining, in that it can feed and berth all of its men'; pictured facilities include the crew's mess hall, a machine shop with an 18-inch lathe, and a metal shop doing 'all the work necessary for maintenance of the ARD-31 plus any work needed on ships that are in dry dock'; the carpenter barge is moored at the bow; the basin 'can handle all ships up to, and including a destroyer.' Officers named: LT F. J. Huser (commanding), CHCARP J. L. Bartlett (executive officer), MACH M. E. Townsend (engineering officer).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1951-1952
- Population
- ARD-31 crew at Naval Station Kodiak, 1951-52
- Limitations
- Period official station newspaper reproduced on a private history site (kadiak.org); the May 30, 1952 issue itself was not independently examined - content per the site's transcription and photo captions. Documents the dock's onboard industrial plant and berthing/messing self-sufficiency at Kodiak; contains no asbestos or materials statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-31-ard31-04
-
[6]USS Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) WestPac Deployment February-October 1947 narrative, drawn from the ship's official deck log (veterans' association site) [other_primary]
- Locator
- dd-692.com/westpac.htm - 1947 WestPac narrative, June 10-17 entries
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The deck-log-derived narrative records USS Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) arriving Guam 10 June 1947, entering 'the ARD-31 floating drydock' on 12 June 1947, undergoing 'inspection and repair of the rudders and hull,' and undocking 17 June 1947 - a documented destroyer docking aboard ARD-31 during her postwar Guam period.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1947-06
- Population
- ARD-31 crew and DD-692 crew during the June 1947 docking period
- Limitations
- Ship-association transcription of the destroyer's deck log; the original log at NARA (RG 24) was not independently examined. Documents ARD-31 in operational drydocking use; the subject is the docked vessel's repair event, not the dock's own material condition - no asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-31-ard31-05
-
[7]NavSource ARD-31 'Description of DEW Line Support Service' - firsthand account by former Northern Transportation Company Limited storekeeper Wayne Smith (service aboard June-October 1972 and 1973) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/09/67/6731e.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A former NTCL storekeeper who served aboard ARD-31 in the Canadian Arctic in 1972-73 reports: typical crew of about 22; three GM 268A main generator sets; the dock could provide service power to docked vessels at any voltage, AC or DC; ARD-31, Pinnebog (AOG-58), LST-602, and LST-1072 were provided to Northern Transportation Company Limited by the U.S. Air Force under an agreement supporting DEW Line sites along the western Canadian Arctic; and that the dock sank in Tuktoyaktuk harbor circa 1998-99 (per an Edmonton Journal article he recalls) and was salvaged, later reaching Oregon.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- c.1956-c.2000
- Population
- Northern Transportation Company Limited civilian crews, Tuktoyaktuk, 1972-73
- Limitations
- Single-witness recollection with the contributor's own caveats ('my memory is not that great'; 'hear-say'). NTCL/DEW Line association is corroborated by dated 1972-73 photographs on the same archive; the genset details, crew size, and sinking/salvage report are uncorroborated. His recollection of 'built in 1943' and 'bomb damage somewhere in the Pacific theater' conflicts with the documented build record (1944) and the postwar deployment timeline - not adopted. The Edmonton Journal article was not retrieved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-31-ard31-06
-
[8]Federal contractor directory profile for MAR COM INC, 8970 N Bradford, Portland, OR 97203 - ship repair & new construction [other_primary]
- Locator
- MAR COM INC contractor profile, equipment paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A federal-contractor directory profile for MarCom Inc. lists company equipment including 'ARD-31 DRYDOCK 4000 TON CAP. W/EASY INCAPSULATION,' serviced by a 45-ton floating crane and 25-ton whirley crane, with steel/pipe fabrication, machine shop, blast & coat, and vessel machinery capabilities - corroborating the ex-ARD-31's post-2000 commercial operation as MarCom's floating drydock at Portland.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- c.2000-present (listing undated)
- Limitations
- Secondary aggregation of federal contractor registration data; listing date not stated and operational status not confirmed. '4000 ton' capacity conflicts slightly with the Navy's 3,500-ton nominal rating - probably a commercial rating or rounding; not adjudicated. No asbestos or hazmat content; 'easy incapsulation' [sic] is a capability claim about the dock, not a hazmat statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-31-ard31-07
-
[9]Western Asbestos Settlement Trust, Western Built Ship List Revised (February 2024), official site download - row for Pacific Bridge Company, Alameda, CA: ship name 'ARD - 31', hull 'ARD-31'; 2011 archive of the same list recorded 'ARD 31 - Start Date 6/9/1944' [court_record]
- Locator
- Western Built Ship List Revised 2.2024.xlsx, row 52 (sheet 1); 2011 archive copy of the list
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- ARD-31 is carried on the Western Asbestos Settlement Trust's approved Built Ship List (revised February 2024, retrieved from the trust's official site) under shipyard 'Pacific Bridge Company- Alameda, CA' - the court-approved bankruptcy trust of Western Asbestos Company/Western MacArthur Company, which pays claims for asbestos exposure at covered sites and vessels. The trust's approved ship lists set the exposure-eligibility criteria for claims; a 2011 archive of the same list gave ARD-31 a start date of 6/9/1944 (the keel-laying date), keying the qualifying window to the 1944 construction period at Pacific Bridge.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944 (construction window); list current as of February 2024
- Population
- Ship construction trades at Pacific Bridge Co., Alameda, 1944 (trust claimant class)
- Limitations
- Litigation-stage discipline: this is a claims-administration listing, not an adjudicated finding - a trust's approved-vessel list states eligibility criteria for claimant processing and is modifiable by the Trustees under the Case Valuation Matrix. It names the hull and its builder, but it does not identify asbestos products aboard, quantities, locations, or conditions, and does not establish that any individual was exposed aboard ARD-31. Listing derives from the builder (Pacific Bridge Co., Alameda) being a trust-covered facility and qualifies principally the construction-period exposure question; it is not evidence about the hull's later material condition. The 2011 'start date' is the ship's keel-laying date, not an exposure-duration finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-31-ard31-08
-
[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 Pacific Bridge-built steel dock was constructed - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization across ship 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 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-31-ard31-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 search sweep, 2026-09-26 - authenticated queries via fleet pacing helper [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ard-31-ard31-07, -08, and -14
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep for the hull designation, all queries 2026-09-26: opinion searches for 'ARD-31', 'ARD 31', and 'ARD31' each returned zero opinions; phrase query '"auxiliary repair dock" asbestos' returned zero; docket (RECAP) search for 'ARD-31' returned 24 loose-token dockets in none of which the literal string 'ARD-31' appears in the returned records - all unrelated civil matters (civil rights, contract, arbitration exhibits) classified as name-collision noise. No opinion or docket naming the vessel or asserting asbestos exposure aboard it was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- The sweep covered CourtListener's opinion and RECAP docket indexes for the hull designation and its variant spellings; unindexed state-court activity, bankruptcy claims administration (including trust claims against the WAST listing), and unreported matters are outside the corpus. A hull-number-only name ('ARD-31') has no prose alias, so collision volume is low and the zero-hit result is meaningful for the indexed corpus.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ard-31-ard31-10
-
[12]Batch-2569 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS (404 - no entry; NavSource confirms 'no DANFS History available'); Naval Vessel Register (not covered - disposed before 1987); NavSource; shipbuildinghistory.com; kadiak.org Kodiak Bear reproduction; dd-692.com deck-log transcription; wastrust.com official ship lists; governmentbidders.com contractor profile; NARA guidance pages [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ard-31-ard31-01 through sl-uss-ard-31-ard31-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located beyond the Western Asbestos Settlement Trust listing: NHHC/DANFS contains no entry for ARD-31; the Naval Vessel Register does not cover vessels disposed before 1987; and no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, donation-condition document, or docketed court case naming this 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 - a 1944-built steel repair dock that remained in commercial service into the 2000s is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials, and the hull was reportedly never demilitarized or abated as a museum asset. 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-31-ard31-11
-
[13]NARA deck-log research guidance (1941-1959 Navy logs, RG 24) and Guide to Federal Records RG 71 (Bureau of Yards and Docks) - record-group mapping for unretrieved hull-specific files [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-deck-logs-1941-1959 ; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/071.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads not retrieved (no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs for ARD-31's commissioned/in-service periods - 1945-47 Guam/Okinawa/Long Beach and 1951-56 Kodiak - digitization status in the National Archives Catalog not confirmed; (b) NARA RG 71 Bureau of Yards and Docks records may hold construction/contract files for the Pacific Bridge ARD builds; (c) Canadian-registry and Northern Transportation Company Limited records for the post-1974 Canadian-flag period; (d) the reported circa 1998-99 Edmonton Journal coverage of the Tuktoyaktuk sinking and salvage - known only via crew recollection.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-2000 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and source mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; 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-31-ard31-12