Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet crew-df-packet.md (6 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: PHANTOM — real identity: none — hull was never named
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-ata-222-ata222-pkt-crew-df-packet-md
-
[2]Shipscribe.com (Stephen S. Roberts), 'USS ATA-174 (later Wateree) Class' page - construction and disposition tables compiled from Navy records, class notes, and per-hull ship notes (Soviet detail checked against the Berezhnoy fleet list) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux/ATA/ATA174.html - construction table row (222: ord. 20 Nov 44, Levingston SB Orange, keel 31 Jan 45, launch 8 Mar 45, commiss. --), disposition table row (26 Feb 46 strike; 5 Jul 46 MC; 5 Jul 46 disposal), ship note 222 (acceptance 31 Dec 45; MC sale to Government Purchasing Commission of the Soviet Union; MB-43 enrolled 19 (9?) Apr 46; Baltiysk 15 May 47; MB-25 16 May 49; stricken 4 Jul 73), class notes (18 Nov 44 CNO approval of ATA 219-38 for Soviet Lend-Lease; 31 Oct 45 directive on acceptance without commissioning)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts) compilation of Navy construction/disposition records for the ATA-174 class: construction table lists ATA-222 ordered 20 Nov 44, builder 'Levingston SB, Orange' (Orange, TX), keel 31 Jan 45, launch 8 Mar 45, commissioned '--' (never); disposition table lists struck 26 Feb 46, custody to MC 5 Jul 46, disposal 5 Jul 46. Ship note 222: 'Accepted and delivered 31 Dec 45. Sold (delivered) by MC to the Government Purchasing Commission of the Soviet Union, Washington, D.C. MB-43 was enrolled on the list of Soviet Navy ships 19 (9?) Apr 46 and in the Baltic Fleet at Baltiysk 15 May 47, was redesigned MB-25 16 May 49, and was stricken 4 Jul 73.' Class notes: CNO approved construction of 20 additional tugs of this class (ATA 219-38) for Lend-Lease to the USSR on 18 Nov 44 (contract awarded 20 Nov 44, MAC assignment 17 or 24 Jan 45); on 31 Oct 45 CNO directed the remaining 15 tugs would be accepted from the builders upon completion but, being surplus, would not be commissioned - 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
- 1944-1973
- Population
- Levingston Shipbuilding construction workforce (Orange TX, 1945); Soviet Baltic Fleet crews of MB-43/MB-25 (1946-1973)
- Limitations
- Specialist compilation of official Navy/MC records, not itself a primary document - but the most granular located source for the contract date, never-commissioned status, caretaker-status directive, strike date, MC disposal chain, and Soviet designations. The Soviet enrollment date carries the compiler's own ambiguity mark ('19 (9?) Apr 46'). Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-222-ata222-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - ATA-222, navsource.net/archives/09/38/38222.htm (page updated 28 March 2014) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource ATA-222 page - chronology block, spec block, and photo caption (ATA-222 under way near Port Arthur TX, probably builder's trials Dec 1945; Gulfport Boiler & Welding photo files)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive entry for ATA-222 (never styled 'USS' on the page): 'Sotoyomo Class Auxiliary Fleet Tug: Laid down, 31 January 1945, by the Levingston Shipbuilding Co., Orange, TX. Launched, 8 March 1945. Completed, 31 December 1945. Delivery canceled by the Navy in 1945. Struck from the Naval Register, 26 February 1946. Sold to the USSR, MB-25. Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Spec block: displacement 835 t.(lt) / 1,360 t.(fl); length 143'; beam 33'10"; draft 13'2" (limiting); speed 12 kts; armament one single 3"/50 DP mount and two single 20mm AA mounts; complement 5 officers + 40 enlisted; fuel 1,300 Bbls diesel; propulsion two GM 12-278A diesel-electric engines, single Fairbanks-Morse main reduction gears, two diesel-drive 60 kW 120V DC ship's service generators, single propeller, 1,500 shp. Photo: ATA-222 under way near Port Arthur, TX, probably during builder's trials December 1945, from the files of Gulfport Boiler & Welding, Port Arthur, TX.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1973
- Population
- Levingston Shipbuilding construction workforce; builder's-trials personnel (Dec 1945)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained secondary compilation, not an official record - corroborated against Shipscribe where they overlap (keel/launch/strike dates agree exactly). Internal conflicts carried: spec-block displacement 835 lt / 1,360 fl vs Shipscribe class figures 534 lt / 835 max; 'delivery canceled' framing vs Shipscribe's 'accepted and delivered' (reconciled via the CNO 31 Oct 45 directive - accepted into custody, never commissioned); headline 'MB-25' vs Shipscribe's as-delivered MB-43 (the 1949 redesignation); 'fate unknown' vs Shipscribe's stricken 4 Jul 73. Sole located source for the spec block and the builder's-trials photograph. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-222-ata222-02
-
[4]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton) - Levingston Shipbuilding yard construction table and US Navy ocean tugs (AT/ATA/ATF/ATR) index [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Levingston yard table row: '369 | USSR | ATA 222 | US Navy | Tug | 600 | 143 | 31-Dec-45 | To USSR'; ATA index row at shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/auxat.htm: 'ATA 222 | Levingston SB | Orange TX | 835 | 143 | 1946 | Sold 1946 to USSR as MB 44'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Levingston Shipbuilding yard table at shipbuildinghistory.com lists ATA-222 as Levingston yard hull no. 369, type Tug, 600 GT, 143 ft, original owner US Navy, delivered 31-Dec-45, disposition 'To USSR' - independently corroborating builder identity, delivery date, and Soviet destination. The same source's ATA index page separately records 'ATA 222 ... Sold 1946 to USSR as MB 44' - the MB-44 figure conflicts with Shipscribe (which assigns MB-44 to sister ATA-221 and documents ATA-222 as MB-43, later MB-25) and is treated as a transposition, not adopted.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Population
- Levingston Shipbuilding construction workforce (Orange TX)
- Limitations
- Independent secondary compilation corroborating the Shipscribe/NavSource record on builder, delivery date, and Soviet sale; adds the yard hull number (369) and a 600-GT figure not found elsewhere. Its 'MB 44' designation conflicts with the more granular Shipscribe note (ATA-222 = MB-43, redesignated MB-25; ATA-221 = MB-44) and is flagged in gaps, not adopted. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-222-ata222-03
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[5]U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Special List #44 (SL-44) ship-number index to WWII deck logs, archives.gov [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL-44 ship-number index PDF, ATA block (pages 7-8): contiguous runs ATA-121 through ATA-218; no ATA-219 through ATA-238 entries
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 (ship-number index to World War II deck logs) indexes commissioned ATA hulls contiguously from ATA-121 through ATA-218 (page block: ATA-121 6/1/1944-6/30/1945 through ATA-217 1/16/1945-6/30/1945 plus later runs for ATA-197/-198) and contains no entry for ATA-222 or any hull in the ATA-219-238 Lend-Lease batch - consistent with the never-commissioned record: no deck logs were ever generated for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1947 index coverage
- Limitations
- Official index inspected at item level this session (full PDF text extraction). Absence from a deck-log index corroborates never-commissioned status but is not itself a commissioning record, and says nothing about construction materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-222-ata222-04
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[6]Levingston Ship Building Co. v. Pelaez, No. 07-60616, 312 F. App'x 711 (5th Cir. Mar. 6, 2009); summarized in USDOL OALJ Law Library, 'Recent Significant Black Lung and Longshore Decisions' No. 208 (March 2009) [court_record]
- Locator
- DOL OALJ digest entry for Levingston Ship Building Co. v. Pelaez (No. 07-60616, 2009 WL 577736, 5th Cir. Mar. 6, 2009, 'Unreported'); 312 F. App'x 711 cite per indexing sources
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Builder-yard asbestos litigation context: Levingston Ship Building Co. v. Pelaez, No. 07-60616, 312 F. App'x 711 (5th Cir. 2009) (unpublished per DOL digest) - an LHWCA death-benefits case in which the record establishes that Paul Pelaez 'worked for Levingston as a ship fitter in the 1960s and early 1970s, where he was exposed to asbestos' and died of that exposure in 2002; the ALJ found the widow's prima facie case established, the Benefits Review Board's order requiring the Texas Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association (insurer of insolvent, defunct Levingston) to pay was challenged, and the Fifth Circuit denied review - the compensability finding stands. Levingston Shipbuilding at Orange TX built this hull (yard no. 369) in 1945; the shipbuildinghistory yard history credits the yard as the Navy's leading WWII builder of ocean tugs.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1960s-2009 (litigation); yard context 1941-45
- Population
- Levingston Shipbuilding workforce (1960s-1970s era documented; yard operated 1933-1985)
- Limitations
- Documents adjudicated asbestos exposure of a ship fitter at the builder yard in the 1960s-early 1970s - fifteen-plus years AFTER this hull's 1945 construction. Names no vessel, makes no finding about ATA-222 or WWII-era conditions at the yard, and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull. Litigation-stage classification: ALJ/BRB-level compensability finding left standing after the Fifth Circuit denied the guaranty association's petition for review - a benefits adjudication, not a tort-liability trial finding. The Pelaez opinion itself was not surfaced on CourtListener in this session's sweep; the DOL digest and the F. App'x citation carry the record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-222-ata222-05
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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; propulsion facts per NavSource spec block and Shipscribe class block (ev-01, ev-02)
- 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 program under which this steel-hulled 1945 auxiliary was built at a Texas Gulf Coast yard. The documented GM 12-278A diesel-electric plant carries no boilers and no steam mains, so the boiler-lagging and steam-line insulation applications that dominate steam-ship exposure profiles do not apply; era-typical asbestos applications on a vessel of this design would center on engine and exhaust-system lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical and bulkhead insulation, deck coverings, and towing/winch brake linings.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and crews (class context); Levingston construction trades (1945)
- 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. Application list is inference from era practice and the documented machinery fit - the hull was never commissioned and spent under seven months in U.S. custody, and no survey, drawing, or material schedule naming this hull was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-222-ata222-06
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[8]CourtListener API v4 search (type=o and type=r), authenticated via cl-auth-search.py fleet helper [court_record]
- Locator
- Queries: 'ATA-222' type=o (count 358, top 20 inspected - no contiguous match); 'USS ATA-222' type=o (count 0); 'ATA-222' type=r (count 9614, top 20 inspected - no contiguous match); '"Levingston Ship" Pelaez' type=o (count 1 - Louisiana Insurance Guaranty v. Director OWCP, 5th Cir. 2010-08-10)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep (authenticated API v4 via cl-auth-search.py, 2026-09-26): '"USS ATA-222"' opinion search returned 0 hits. '"ATA-222"' opinion search returned 358 raw token-level hits - top 20 individually inspected, zero contain the contiguous string 'ATA-222' (OCR/token noise, e.g. 'ata SRE'); relevance-ranked returns degrade to non-matching text. '"ATA-222"' docket search returned 9,614 raw token hits - top 20 inspected, zero contain the contiguous string (ATA Airlines bankruptcy, unrelated docket numbers). '"Levingston Ship" Pelaez' opinion search returned 1 hit - Louisiana Insurance Guaranty v. Director, OWCP (5th Cir. 2010), a later LHWCA guaranty-association opinion in the same case line as Pelaez, not a vessel record. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located; all hits classified as name/token collisions.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located naming this hull. The hull never carried a personal name, so collision surface is small, but 'ATA-222' is a token-noisy query: high raw counts are and-matches on 'ATA' and '222', and only the top 20 of each index were inspected - deep-tail containment of a contiguous 'ATA-222' string cannot be excluded for unexamined hits. Soviet designations MB-43/MB-25 not queried (token noise; Soviet Navy vessel). Absence of a docket is a search result, not proof no claim was ever filed - PACER/state coverage is incomplete.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-222-ata222-07
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[9]Batch-2896 search ledger (this record): NavSource ATA-222 archive page; Shipscribe ATA-174 class page; shipbuildinghistory Levingston yard table and ATA index; NARA SL-44 deck-log index; MARAD Vessel History Database; NVR; NHHC DANFS index; CourtListener API v4; Atlas shipyards.json; class-profile worktrees [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ata-222-ata222-01 through sl-uss-ata-222-ata222-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat or environmental disclosure, court finding, or docketed case naming ATA-222 / USS ATA-222 / MB-43 / MB-25 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull never commissioned, was held in U.S. custody under seven months, and was sold to the Soviet Union - the documentation surface for this hull is thin by construction.
- 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-built steel hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing machinery fittings even accounting for the lighter diesel-electric profile. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-222-ata222-08