Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet crew-de-packet.md (3 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: (none — NEVER NAMED). Queue label "USS Ata-220" is a
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-ata-220-ata220-pkt-crew-de-packet-md
-
[2]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS ATA-174 (later Wateree) Class' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from Navy registers, BuShips records, and MARAD files) - construction table, disposition table, class notes, and ship note for ATA-220 [other_primary]
- Locator
- ATA-174 class page: characteristics block, construction table (ATA-220 row), disposition table (ATA-220 row), class notes (Lend-Lease assignment and 31 Oct 45 CNO caretaker directive), ship notes (ATA-220 row)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Register-derived class table names this hull: ATA-220 ordered 20 Nov 1944 (FY1944 batch ATA-219 through ATA-238, contracted for Lend-Lease to the USSR - BuShips contracted with General Motors Corp., which provided the diesel engines and subcontracted hull construction), laid down 6 Jan 1945 at Levingston Shipbuilding Co., Orange TX, launched 9 Feb 1945, commissioning column '--'. Disposition row: struck 25 Feb 1946; to Maritime Commission 31 Jul 1946; sold same date. Ship note verbatim: 'Accepted and delivered 5 Dec 45. Sold (delivered) by MC to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co., Chicago, Ill. Merc. SAMUEL J. DARK 1946. Burnt and lost 1987.' Class note: on 31 Oct 1945 (14 Sep 45 for ATA 234-238) CNO directed that the remaining 15 tugs 'would be accepted from the builders upon completion but that, being surplus to Navy needs, they would not be commissioned, and would be placed in caretaker status and turned over to WSA for disposal after removal of equipment.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1987
- Population
- Levingston Shipbuilding construction workforce (1945); Navy acceptance/caretaker personnel (Dec 1945-Jul 1946)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary transcription of official Navy register, design, and MARAD records, not the registers themselves; internally consistent and the most detailed timeline located. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-220-ata220-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - USS ATA-220, file 09/38/38220 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 38220.htm - timeline block, specifications block, photo captions, DANFS-absence note
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline: laid down 6 Jan 1945 by Levingston Shipbuilding Co., Orange TX (hull #367); launched 9 Feb 1945; completed 5 Dec 1945; 'Commissioned USS ATA-220 in December 1945'; struck from the Naval Register 25 Feb 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission for sale 31 Jul 1946; sold to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co., Chicago IL and named Samuel J. Dark, Official Number 251163. Spec block: 835 t light / 1,360 t full; 143' x 33'10" x 13'2" (limiting); 12 kts; armament one single 3"/50 DP + two single 20mm AA; complement 5 officers + 40 enlisted; fuel 1,200 Bbls diesel; propulsion two GM 12-278A diesel-electric engines, single Fairbanks-Morse main reduction gear, two diesel-drive 60kW 120V D.C. ship's service generators, single propeller, 1,200 shp. Photos (Jim Swank, 3 Aug 1974, Orange TX) show the ex-hull in Great Lakes Dredge & Dock service as Samuel J. Dark. Page states explicitly: 'There is no DANFS history for USS ATA-220.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1974
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation, detailed but non-official. Its 'commissioned December 1945' line conflicts with the NVR-derived shipscribe record (no commissioning; CNO caretaker directive) - see correction row ev-03. Displacement basis conflicts with shipscribe class data (835 lt / 1,360 fl vs 534 lt / 835 max) - logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-220-ata220-02
-
[4]Commissioning-status conflict, ATA-220: shipscribe ATA-174 class page (NVR-derived, '--' in commissioning column; CNO 31 Oct 45 no-commission directive in class notes) vs NavSource file 09/38/38220 ('Commissioned USS ATA-220 in December 1945') [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe ATA-174 class page construction table + class notes; NavSource 38220.htm timeline
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Commissioning-status conflict documented: NavSource asserts the tug was 'commissioned USS ATA-220 in December 1945'; the shipscribe class table (compiled from Navy registers) records no commissioning and its class note documents that CNO directed on 31 Oct 1945 that the remaining surplus tugs of this batch would be accepted upon completion but 'would not be commissioned, and would be placed in caretaker status and turned over to WSA for disposal after removal of equipment.' ATA-220 was accepted/delivered 5 Dec 1945, struck 25 Feb 1946, and sold via the Maritime Commission 31 Jul 1946 - a custody profile consistent with the no-commission directive. The register-derived record is treated as controlling: the hull never entered commissioned service and never had an operational Navy crew.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Limitations
- This row asserts source priority between two located sources; it does not prove the negative absolutely - a brief administrative or ceremonial commissioning cannot be excluded without the vessel's BuPers/Navy Department jacket. NavSource's ribbon display (American Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal) is boilerplate formatting applied to the file and is not evidence of service.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-220-ata220-03
-
[5]Historical Collections of the Great Lakes (BGSU University Libraries), vessel record 'ATA-220' (item 433233) with linked name record 'DARK, SAMUEL J.' (item 441580) and owner records (items 449661-449664) - HCGL transcriptions of U.S. merchant vessel documentation [other_primary]
- Locator
- greatlakes.bgsu.edu item 433233 (vessel master), item 441580 (name), items 449661-449664 (owners)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- University-archive merchant registry record for this hull: steel tug, built 1945 by Levingston Shipbuilding Co., Orange TX, hull 00367; registered dimensions 135.42 x 33.08 x 14.50 ft, 452 gross / 180 net tons; documented name DARK, SAMUEL J., U.S. Official No. 251163, begin date 1947; owner chain - United States Navy (1945-1947), Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. (1947-1969), Polymer Engineering Corp. (from 1969), Mid-Gulf Marine, Inc.; disposition 'Out of documentation, 1988.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1988
- Population
- Merchant tug crews, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock and successor owners (1946/47-1987)
- Limitations
- Archive transcription of official documentation - 'begin dates' reflect documentation, not necessarily transaction dates (the MC sale is dated 31 Jul 1946 in the naval records while the registry name begins 1947 - logged in gaps). Contains no asbestos, materials, survey, or casualty information; the 1988 documentation closure corroborates but does not describe the 1987 loss.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-220-ata220-04
-
[6]Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, August 1985 issue - classified listing 'ATA TUG SAMUEL J DARK' (marinelink.com archive scan) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, Aug 1985, classified/vessels-for-sale section, p. ~50 (marinelink.com page scan)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A classified listing in the August 1985 Maritime Reporter offers the 'ATA TUG SAMUEL J DARK' - 'Exec Cond ABS Loadline Oceans 298 G T 135 x 33 x 14 Single screw Diesel Electric 2 GM 12-278A Aux Gen: 2 GM 671 Almon Johnson towing winch. 20 Ton bollard pull. Presently operating in the Gulf of Mexico' - corroborating ~40 years of commercial service on the original wartime diesel-electric plant two years before her 1987 loss.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1985
- Limitations
- Seller's description in a paid listing, not a surveyed condition report; figures are approximations (298 GT vs the 452 GT registry figure; 135 ft vs 143 ft overall). Confirms continued operation and machinery configuration; contains no asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-220-ata220-05
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[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 emergency construction program under which this FY1944-program auxiliary tug was built (laid down January 1945 at a commercial contract yard) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.
- 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 or class 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-ata-220-ata220-06
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[8]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of this hull's era and contract type (BuShips contract hull built at a commercial yard).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- survey ~1944-45; published 1946
- Population
- WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard (whether Levingston Orange was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-220-ata220-07
-
[9]Consolidated era/design inference - documented BAT-1/ATA-174-class machinery plant (shipscribe class data; NavSource spec block) + WWII construction era [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe ATA-174 class characteristics block; NavSource 38220.htm specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Design/era inference: this hull was a 1945 Navy-contract steel auxiliary tug built at a Gulf Coast commercial yard at the peak of WWII asbestos usage. Her documented plant is diesel-electric with no boilers or steam mains (2 GM 12-278A engines, diesel-electric drive, single screw) - the boiler/fireroom and steam-line lagging pathways typical of wartime steamships are absent on this design. Era-consistent asbestos applications aboard this type would concentrate in exhaust-system lagging, engine-room gaskets and packing, electrical cable insulation, deck covering, fire-resistant joiner/bulkhead paneling, and winch/windlass brake linings. Disturbance-phase events: construction (1945), ~41 years of commercial dredge-tow operation on original-era equipment (1946-1987), and destruction by fire (1987).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1987
- Population
- Levingston construction trades (1945); commercial crews 1946-1987; salvage/disposal workforce after the 1987 fire
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming ATA-220 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. The absence of a steam plant reduces but does not eliminate era-consistent asbestos scope.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-220-ata220-08
-
[10]Batch-2894 search ledger (this record): NavSource 38220; shipscribe ATA-174 class page; shipbuildinghistory auxat table; BGSU HCGL vessel/name/owner records; Maritime Reporter Aug 1985 scan; NHHC site search (no DANFS); NVR; CourtListener API via authenticated helper (blocked - fleet budget spent); indexed-web litigation checks; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ata-220-ata220-01 through sl-uss-ata-220-ata220-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS ATA-220 / ATA-220 / Samuel J. Dark / U.S. Official No. 251163 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No DANFS entry exists for this hull (NavSource states so explicitly; a history.navy.mil site search produced no ship-history page). CourtListener exact-phrase opinion search for '"ATA-220"' returned zero results (clean HTTP 200); the '"Samuel J. Dark"' opinion sweep and '"ATA-220"' docket sweep were blocked by fleet pacing at search time. Indexed-web litigation checks surfaced no asbestos case; the sole 'Samuel J. Dark' litigation hit, Kinch v. Commissioner (T.C. 1942), is a tax case involving the namesake individual - a name collision, classified non-qualifying.
- 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 1945 Navy-contract hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her ~41-year commercial career and 1987 fire are undocumented disturbance phases. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. Litigation negative rests on one clean API zero (opinions naming 'ATA-220'), indexed-web checking, and a partially blocked residual sweep - noted in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-220-ata220-09
-
[11]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 24 (Navy deck logs); U.S. Coast Guard merchant vessel documentation files (Official No. 251163) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html ; /groups/178.html ; /groups/024.html ; USCG National Maritime Center vessel documentation (ON 251163)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 19 BuShips contract and design records for the BAT-1/ATA-174-class design and the FY1944 Levingston contract (BuShips contracted through General Motors, which subcontracted hulls - contract files may carry material specifications); RG 178 USMC disposal file for the 31 Jul 1946 sale to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock; USCG merchant vessel documentation file for Official No. 251163 (documentation jackets can carry survey/repair entries across the 1946-1988 commercial life - the most promising material lead); Great Lakes Dredge & Dock corporate/operational records. Navy deck logs (RG 24) are unlikely to exist for this hull - she was never commissioned and her ~8-month Navy custody was caretaker status pending disposal.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1988 records
- Limitations
- Record-group 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-ata-220-ata220-10