Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 376-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-ix-535-ix535-pkt-376-packet-md
-
[2]Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA) service-craft detail page, 'NO NAME (IX 535, SECTION H) (ex-ABSD 2, SECTION H, AFDB 2, SECTION H)' - captured 2004-02-21 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR IX535 service-craft detail page, Wayback capture 2004-02-21 ('No changes to this information were reported since 10/17/2002')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NVR record for the detached section: classification Unclassified Miscellaneous IX 535; UIC 05002; status 'Active, in service' with date status changed 10/10/2002; berth and custodian NAVSEA Inactive Ships On-site Maintenance Office, Pearl Harbor, HI; builder NAV SY/MARE ISLAND; delivery date 04/01/1944; overall/waterline length 256 ft; extreme/waterline beam 240 ft; draft limit 9 ft; light displacement 3,350 tons; steel hull, steel superstructure; no propulsion listed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-2004
- Population
- Inactive-ships maintenance personnel, Pearl Harbor (2002-2007)
- Limitations
- Establishes identity, builder, delivery, 2002 IX designation, berth, and physical characteristics of the section. Contains no asbestos, materials, survey, or exposure information; supports no asbestos claim. Live NVR page removed after disposal - archived capture cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-535-ix535-01
-
[3]Naval Vessel Register service-craft detail page IX 535 - captured 2016-11-20 (page 'Last updated 11/26/2007') [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR IX535 service-craft detail page, Wayback capture 2016-11-20
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Updated NVR record: IX 535 stricken 01/04/2007; status 'Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for reuse/conversion' with date status changed 09/19/2007; custodian 'Schools, Organizations and Private Enterprises'; age since delivery at disposal 63.4 years.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2007
- Limitations
- Authoritative for stricken/disposal dates and disposal pathway; does not name the buyer or post-sale location, and contains no asbestos, materials, survey, or exposure information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-535-ix535-02
-
[4]NVR IX535 detail page (2016 capture) vs. NavSource AFDB-2 page and derivative secondary summaries (pacificwrecks.com, ww2db.com, social-media posts) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR 2016 capture; NavSource archives/09/28/2892.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary sources describe Section H/IX-535 as 'current disposition: NAVSEA Inactive Ships On-Site Maintenance Office, Pearl Harbor, HI' (NavSource page last updated 2014) and repeat that status in later summaries. The official NVR record supersedes them: the craft was stricken 2007-01-04 and disposed via DRMS reuse/conversion sale effective 2007-09-19.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2007-2026
- Limitations
- Corrects the current-status field only; NavSource's 2002-2007 Pearl Harbor berth statement was accurate for its period per the 2004 NVR capture. Buyer and post-2007 location remain undocumented in public sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-535-ix535-03
-
[5]NHHC photo catalog: NH 96176 caption ('USS ABSD-2 ... It was torpedoed by Japanese aircraft on 29 April 1945 ... exploded against section "G"') and 80-G-421124 caption (USS Iowa (BB-61) in floating dry-dock ABSD-2, Manus, 28 December 1944), plus 80-G-304088 series (Canberra, Killen, Claxton under repair, 2 December 1944); NHHC War Damage Report No. 53 for USS Houston (CL-81), Photo No. 17 captioned 'in drydock ABSD-2 at Manus' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NH 96176 caption; 80-G-421124 caption; 80-G-304088 series captions (history.navy.mil); NHHC War Damage Report No. 53 (USS Houston CL-81), Photo No. 17; NavSource archives/09/28/2892.htm Mississippi photo caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHHC photo captions document the parent craft ABSD-2 at Manus, Admiralty Islands, 1944-45: drydocking USS Iowa (BB-61) on 28 December 1944 (80-G-421124); battle-damage repairs to USS Canberra (CA-70), USS Killen (DD-593), and USS Claxton (DD-571) on 2 December 1944 (80-G-304088 series); torpedo-damage repairs to USS Houston (CL-81) in the dock at Manus (War Damage Report No. 53, Photo No. 17); and a Japanese aerial torpedo strike on the dock on 29 April 1945 that exploded against Section G, after which the dock was repaired and returned to service. NavSource's US Navy photo captions additionally document USS Mississippi (BB-41) drydocked in ABSD-2 at Manus on 12 October 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- ABSD-2 crew (assembled-dock complement ~690); crews of docked ships
- Limitations
- Documents the assembled 10-section dock, of which Section H (the subject hull) was one component; photographs do not identify Section H individually. No asbestos, materials, or exposure information. Attack date per NHHC caption is 29 April 1945 (some secondary sources say 27 April). A widely repeated secondary claim that USS Reno (CL-96) was repaired in the dock on 8 January 1945 is contradicted by Reno's DANFS, which routes her Ulithi direct to Charleston - excluded as unverified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-535-ix535-04
-
[6]Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II' (official history, 1947), Chapter IX, Floating Drydocks (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter IX, 'Advance Base Sectional Dock' section (pp. 211-214)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Official BuDocks design description of the 10-section ABSD type: each section comprised a 256 x 80 ft bottom pontoon (12 ballast compartments plus a central buoyancy compartment with upper-deck crew quarters and lower-deck machinery compartment, plus fuel-oil and fresh-water tanks) and two hinged 20 x 55 ft wing walls containing shops, storage, and dry compartments; each section was equipped with two 525-hp diesel engines driving 350-kW generators, pumps, evaporators, compressors, and heating and ventilating apparatus, with no propulsion machinery. These enclosed machinery, accommodation, galley, and shop spaces are the space types in which 1943-44 Navy construction commonly used asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets, packing, and joiner material.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1944 design/construction era
- Population
- ABSD construction trades (Mare Island NSY); dock crew occupying machinery compartment, quarters, and shops
- Limitations
- Type-level design documentation - the history does not name this section and never mentions asbestos; asbestos presence aboard this hull is era/design inference only. Does not establish quantity, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-535-ix535-05
-
[7]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 Navy program under which the Mare Island-built ABSD-2 sections were constructed (1943-44).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation; does not name this vessel or drydock section 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-ix-535-ix535-06
-
[8]California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), EnviroStor profile, MARE ISLAND NAVAL SHIPYARD (global_id 48970002) [other_primary]
- Locator
- EnviroStor profile report, site description/hazardous-activities narrative
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- DTSC's EnviroStor profile for Mare Island Naval Shipyard (in continuous use as a U.S. Naval shipyard 1854-1996) lists 'asbestos wastes generation' among the hazardous-waste activities documented at the yard - the facility that built the ABSD-2 sections including Section H.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1854-1996 site history
- Population
- Mare Island Naval Shipyard workforce (site context)
- Limitations
- Shipyard-site regulatory documentation only; establishes asbestos waste generation at the builder site, not aboard this hull or section. Does not establish quantity, exposure pathway, or any finding aboard IX-535.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-535-ix535-07
-
[9]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, 'IX-522 (D) / IX-524 (F) / IX-535 (H) ex AFDB-2 (1946-1990) USS ABSD-2 (1944-1946)' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page archives/09/28/2892.htm, specifications/disposition tables and CO list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Compiled record for ABSD-2/AFDB-2 and its sections: constructed in sections at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo CA, 1943-44; delivered April 1944; commissioned USS ABSD-2 on 14 August 1943, CDR Joseph J. Rochefort in command; towed in sections to Espiritu Santo and assembled for operation at Manus, Admiralty Islands; decommissioned 28 February 1946; redesignated AFDB-2 August 1946. Section dispositions: A and G sold for scrapping, B/C/J disposed in fleet training exercises, E and I sold by DRMS for reuse/conversion (all 13 July 1990); F reclassified IX-524 on 19 July 1990 (Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kekaha HI); D reclassified IX-522 on 16 August 1996; H reclassified IX-535 on 10 October 2002. Commanding officers: CDR J.J. Rochefort (to 25 June 1944), CAPT G.V. Richardson USNR (to 1 April 1945), CDR W.R. Lawrence USNR (to 24 December 1945), CDR J.E. Lee USNR (to 28 February 1946).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-2002
- Population
- ABSD-2 crew (1943-1946); towing/assembly crews; maintenance personnel
- Limitations
- Private archival compilation (NavSource) reproducing NVR data and official photo captions - corroborated for Section H (builder, delivery, IX designation) by the archived NVR record and for WWII operations by NHHC captions; CO roster and WWII timeline not independently re-verified against primary logs. Its 'current disposition' field for Sections D and H is stale vs. the NVR (see correction row). No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-535-ix535-08
-
[10]shipbuildinghistory.com (Colton), 'Floating Docks (AFDB, AFDM, AFDL, ARD, ARDM, YFD)' construction/disposition table [other_primary]
- Locator
- auxafd.htm table, AFDB-2 rows 2A-2J
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent shipbuilding-data compilation lists all ten AFDB-2 sections (2A-2J) built by Mare Island NSY, Vallejo CA, delivered April 1944, per-section lift 3,850 tons; entry for section 2H reads 'Reclassified IX 535 2002, struck 2007' - corroborating the NVR designation and striking record.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-2007
- Limitations
- Private shipbuilding-data compilation; section-level facts agree with the official NVR record but it is a secondary source. Its disposal-year entries for several ABSD-2 sections read 'scrapped/sunk 1987' where NavSource gives 13 July 1990 - disposal-date discrepancy unresolved (see gaps). No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-535-ix535-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 searches (authenticated, fleet-paced): 'ABSD-2' opinions (count 2); 'AFDB-2' opinions (count 6); 'IX-535' opinions (count 7,338 noise); 'IX-535' dockets (count 41,072 noise); 'ABSD-2'/'AFDB-2' docket queries blocked by fleet pacing [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search results, queries dated 2026-09-29 (search_ledger rows sl-09 through sl-13)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener searches returned no qualifying asbestos case naming this hull: 'ABSD-2' opinions returned 2 name collisions (an unrelated 4-H case and an 1813 South Carolina case); 'AFDB-2' opinions returned 6 results, none asbestos and none naming this craft - four are the Fireman's Fund v. Great American insurance litigation over sister dock AFDB-5's 2009 sinking at Port Arthur, TX (284 F.R.D. 132, S.D.N.Y. 2012; 10 F. Supp. 3d 460, S.D.N.Y. 2014; 822 F.3d 620, 2d Cir. 2016), plus a 1972 Court of Claims patent case and a 1983 Maine land-use case; 'IX-535' opinions and dockets returned only token-match noise (7,338 and 41,072 results respectively; top hits unrelated medical-malpractice, consumer, and bankruptcy matters - none name a vessel or drydock).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- CourtListener indexes published opinions and RECAP dockets; it does not comprehensively cover MDL-875 complaint-stage pleadings or state trial filings, so a 'no qualifying case' result does not prove no claim was ever filed. Sweeps ran by hull designation; 'ABSD-2'/'AFDB-2' docket queries were repeatedly blocked by the shared fleet request budget and are logged as blocked, not as negative results.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-535-ix535-10
-
[12]Batch-4841 search ledger (this record): archived NVR IX535 pages (2004 and 2016 captures); NHHC photo captions NH 96176 / 80-G-421124 / 80-G-304088; BuDocks Building the Navy's Bases ch. IX; DANFS Artisan (ABSD-1) entry and DANFS index check; NavSource AFDB-2 page; shipbuildinghistory.com floating-dock table; NARA catalog and digitized deck-log index; DTSC EnviroStor Mare Island profile; CourtListener name/hull searches [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ix-535-ix535-01 through sl-uss-ix-535-ix535-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, disposal document, or docketed case naming IX-535 or ABSD-2/AFDB-2 Section H was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No DANFS entry exists for ABSD-2/AFDB-2 (NavSource states none; NHHC DANFS index check concurs).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943-44 Navy-built steel section with machinery, accommodation, and shop spaces is era-consistent with 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-ix-535-ix535-11
-
[13]NARA National Archives Catalog - search results for 'ABSD-2' (621 archival descriptions, largely WWII war diaries and photographs referencing the dock); NARA online digitized deck-log index; Guide to Federal Records RG 24 / RG 38 / RG 181 / RG 19 [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search results 'ABSD-2' (top 20 reviewed); archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online digitized index; archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records RG pages
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads, unretrieved: NARA catalog search returns 621 descriptions mentioning ABSD-2 - mostly third-party WWII war diaries and 80-G photographs (e.g., keel-block setup photos for ships docked in ABSD-2); no ABSD-2-authored war diary surfaced in top results. NARA's online digitized deck-log index does not list ABSD-2/AFDB-2 - commissioned-period deck logs (1943-46) in RG 24 would require a research-room request. RG 181 (Mare Island Naval Shipyard records) may hold section construction/outfitting specifications; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) holds ABSD program design files; RG 38 COM NAV BASE Manus war diaries document the operating site.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-2007 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and catalog-level mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for the section is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-535-ix535-12