USS Dorchester (APB-46)

Evidence

14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).

1. [1]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Dorchester II' entry [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Dorchester II full entry (archived NHHC page; live history.navy.mil URLs for the entry return 404 as of 2026-09-25 - same NHHC link-rot pattern logged in Batch 01)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for Dorchester II (APB-46): '(APB-46: dp. 2,189; l. 328 ft; b. 50 ft; dr. 11 ft 2 in; s. 10 k.; cpl. 123; a. 8 40 mm.; cl. Benewah).' The second Dorchester was launched 12 April 1945 by Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, Ind., sponsored by Mrs. J. A. Walsh, and commissioned 15 June 1945, Lieutenant W. T. Roberts, Jr., USNR, in command. She sailed from New Orleans 5 August 1945, embarked troops at Pearl Harbor, delivered cargo and received passengers at Eniwetok and Guam, and on 15 October reported for service as barracks ship at Wakayama, then at Kobe from 11 February 1946 to 4 March. She sailed for San Francisco, arriving 9 April 1946, and was placed out of commission in reserve at Vancouver, Wash., 16 October 1946.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1945-1946

   Limitations

   The 1963-era DANFS text predates the ship's 1973 striking and 1974 sale and contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation statement; it establishes identity, construction, and WWII/occupation service only.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dorchester-apb46-01

2. [2]Shipscribe (usnaux.shipscribe.com), 'USS Blackford (APB-45) Class' register page - construction, disposition, and ship-notes tables [other_primary]

   Locator

   Construction table (APB-46 row), Disposition table (APB-46 row), Ship Notes (APB-46 entry)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary-ship register page for the Blackford (APB-45) class (compiled by Stephen S. Roberts from official Navy register data) records for APB-46 Dorchester: reclassification date 14 December 1944; keel 5 January 1945 at Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron, Evansville; launched 12 April 1945; commissioned 15 June 1945; decommissioned 16 October 1946; struck 1 June 1973; disposal 10 July 1974; fate Sold. Ship note: 'Ex AKS-17 31 Mar 45, ex LST-1112 14 Dec 44. Converted by builder. In reduced commission 9-15 Jun 45 for transit to New Orleans. In USN reserve 1946-73. To buyer 29 Aug 74.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation of official Navy register data hosted off .mil - the keel date and designation/sale milestones are not independently confirmed by a .mil source in this session (NVR excludes pre-1987 disposals; live DANFS omits them). Date conflicts with NavSource on the AKS-17 designation day and on sale dates are logged in gaps. No asbestos or materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dorchester-apb46-02

3. [3]Shipscribe (usnaux.shipscribe.com), 'USS Blackford (APB-45) Class' - Class Notes section [other_primary]

   Locator

   Class Notes paragraph and APB-46 ship note

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipscribe class notes for the APB-45 design block document the conversion program: in August 1944 the Commander, Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet began developing specifications to convert four LSTs taken from those under construction into 'mother ships' for YMS, PC, PCS, SC, LCI, and LCT types; the new hulls were reclassified Stores Issue Ships (AKS) in December 1944 before being laid down, then reclassified APB while still on the ways because the AKS designation did not cover the mother-ship as well as retail-store role. The conversion added accommodations for around 300 men in addition to ship's company, mostly in a new deckhouse extending from the stern to near the bow, plus 5-ton booms for resupplying other ships; late in design the pilot house was moved forward to the front of the new deckhouse. Dorchester's own ship note states 'Converted by builder.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1945

   Limitations

   Design-program history for the four-ship APB-45 block including this hull; establishes what the conversion added (full-length ~300-man deckhouse, booms, relocated pilot house) but contains no statement about construction materials or asbestos.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dorchester-apb46-03

4. [4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, 'USS Dorchester (APB-46)', archive 10/13/1346 [other_primary]

   Locator

   APB-46 ship entry: chronology block, merchant service block, commanding officers table

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive entry for USS Dorchester (APB-46) reproduces the DANFS data and adds: Asiatic-Pacific Theater service in WWII; Navy Occupation service in Japan from 8 October 1945 to 4 March 1946; decommissioned 16 October 1946 at Vancouver, WA and laid up in reserve; struck from the Naval Register 1 June 1973; withdrawn from the Pacific Reserve Fleet 1 June 1974; sold 1 August 1974 to Pacific Fisheries, Inc., Vancouver, WA for conversion to commercial service; converted in 1987 to a fish-processing vessel and renamed Pacific Pride; sold circa 2002 to Trident Seafoods of Seattle, WA and renamed Alaska Packer; current disposition listed as active in Alaska fisheries. Commanding-officer roster: LT William T. Roberts Jr. (15 Jun 45-20 Dec 45), LT Onofrio T. Quartulli (20 Dec 45-4 Mar 46), LTjg Arthur L. Spoeneman (4 Mar-1 Apr 46), LTjg Edward Leland Main (1 Apr-16 Oct 46).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1945-2002

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled secondary archive that reproduces official records (DANFS, Naval Register) - authoritative for presence of the register milestones but the '1987' conversion date conflicts with the 1981 operating date documented in Murat v. F/V Shelikof Strait (see gaps). The CO roster is unverified against official sources. No asbestos or materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dorchester-apb46-04

5. [5]Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA), 'Ships, Both Coasts, Disposed' roster page S_B_10 [other_primary]

   Locator

   Disposed-ships roster, APB block: 'APB 46 DORCHESTER'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The archived Naval Vessel Register roster 'Ships, Both Coasts, Disposed' (nvr.navy.mil, December 2000 capture) lists 'APB 46 DORCHESTER' among disposed vessels - official-inventory confirmation that hull APB-46 Dorchester was carried on and disposed from the Naval Vessel Register.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   as of 2000 capture

   Limitations

   Roster presence only - the archived page gives hull, name, and class but no dates, no survey, and no materials information. NVR's own caveat applies: ships disposed before 1987 are incompletely represented in the live register.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dorchester-apb46-05

6. [6]Murat v. F/V Shelikof Strait, 793 P.2d 69 (Alaska Supreme Court, 1990), CourtListener opinion 2608776 [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion background section (partnership/corporation formation and vessel purchase narrative); published reporter text via Google Scholar/Justia mirrors

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Murat v. F/V Shelikof Strait, 793 P.2d 69 (Alaska 1990): the Alaska Supreme Court opinion recounts that in 1979 Joseph Murat, Chester Hummel and others formed Pacific Pride Fisheries, purchased 'a World War II vintage ship' for $300,000, extensively restructured it to operate as a fish processor, and renamed it the Pacific Pride; the vessel was operating in the 1981 king-crab trade at issue in the case. NavSource's merchant-service record identifies the ex-Dorchester (APB-46) hull as the ship renamed Pacific Pride.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1979-1990

   Population

   Pacific Pride Fisheries vessel workforce (commercial conversion and processor crews), 1979-1981 era

   Limitations

   The opinion does not state the hull's former naval identity; the Pacific Pride-to-Dorchester link rests on secondary compilations (NavSource, navalmarinearchive.com). The case is a corporate veil-piercing/fisheries-payment dispute, not asbestos, personal-injury, or environmental litigation - it documents the hull's conversion era only.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dorchester-apb46-06

7. [7]U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Complaint, United States v. Trident Seafoods Corp. et al., No. 2:19-cv-00231 (W.D. Wash.), filed 2019-02-19, paragraph 41 [court_record]

   Locator

   Complaint paragraph 41 (vessel list including Alaska Packer); ENRD consent-decree document file

   Finding type

   regulatory

   Finding

   United States v. Trident Seafoods Corp., Royal Viking, Inc., and Golden Dawn, LLC, No. 2:19-cv-00231 (W.D. Wash.): the federal civil complaint (filed 19 February 2019) alleges Clean Air Act Title VI violations (40 C.F.R. Part 82 - HCFC-22/R-22 refrigerant leak repair, recordkeeping, technician certification) at Trident facilities and aboard named Trident vessels, and paragraph 41 expressly lists 'the Alaska Packer' among the vessels on board which refrigerant was added to leaking industrial-process refrigeration appliances during 2009-2016. The action documents the ex-Dorchester hull operating as the fish processor Alaska Packer through at least the 2009-2016 period.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   2009-2019

   Population

   Vessel crews aboard Alaska Packer, 2009-2016 enforcement window

   Limitations

   Refrigerant-leak enforcement under the Clean Air Act - not asbestos, hazmat-materials, or exposure litigation. Pleading-stage allegations resolved by consent decree; the row documents the hull's operating status and identity (name 'Alaska Packer'; IMO linkage via the ADEC record) and nothing about materials aboard.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dorchester-apb46-07

8. [8]Alaska DEC, 'Nontank Vessel Financial Responsibility Applications Approved by ADEC' (September 13, 2012 list) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Approvals table, alphabetical 'ALASKA PACKER' row

   Finding type

   regulatory

   Finding

   Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation nontank-vessel financial-responsibility approvals list (September 13, 2012) records: ALASKA PACKER - Trident Seafoods Corporation - Official Number 621200 - Lloyd's/IMO 8133059 - vessel type Fishing-Factory. The state record ties the commercial name Alaska Packer to IMO 8133059 and USCG Official No. 621200, closing the identity chain from USS Dorchester (APB-46) to the documented commercial hull.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   2012

   Limitations

   Document retrieved via a third-party mirror (yumpu) of the ADEC list; the agency endpoint was not located this session - classified partial, not verified against dec.alaska.gov directly. A 2012 financial-responsibility snapshot: it does not establish the vessel's operating status today, and it contains no materials or hazmat content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dorchester-apb46-08

9. [9]OSHA inspection record 107295115, 'M/V Alaska Packer - Naknek' (Trident Seafoods Corporation), via safetyrecord.org mirror of OSHA IMIS data [other_primary]

   Locator

   Inspection detail: citation table (8 items, none asbestos-related); official source is OSHA IMIS establishment.inspection_detail?id=107295115 (blocked HTTP 403 at fetch)

   Finding type

   regulatory

   Finding

   DOL/OSHA establishment inspection data (mirrored at safetyrecord.org; OSHA's own IMIS endpoint returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch this session): OSHA conducted a planned inspection of Trident Seafoods Corporation at 'M/V Alaska Packer - Naknek, Naknek, AK' opened 5 July 1989, closed 9 January 1990, producing eight citations (serious and repeat items under the General Duty Clause 5(a)(1), mechanical power-transmission standard 29 CFR 1910.219, and longshore cargo-gear certification 29 CFR 1918.13) with total penalties of $3,330. No asbestos-related OSHA standard (29 CFR 1910.1001/1926.1101 or predecessor shipyard standards) appears among the citations.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1989-1990

   Population

   Processor/crew workforce aboard M/V Alaska Packer, Naknek, 1989

   Limitations

   Third-party mirror of OSHA IMIS data, not the agency endpoint (403-blocked). The inspection addressed machine guarding and cargo gear, not materials or asbestos - absence of asbestos citations in one 1989 safety inspection does not establish absence of asbestos aboard the hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dorchester-apb46-09

10. [10]Shipscribe, 'USS Blackford (APB-45) Class' register - Design/Machinery fields and class notes; NavSource APB-46 specification block (propulsion) [other_primary]

    Locator

    APB45.html header fields (Design, Machinery) and Class Notes; navsource.net 10/13/1346 'Propulsion' block. (BuShips SDB-1945 v2 mirror URL cited by the LST class profile - shipscribe.com/styles/usnaux/sdb/SDB1945v2.pdf - returned 404 this session)

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Design-level basis for asbestos-relevance inference: the hull is a 1945 LST-542-class-design diesel ship (Shipscribe register: 'Design: Navy LST,' machinery 'G.M. diesels 2 screws'; NavSource APB specification block: two General Motors 12-567A diesels, Falk reduction gears, 1,600 shp - no boilers), so the steam-plant boiler-lagging pathway does not apply. Asbestos-relevant applications for the type concentrate in diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings, and accommodation/joiner insulation - and the APB conversion's new full-length deckhouse for ~300 embarked men added extensive interior outfitting in the 1945 wartime construction era, plus refrigeration spaces for the stores-issue role.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1945 construction and conversion era

    Population

    Builder conversion workforce (Missouri Valley B&I, Evansville, 1945); ship's company and ~300 embarked troops (1945-46); commercial conversion crews (1979-81 era, possibly 1987); Alaska Packer processor crews

    Limitations

    Class/design inference only - no document names this hull or states that specific asbestos-containing products were installed. The diesel plant narrows the exposure pathway relative to steam ships. Does not establish quantity, location, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-dorchester-apb46-10

11. [11]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 scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and emergency construction program under which this hull was built and converted. Federal policy reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding during the war years.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1940s era documented; article 1987

    Population

    WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (era context)

    Limitations

    Program/era-level scholarship; 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-dorchester-apb46-11

12. [12]CourtListener API v4 opinion search (authenticated via cl-auth-search.py) - query set and per-query outcomes in search_ledger rows sl-uss-dorchester-apb46-15 through -27 [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-dorchester-apb46-15 through sl-uss-dorchester-apb46-27

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    CourtListener authenticated sweep (API v4 opinion search, 2026-09-25) returned no qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull: exact-identifier queries 'Dorchester'+'APB-46', 'USS Dorchester', 'USS Dorchester'+asbestos, 'LST-1112', 'AKS-17', and 'Pacific Pride'+vessel+asbestos each returned zero results. Broad 'Dorchester'+asbestos+ship returned 14 opinions, all name collisions at case-name review (Dorchester County / Dorchester MA premises / Dorchester Mutual Insurance references; asbestos coverage cases such as U.S. Gypsum v. Admiral Insurance and Maiorana v. National Gypsum match on a non-vessel 'Dorchester'). 'Alaska Packer' returned 9 opinions, all historic Alaska Packers Association references in 1912-1978 cases - not this hull. 'Alaska Packer'+asbestos returned 1 hit, a 1961 Louisiana highway-contract case colliding on the packers-association name. 'Trident Seafoods'+asbestos returned 10 opinions - operator-level non-asbestos litigation (Ninth Circuit Clean Water Act enforcement, Exxon Valdez matters) and unrelated text matches. Non-asbestos litigation touching the hull is documented separately: Murat v. F/V Shelikof Strait, 793 P.2d 69 (Alaska 1990), CourtListener opinion 2608776, and U.S. v. Trident Seafoods Corp., 2:19-cv-00231 (W.D. Wash. 2019).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    2026-09-25

    Limitations

    A no-result sweep does not prove no litigation exists - only that no qualifying opinion naming the hull or its commercial names was located in CourtListener's indexed corpus (dockets and unindexed courts not exhaustively covered; 'Dorchester' is a high-collision term - Boston neighborhood, two county namesakes, USAT Dorchester the 'Four Chaplains' Army transport - so all hits were classified per-case). The Murat and U.S. v. Trident records are non-asbestos litigation and are not treated as exposure evidence.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-dorchester-apb46-12

13. [13]Batch-2406 search ledger (this record): archived NHHC DANFS entry; Shipscribe APB-45 register; NavSource 10/13/1346; archived NVR disposed roster; OSHA IMIS inspection 107295115 (mirror); DOJ complaint 2:19-cv-00231; ADEC approvals list [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-dorchester-apb46-01 through sl-uss-dorchester-apb46-27

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or materials statement naming the APB-46/LST-1112/AKS-17 Dorchester hull was found in the public sources searched. The DANFS entry, Shipscribe register, NavSource archive page, archived NVR disposed roster, and the Alaska DEC list contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement; the 1989 OSHA inspection aboard the hull cited no asbestos standard; the DOJ Clean Air Act complaint concerns refrigerant leaks only.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    2026-09-25

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1945 hull that left Navy custody in 1974 (before the Navy's 1975/1979 asbestos removal policies) and underwent commercial conversions is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing material at conversion. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-dorchester-apb46-13

14. [14]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - deck logs/logbooks of U.S. Navy ships), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) records guidance [other_primary]

    Locator

    RG 24 ship logbook guidance; RG 19 BuShips records group; NARA WWII deck-log digitization program

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 logbooks/deck logs cover the ship's commissioned period (June 1945 - October 1946); many WWII-era deck logs are digitized in the NARA catalog but APB-46 availability was not confirmed (catalog API requires a key this session). BuShips contract and construction records for the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron LST block (RG 19 Bureau of Ships records) may hold the conversion specifications showing what material went into the deckhouse. Pacific Reserve Fleet (Columbia River Group, Vancouver WA) lay-up and deactivation records may document any material removal before sale.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1945-1974 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; whether asbestos-specific documents exist for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-dorchester-apb46-14