USS Allegheny (ATA-179)

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

1. [1]research packet crew-cz-packet.md [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Allegheny (ATA-179); class: ATA-121 (Sotoyomo-class); originally projected as rescue tug ATR-106. [S3]

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-allegheny-ata179-pkt-crew-cz-packet-md

2. [2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Allegheny III (ATA-179)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (published 2015-06-16) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Live NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-09-26 (link rot documented in BATCH-01); read verbatim via Wayback capture 2025-12-09 (web.archive.org/web/20251209142747/...) - NHHC page existence and content confirmed

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS 'Allegheny III (ATA-179)' entry documents the hull's full Navy record: projected as rescue tug ATR-106; laid down 22 May 1944 at Orange, Tex., by Levingston Shipbuilding Co.; launched 30 June 1944; commissioned 22 September 1944, Lt. (jg.) Thomas C. McLaren, USNR. WWII service: shakedown Galveston; Tampa with YF-6H; Panama Canal transit November 1944; Bora Bora; Finschhafen and Hollandia towing; Leyte arrival 5 February 1945; Service Squadron Three, Seventh Fleet - Ulithi, floating workshops YRD(H)-6/YRD(M)-6, Cebu, dredge and pontoon/ammunition barge tows Hollandia-Leyte, Espiritu Santo, ABSD-1 section and YC-324; post-surrender tows Padaido Islands-Biak-Morotai-Samar-Subic Bay (incl. David B. Henderson, YMS-47); Leyte-based through early 1946; return via Manus, Eniwetok, Johnston Island, Pearl Harbor (24 May 1946); AFD-2 to San Pedro, LCS-66 to San Diego, APL-43/APL-34 to Charleston S.C. (8 November 1946); demobilization tug-and-tow work Gulf/Florida coasts under 8th Naval District; out of commission in reserve Orange Tex. 10 October 1947; named Allegheny 16 July 1948. Recommissioned 25 July 1949; three Persian Gulf/Arabian coast hydrographic deployments (1949-50, 1950-51, 1951-52) supporting survey ship Maury (AGS-16) in Hydrographic Survey Group One with Stallion (ATA-193), operating from Bahrain/Ras Tanura. June 1952 conversion at New York Naval Shipyard to research vessel: all armament and towing accessories removed, towing winch rotated 90 degrees for over-the-side work, hydrographic/bathythermograph winches and booms installed, sonar and electronics fitted, spaces converted to machine shop/motor generator/photo lab, new aft deckhouse for underwater sound gear. Seventeen years (1952-1968) of hydrographic/acoustic research under Office of Naval Research from Naval Supply Center Bayonne, N.J., with Hudson Laboratories, Bell Telephone Co., Woods Hole, and Columbia University teams; annual cycle January-April Bermuda-Caribbean, rest of year Long Island-Hudson Canyon/Cape Hatteras. Task Group 89.7 Thresher search assignment 24 April-15 May 1963. 'Monster Buoy' (General Dynamics Buoy 'Bravo') tow Bermuda to Pacific via Panama Canal, 31 January-14 March 1967, jury-rigged (32 days, 4,642 miles). Research ops with USNS Mission Capistrano (T-AO-112) off Bermuda April-May 1967; coring ops NY-NJ Continental Shelf; ops with Bang and Cutlass under Operational Development Force. Declared excess; decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register 14 December 1968; towed to Philadelphia Inactive Ship Facility and turned over to Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City, as Great Lakes Maritime Academy training ship; rolled over at her dock 27 January 1978 from accumulated frozen spray. DANFS stats line: dp. 800 (f.); l. 143'0"; b. 33'0"; dr. 14' (max.); cpl. 48; a. 1 3", 2 20mm.; cl. ATA-121.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1978

   Population

   USS ATA-179/Allegheny crews 1944-1947 and 1949-1968 (DANFS complement 48); embarked civilian research teams (Hudson Laboratories, Bell Telephone, Woods Hole, Columbia) 1952-1968

   Limitations

   Authoritative for Navy identity/service history. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information - supports no asbestos claim. Known DANFS transcription issues: 'Bang (SS-365)' printed where the submarine was SS-385; 'Washington, B.C.' typo; the Service Squadron 8 reassignment is dated '1 July 1969' after the December 1968 strike (likely 1967) - discrepancies logged in gaps, not reconciled.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-allegheny-ata179-01

3. [3]Shipscribe, USS ATA-174 (later Wateree) class page - FY1943 batch construction table, class notes, and per-hull ship notes (BuShips-derived data) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Class specs block; construction table row ATA-179 ALLEGHENY; disposal table row ATA-179; ship note for ATA-179

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipscribe's USS ATA-174 (later Wateree) class page (compiled from Bureau of Ships data) documents this hull's construction and disposal in the class table and ship notes: ordered 6 September 1943; built by Levingston SB, Orange; keel 22 May 1944; launch 30 June 1944; commission 23 September 1944; ship note - 'Ex ATR-106 15 May 44. Name assigned 16 Jul 48. In USN reserve 1946-49 (decomm. 10 Oct 47, recomm. 25 Jul 49). Converted to research vessel 1952. Given to N.W. Michigan College (Great Lakes Maritime Academy) as ALLEGHENY 1969, merc. MALCOLM 1978, MATTHEW BEYEL 1999, ALEJANDRO 2005.'; disposal table - decommission 14 Dec 68, strike 14 Dec 68, disposal 1968, fate 'Trf.' (transferred). Class data: design Navy BAT-1; 534 t. light / 835 max; 143.0' oa (134.5' wl) x 33.8' x 13.2' max; 13 kts; 1,500 hp GM diesel-electric, 1 screw; complement 43 (1944); original armament 1-3"/50 + 2-20mm. Class notes: ATR 101-140 directed 16 Apr 43; BuShips recommended steel over wood construction 13 May 43 (shipworm concern in Pacific), CNO approved 3 Jun 43; reclassified Auxiliary Ocean Tugs (ATA) prior to completion; 'identical in design to both the ATR-41 class and the preceding BAT-1 class'; BuShips contracted with General Motors, which provided the diesel engines and subcontracted hull construction.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-2005

   Limitations

   Private BuShips-derived secondary compilation, used here to document the designation lineage (projected ATR-106 -> ATA-179), construction milestones, class design identification (BAT-1 / ATA-174 batch), and post-Navy rename chain. Commissioned date printed as 23 Sep 44 vs DANFS 22 Sep - variant logged. Class label discrepancy documented: DANFS stats line reads 'cl. ATA-121', Shipscribe heads the batch 'ATA-174 class', NavSource files under 'Sotoyomo class' - logged, not resolved. No asbestos or materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-allegheny-ata179-02

4. [4]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Allegheny (ATA-179) ex USS ATA-179 page, 09/38/38179 [other_primary]

   Locator

   Page text, lineage block, campaign table, specifications block, photo captions (incl. Monster Buoy Bayonne photo and Persian Gulf 1949-52 photo)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive supplements the official record: originally projected as rescue tug ATR-106; reclassified ATA-179 15 May 1944; laid down 22 May 1944 Levingston Shipbuilding, Orange TX; launched 30 June 1944; commissioned 23 September 1944, LTjg. Thomas C. McLaren, USNR; Asiatic-Pacific campaign 'Consolidation and capture of the Southern Philippines - Visayan Island landings, 26 March to 4 April 1945'; one battle star for WWII service; decommissioned 10 October 1947 Orange TX; laid up Atlantic Reserve Fleet Texas Group; named Allegheny 16 July 1948; recommissioned 25 July 1949; decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register 14 December 1968. Post-Navy: transferred 1969 to Northwestern Michigan College (Great Lakes Maritime Academy), Traverse City MI, training vessel; sank at her berth 9 April 1970, raised shortly thereafter; sold 1972 to Great Lakes Maritime Academy, renamed Allegheny; capsized/sank at Traverse City 28 January 1978 in high winds and heavy snows; sold 1978 to Keith E. Malcolm, St. Clair MI, renamed Tug Malcolm; sold 1994 at New Kent VA as yacht Chesapeake Star; sold 1999 to Beyel, Cocoa/Port Canaveral FL, renamed Matthew Beyel; reported current disposition - active commercial service as tug Alejandro (homeported Alton IL) at Guayanilla Bay, Puerto Rico, assisting LNG carriers for EcoElectrica. Spec sheet: 835 t. lt / 1,360 t. fl; 143' x 33'10" x 13'2"; 12 kts; 1x3"/50 + 2x20mm; complement 5 officers + 40 enlisted; two GM 12-278A diesel-electric engines, single Fairbanks Morse reduction gear, single propeller 1,200 shp, two 60kW 120V DC generators; 1,200 bbls diesel. Awards: American Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign (1 star), WWII Victory, National Defense Service, Philippines Presidential Unit Citation, Philippines Liberation (1). Photos document the ship at the US Army Piers Bayonne NJ with the 'Monster Buoy' (General Dynamics Buoy Bravo) she towed Feb-Mar 1967, and in the Persian Gulf circa 1949-1952.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-present

   Population

   Crew (spec-sheet complement 5 officers + 40 enlisted)

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled secondary archive quoting DANFS and BuShips-era data; corroborates DANFS/Shipscribe but is not itself official. Commissioning date prints 23 Sep 44 (vs DANFS 22 Sep); capsize date 28 Jan 1978 (vs DANFS 27 Jan 1978); spec figures conflict across sources (displacement 534/835/1360; speed 12/13 kts; complement 43/45/48) - discrepancies logged in gaps, none resolved to a single authoritative figure. Post-Navy chain ('sold 1972 to Great Lakes Maritime Academy' vs BGSU's single NMC 1969-78 ownership span; 1994 'Chesapeake Star' yacht episode not in BGSU name list) logged as source variance. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-allegheny-ata179-03

5. [5]Bowling Green State University, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, vessel database entry 'ATA-179' (item 433232) [other_primary]

   Locator

   HCGL item 433232 - registry/rig block, documented-measures note, history note, vessel names and owner tables

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Historical Collections of the Great Lakes (Bowling Green State University) vessel record for ATA-179 documents the hull's post-Navy registry: official U.S. documented number 518191; rig 'Tug', steel hull; dimensions 134.50 x 33.75 x 13.25; 'Documented measures, 1969 (135.42 x 33.08 x 14.50; 508 gross - 216 net)'; history note - 'As ALLEGHENY; Sank at dock, Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City, MI, on April 9, 1970; raised shortly thereafter. Capsized at berth at Traverse City, MI, on January 28, 1978, in high winds and heavy snows.' Name/owner table: ALLEGHENY 1969-1978 (Northwestern Michigan College), TUG MALCOLM 1978-1998 (Keith E. Malcolm), MATTHEW BEYEL 1998- ; built 1944 by Levingston Shipbuilding Co., Orange TX; U.S. Navy ownership 1944-1969.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1998

   Population

   Northwestern Michigan College / Great Lakes Maritime Academy cadets and staff, 1969-1978

   Limitations

   University maritime archive compiling federal vessel documentation (official number registry) - authoritative for post-Navy documented identity, tonnage re-measurement (1969), and the two berth sinkings at Traverse City. Capsize date 28 Jan 1978 vs DANFS 27 Jan 1978 - variant logged. Owner table omits the later Alejandro rename and the 1994 Chesapeake Star episode NavSource reports; chains differ in granularity between sources, logged. Contains no asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-allegheny-ata179-04

6. [6]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 insulating and fireproofing material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII, the era and program under which this steel-hulled auxiliary ocean tug was built (1944), 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 (Levingston, Orange TX, 1944) and ship crews (class context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or class, does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. This hull is diesel-electric with no boiler plant, so the era's highest-density applications (boiler/steam lagging) do not apply - a distinction that cuts both ways and is not itself evidence of absence.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-allegheny-ata179-05

7. [7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403 - standing defect, cf. BATCH-01)

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program and reported the Navy's own account that all ships contain some asbestos in components such as clutches and electric cables, and that thermal insulation was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships - the insulation regime in force during this hull's service era. Fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1979 (report); insulation regime contextualized to this hull's 1944-1968 service

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review

   Limitations

   Program-level 1979 review; not hull-specific and does not establish conditions aboard this vessel. The hull served 1944-1968, overlapping the decades GAO describes, and spent its last 16 Navy years in ONR research service - but the report names no individual ship. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403); content via product-page description. Does not establish quantity, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-allegheny-ata179-06

8. [8]Batch-2853 search ledger (this record): DANFS (via Wayback mirror), Shipscribe ATA-174 class page, NavSource, BGSU HCGL, MARAD Vessel History Database, NARA SL-44 index, Naval Vessel Register, CourtListener name/hull searches [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-allegheny-ata179-01 through sl-uss-allegheny-ata179-15

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, registry statement, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Allegheny, ATA-179, ATR-106, or the hull's post-Navy names (Allegheny 518191, Tug Malcolm, Matthew Beyel, Alejandro) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No ATA-121/ATA-174 (BAT-1) class materials list or outfitting specification was located. MARAD Vessel History Database contains no record for this hull (the Navy-to-college transfer did not pass through MARAD custody records searched).

   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 Navy auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets, and packing, the 1952 conversion added undocumented materials, and the extant hull's present condition is undocumented. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-allegheny-ata179-07

9. [9]CourtListener API v4 search endpoint, authenticated, 2026-09-26 [court_record]

   Locator

   Queries logged in search_ledger sl-uss-allegheny-ata179-09 through sl-uss-allegheny-ata179-15

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener v4 authenticated sweeps (2026-09-26, fleet-paced): opinions - 'ATA-179' 0 results; 'ATR-106' 0; 'USS Allegheny' 0; 'Matthew Beyel' 0; 'Allegheny asbestos' returned 536 hits - reviewed first page is all name collisions (Allegheny County/Allegheny International/Allegheny Airlines/Allegheny Health entities and generic asbestos MDL captions; zero vessel references in scanned hits - 'Allegheny' is a high-collision Pennsylvania-name term). RECAP docket sweeps (type=r): 'USS Allegheny' 0; 'ATA-179' 0; 'ATA-179 OR ATR-106' returned 1 hit - Fields v. Lincoln National Life Insurance Co., 2:26-cv-00086 (E.D. Tenn., filed 2026-04-22, ERISA insurance) - non-qualifying token collision, no vessel reference. No qualifying asbestos litigation located for this hull.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   2026-09-26

   Limitations

   Opinion and RECAP docket sweeps under fleet pacing; name collisions classified non-qualifying. Does not establish absence of litigation in non-indexed courts, non-digitized filings, or cases litigated under party names without the ship name in caption or opinion text.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-allegheny-ata179-08

10. [10]NARA Special List #44, 'Logbooks and Related Records by Ship Numbers' (archives.gov) [other_primary]

    Locator

    SL-44 ship-number listing, ATA-179 entry (9/23/1944-12/31/1945)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival lead (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA Special List 44 (Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations) indexes deck logs for ATA-179 covering 1944-09-23 through 1945-12-31 in RG 24 - the hull's wartime log coverage. Post-1945 deck logs (1949-1968, including the 1952 conversion period at New York Naval Shipyard) and BuShips contract/construction and outfitting files for the Levingston FY1943 ATA batch (design BAT-1) would be the ship-specific materials path; ONR/Hudson Laboratories project records (Columbia University archives) may document 1952-1968 interior/equipment work.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1944-1945 records

    Limitations

    Record-group/index mapping only - the index confirms deck-log coverage exists; no box-level retrieval performed, and deck logs rarely document construction materials. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-allegheny-ata179-09