USS Ata-227 (ATA-227)

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]research packet crew-df-packet.md (5 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-227-ata227-pkt-crew-df-packet-md

2. [2]Stephen S. Roberts, shipscribe.com - 'USS ATA-174 (later Wateree) Class' page: construction table (ATA-227 row), disposition table (ATA-227 row), class notes (ATA 219-238 lend-lease block), and ship notes (ATA-227 row) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Construction table row '227 | ATA-227 | 20 Nov 44 | Levingston SB, Orange | 13 Apr 45 | 26 May 45 | --'; disposition row '227 | ATA-227 | -- | 13 Nov 46 | 18 Jul 47 | MC | 16 Jul 47'; ship notes ATA-227 entry; class notes paragraphs 2-3

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   shipscribe ATA-174-class construction, disposition, and ship-note records for ATA-227: ordered 1944-11-20 under the 20-tug FY1944 block (ATA 219-238); built by Levingston Shipbuilding, Orange, Tex.; keel laid 1945-04-13; launched 1945-05-26; never commissioned; struck 1946-11-13; disposal 1947-07-18 via MC; MA sale 1947-07-16. Ship note: 'Accepted and delivered 4 Apr 46. Sold (delivered) by MC to Advice Incorporated, Washington, D.C., then to Argentina as hydrographic and salvage ship CHIRIGUANO. Stricken 1984.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1996

   Limitations

   shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts) is the standard compiled reference for U.S. auxiliary vessels, built from BuShips/NVR/MC sources - authoritative for identity, milestones, and the designation chain, but a compilation rather than a digitized primary document. Its 'Stricken 1984' is the Argentine register strike, not a U.S. action (the U.S. strike was 1946-11-13). No asbestos, materials, or insulation statement anywhere on the page; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ata-227-ata227-01

3. [3]NavSource Naval History, Service Ship Photo Archive, ATA-227 page 09/38/38227 [other_primary]

   Locator

   Chronology block, specifications block, photograph table (093822701.jpg-093822704.jpg, contributor Robert Hurst; 1981 Puerto Belgrano photo by Henk Ros)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive page for ATA-227: 'Laid down, 13 April 1945, by the Levingston Shipbuilding Co., Orange, TX'; 'Launched, date unknown'; 'Canceled by the War Shipping Administration in 1946'; sold 1947 to Argentina, christened ARA Chiriguano (Q15); redesignated (A25) date unknown; 'Struck from the Argentine Naval Register in 1984'; final disposition - sunk as a target during an Argentine fleet gunnery exercise in October 1996, hit at bridge height by a MM-38 Exocet fired by destroyer ARA Almirante Brown (D-10), remained afloat until struck by a AS-39 Exocet launched from a Super Etendard aircraft. Specifications block: 835 t. light / 1,360 t. full load; 143 ft; beam 33'10"; draft 13'2" limiting; 12 kts; one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount and two single 20mm AA mounts; 5-ton largest boom; 5 officers / 40 enlisted; 1,200 bbls diesel; two GM 12-278A diesel-electric engines, single Fairbanks-Morse reduction gear, two 60 kW 120V DC ship's service generators, single propeller 1,200 shp. Page carries four photographs of the ex-ATA-227 in Argentine service as ARA Chiriguano (A-25), including official Argentine Navy photographs (one from Jane's Fighting Ships 1956-57) and a 1981 Puerto Belgrano view.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1945-1996

   Limitations

   NavSource is the standard reputable photo-archive compilation, not an official record. Its 'Laid down 13 April 1945' date is actually the keel date (matching shipscribe), and it lacks the 26 May 45 launch; its 'Canceled by the War Shipping Administration in 1946' line compresses the actual sequence (accepted/delivered 1946-04-04, struck 1946-11-13, MC sale delivered 1947-07-16 - only the ATA-229-233 contracts were canceled, in August 1945). Speed prints 12 kts and shaft 1,200 shp vs the 13.0-kt/1,500-shp SDB design figures. No asbestos content on the page.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ata-227-ata227-02

4. [4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. III (1945), NAVSHIPS 250-012 - digitized scan at shipscribe.com [other_primary]

   Locator

   Construction table 'AUXILIARIES - OCEAN TUGS, AUXILIARY (ATA)', row for ATA 227 (builder 'do.' = Levingston S.B. Corp., Orange, Tex.; footnote 1 'Contractor General Motors Corp., Cleveland, Ohio'); design/characteristics rows for group 'ATA219-238' in the same section (scan text layer partially misaligned - per-row keel/launch dates for ATA-227 not cleanly readable in OCR; shipscribe compiled table carries the dates)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   BuShips 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels' 1945 Vol. III (NAVSHIPS 250-012, digitized at shipscribe.com) construction table lists ATA-227 in the ATA219-238 block, builder 'Levingston S. B. Corp., Orange, Tex.' under footnote 'Contractor General Motors Corp., Cleveland, Ohio.' The same volume's ATA219-238 design rows give: 143'0" overall / 133'8" waterline, 33'10" extreme beam, 835 tons trial displacement, 13.0 knots trial, 13'2" limiting draft, 5-ton largest boom, accommodations for 5 officers and 40 enlisted, armament one 3"/50 DP and two 20mm AA single mounts; machinery single-screw G.M. diesel-electric 12-278A with Fairbanks-Morse reduction gear, 1,500 shaft horsepower, diesel-driven ship's service generators 120V D.C.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1945 (publication year)

   Limitations

   Primary-source confirmation that ATA-227 existed in the official 1945 construction register under the GM-contracted Levingston ATA-219-238 block, and of the group's official design data (which confirm a diesel-electric plant - no boilers). The scan's OCR is misaligned for the ATA-226 through ATA-238 rows' date columns, so keel/launch dates for this hull are carried from the shipscribe compiled table, not this scan. The SDB lists construction data only - it contains no asbestos, insulation-content, or materials statements.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ata-227-ata227-03

5. [5]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton) - Levingston Shipbuilding yard table, hull 374 row; 'U.S. Navy Ocean Tugs AT ATA ATF ATR' table, ATA-227 row [other_primary]

   Locator

   levingston.htm production table row '374 | Argentina | ATA 227 | US Navy | Tug | 600 | 143 | 4-Apr-46 | To Argentina Chiriguano'; auxat.htm ATA table row 'ATA | 227 | Levingston SB | Orange TX | 835 | 143 | 1947 | Sold 1947 to Argentina as Chiriguano (A 7), struck 1997'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   shipbuildinghistory.com corroboration: (a) Levingston Shipbuilding yard production table, Orange TX - yard hull no. 374, flag 'Argentina', original designation 'ATA 227', owner US Navy, type Tug, 600 GT, 143 ft, delivered 1946-04-04, disposition 'To Argentina Chiriguano'; the yard page notes Levingston was 'the Navy's leading builder of ocean tugs' in WWII. (b) The site's U.S. Navy ocean-tug table row: 'ATA 227 - Levingston SB - Orange TX - 835 - 143 - 1947 - Sold 1947 to Argentina as Chiriguano (A 7), struck 1997'.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1945-1947

   Limitations

   Reputable compiled shipbuilding record (Colton), corroboration-level - the underlying primary records are the BuShips/MC sources shipscribe compiles and yard delivery ledgers. The auxat table's '1947' figure is the Argentine sale year, not the Navy acceptance year (1946-04-04 per the yard's own production table and shipscribe); its 'struck 1997' conflicts with NavSource's Argentine-register strike of 1984 and the historial's 1975 withdrawal (see correction row ev-09). No asbestos or materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ata-227-ata227-04

6. [6]FDRA - Fuerza Naval, 'Buque hidrografico: ARA A-7 "Chiriguano"' service historial (reproducing the Fundacion Histarmar/official Argentine record with decree and B.N.P. citations); Poder Naval (naval.com.br) 'Salvando almas - 2' for the 1996-10-16 target date [other_primary]

   Locator

   FDRA post header data block (decree 15.012/47, US$260,000, dimensions, 50-man crew) and year-by-year historial (1947 flag raising, 1948-1967 entries, decree 594/65, B.N.P. 141); naval.com.br/blog/2012/02/12/salvando-almas-2/ ('alvo em disparo de MM40 ... 16 de outubro de 1996'); histarmar.com.ar cited as underlying source but not reachable this session (fetch and Wayback CDX returned nothing)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Argentine service record (ARA Chiriguano): purchased for the Argentine Naval Commission in the United States under Decree 15.012/47 at a reported cost of US$260,000; reconditioned at Lake Charles, Louisiana, where the Argentine flag was raised 1947-08-01; incorporated into the Armada by Decree 22.635 of 1947-08-05 (O.G. 206/47); first commanding officer Lt. (de Navio) Alvarez de Toledo brought her to Argentina. Service: hydrographic work for the Servicio de Hidrografia Naval and repeated Antarctic campaigns with the Grupo Naval Antartico (9th Antarctic Campaign departing 1948-01-10; campaigns 1948/49, 1949/50, and 1951 onward; a 1964/65 Antarctic deployment drew a commendation from the Air Force commander-in-chief); September 1949 participation in the search for the minesweeper ARA Fournier, lost in the Strait of Magellan; salvage of the grounded barge B.D.T. No. 1 in the Parana river (1949); recovery of lost anchors at Rincon and Puerto Deseado, tow of merchantman Santa Teresa from Rio Grande to Buenos Aires, and refloating of tug ARA Raquel (1962); 1967 Beagle Channel patrol presence during the Cruz del Sur dispute with Chile. Reclassifications: 'embarcacion de salvamento' (rescue vessel) by Decree 238 of 1954-01-11; 'Remolcador de Mar' (ocean tug) by B.N.P. 66/62; 'aviso' by Decree 594/65 with pennant A-7 assigned by B.N.P. 141. Withdrawn from active service 1975 and held pending disposition; the hulk was expended as a missile target on 1996-10-16 - hit by an Exocet (MM-38/MM-40) fired by destroyer ARA Almirante Brown (D-10), remaining afloat until struck by an air-launched Exocet (AM-39) from a Super Etendard.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1947-1996

   Population

   Argentine Navy crew (~50), 1947-1975 active service

   Limitations

   Secondary compiled service history reproducing official Argentine decree/Boletin Naval citations; no digitized Argentine primary record was reviewed. Dates it gives (purchase decree 15.012/47; flag 1947-08-01; incorporation decree 22.635 1947-08-05) align with shipscribe's MC-sale chain (16-18 Jul 47 to Advice Incorporated, then Argentina). Spanish-Wikipedia service dates '1947-1975' match the withdrawal year but its infobox '1957 Argentina' is a typo. Poder Naval prints the missile as 'MM40'; NavSource and Wikipedia print 'MM-38' ship-launched plus 'AS-39/AM-39' air-launched - the event (Exocet target sinking, 16 Oct 1996) is consistent across all three. No asbestos or materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ata-227-ata227-05

7. [7]Stephen S. Roberts, shipscribe.com - ATA-174 class page, 'Class Notes' section (FY 1943/1944 programs; lend-lease block; WSA disposal directive; postwar buyers paragraph) and ATA-227/ATA-228 ship notes [other_primary]

   Locator

   Class notes paragraphs 2-3; ship notes ATA-227 and ATA-228 entries (both 'Sold (delivered) by MC to Advice Incorporated, Washington, D.C., then to Argentina')

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Program context for the hull's unusual path: on 1944-11-18 CNO approved construction of 20 additional ATA-174-class tugs (ATA 219-238) expressly for Lend-Lease to the Soviet Union; the contract was awarded two days later (1944-11-20) and the vessels were officially assigned to the USSR by the Munitions Assignment Committee on 17 or 24 Jan 1945. The MAC assignment was retracted as the war ended (1945-07-10 for ATA 229-233, whose contracts were canceled in August 1945), and on 1945-10-31 (1945-09-14 for ATA 234-238) CNO directed that the remaining 15 tugs be accepted from the builders upon completion but - being surplus to Navy needs - not be commissioned, placed in caretaker status, and turned over to WSA for disposal after removal of equipment. The former Soviet-assignment tugs were sold to buyers worldwide; ATA-227 and ATA-228 both passed through the Maritime Commission to Advice Incorporated, Washington, D.C., thence to Argentina.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1947

   Limitations

   Cohort-level program history explaining why this hull was ordered, completed, and sold without commissioning; the ATA-227/ATA-228 ship notes name this hull specifically, but the CNO/MAC policy detail is class-level. Compiled source citing CNO/MAC actions; underlying directives not independently digitized here. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ata-227-ata227-06

8. [8]Consolidated era inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 ATA219-238 machinery row (diesel-electric plant, no boilers) via shipscribe digitization + era shipbuilding practice; era background: Corn & Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' Am. J. Ind. Med. 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB 1945 v3 ATA219-238 machinery row (G.M. diesel-electric 12-278A, single screw, F.B. reduction gear, 1,500 shp); AJIM article abstract

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference for a diesel-electric auxiliary tug of 1945 construction: no boilers, so the boiler-lagging pathway of steam contemporaries does not apply - asbestos-relevant applications are GM diesel exhaust lagging, engine and machinery gaskets and packing, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, deck coverings/tile, and brake linings on towing machinery and windlass. Peer-reviewed scholarship documents extensive asbestos use in WWII U.S. shipbuilding generally during this hull's construction era.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1945-1996; inference drawn from 1945 construction era

   Population

   Construction trades (Levingston Shipbuilding, Orange TX, 1945-46); reconditioning yard workers (Lake Charles, LA, 1947); Argentine Navy crew (1947-1975)

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no ship-level asbestos record located for this hull. The machinery data confirm the plant type (diesel-electric, no boilers) but say nothing about insulation content. Establishes no quantities, no locations, no exposure for any individual. Notably this hull never carried a U.S. crew; wartime-era exposure relevance attaches to construction trades at Levingston (1945-46), to Argentine crews during nearly three decades of active service (1947-1975), and to personnel involved in the Lake Charles reconditioning (1947), later Argentine overhauls, and the 1996 target disposal.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ata-227-ata227-07

9. [9]National Archives, Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961 [other_primary]

   Locator

   Beginning Research; Cartographic Branch lines describing S39 and S48

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA advises that ship-specific asbestos research should review Bureau of Ships RG 19 correspondence and ship engineering drawings (the 'Hull Series,' arranged by hull number and Ship Material Group), especially S39 Insulation and Lagging and S48 Piping. These collections are the next archival leads for ATA-227; NARA also notes that deck logs and muster rolls 'provide no direct evidence of asbestos.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Limitations

   The guide identifies possible record series, not a located ATA-227 drawing or any asbestos finding for this hull. Because ATA-227 was accepted but never commissioned and spent about seven months on the U.S. register, any surviving hull file would most likely sit in BuShips construction/acceptance correspondence rather than in-service maintenance records.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ata-227-ata227-08

10. [10]shipscribe ATA-227 ship note vs. NavSource ATA-227 page vs. shipbuildinghistory auxat/levingston rows vs. FDRA historial vs. Poder Naval; Wikipedia Sotoyomo/ATA-214-class lists read for collision check only (not cited) [other_primary]

    Locator

    shipscribe ship notes ATA-227; NavSource 09/38/38227 headline, chronology, and specs; shipbuildinghistory auxat ATA-227 row and levingston.htm hull-374 row; fdra-naval.blogspot.com Chiriguano historial; naval.com.br salvando-almas-2

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source reconciliations. (a) Disposal chain: NavSource's 'Canceled by the War Shipping Administration in 1946' compresses events - shipscribe shows acceptance/delivery to the Navy 1946-04-04, strike 1946-11-13, MC disposal 1947-07-18, and MA sale delivered 1947-07-16 to Advice Incorporated, Washington, D.C., then to Argentina; only the ATA-229-233 contracts were canceled (August 1945). (b) Argentine strike/withdrawal: the historial gives withdrawal from active service 1975, NavSource prints 'Struck from the Argentine Naval Register in 1984,' and shipbuildinghistory's auxat table prints 'struck 1997' - consistent with withdrawal 1975, formal register strike 1984, and post-target administrative closure 1996-97; carried here as 1975 withdrawal + 1996-10-16 target sinking, with the strike-date conflict logged. (c) Speed/power: NavSource prints 12 kts / 1,200 shp; the SDB-derived design row gives 13.0 kts trial / 1,500 shp - the design figures are carried. (d) Missile type: Poder Naval prints 'MM40'; NavSource/Wikipedia print MM-38 (ship-launched) and AS-39/AM-39 (air-launched) - carried as 'Exocet' variants. (e) auxat's '1947' in its year column is the Argentine sale year, not Navy delivery (1946-04-04).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1945-1997

    Limitations

    Resolves publication-level discrepancies in favor of the most-detailed compiled source (shipscribe) for the U.S. chain and the decree-citing historial for the Argentine record. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-ata-227-ata227-09

11. [11]National Archives, Special List #44, by Ship Numbers [other_primary]

    Locator

    PDF text-layer extraction: 53 ATA entries, running ATA-121 through ATA-217; no ATA-219-238 hulls appear; no ATA-227 entry

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    NARA Special List 44 (WWII deck-log index by ship number) ATA run lists ATA-121 through ATA-217 (with ATA-212 and ATA-213 also absent from the numbered sequence) - no ATA-227 row; WWII-era deck logs for this hull are not indexed in that accession, consistent with the hull never being commissioned (deck logs exist only for in-service vessels).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    Index covers WWII-era logs; checked 2026-09-26

    Limitations

    Absence from the deck-log index confirms no WWII deck-log series for a hull that never entered service; it does not bear on asbestos exposure and does not exclude BuShips construction correspondence files (see ev-08).

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-ata-227-ata227-10

12. [12]CourtListener API v4 search (opinion and docket indexes) via cl-auth-search.py [court_record]

    Locator

    "ATA-227" type=o: count=1, cluster 2469762 (Stevenson v. Apfel, N.D. Ga., filed 1999-10-29, Social Security) - name collision; "ATA-227" type=r: count=1, docket 69831929 (Array of Soap v. Magnolia Soap, S.D. Ohio, filed 2025-04-01, franchise) - name collision inside attachment text; "Chiriguano" type=o count=0; "Chiriguano" type=r count=0

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    CourtListener sweep via authenticated fleet-paced helper (cl-auth-search.py), 2026-09-26 - all four queries completed: opinion-index "ATA-227" returned 1 hit, Stevenson v. Apfel, 103 F. Supp. 2d 1315 (N.D. Ga. 1999), a Social Security benefits case (defendant Kenneth S. Apfel, Commissioner of Social Security) - a name collision, not a vessel reference; docket-index "ATA-227" returned 1 hit, Array of Soap, LLC v. Magnolia Soap and Bath Co. FRCH, LLC (S.D. Ohio, 2:25-cv-00339, franchise contract dispute) - the string sits inside a 202-page franchise-disclosure attachment, also a name collision; 'Chiriguano' returned count=0 on both the opinion and docket indexes. No qualifying asbestos-litigation or vessel-related result located.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    2026-09-26

    Limitations

    Completed sweep: the two "ATA-227" hits are name collisions - a 1999 Social Security case and a 2025 franchise dispute whose match sits inside an exhibit; neither can reference a tug that left U.S. custody in 1947, and both matches are exhibit/reporter-page strings rather than vessel references. 'Chiriguano' returned zero on both indexes. No asbestos-litigation, personal-injury, or vessel-related docket naming this hull or its Argentine identity was located; absence from CourtListener does not exclude foreign (Argentine) proceedings, which CourtListener does not cover.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-ata-227-ata227-11

13. [13]Batch-2901 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS, HyperWar ships-at table, NavSource, shipscribe, BuShips SDB 1945 v3, shipbuildinghistory (auxat + Levingston yard table), FDRA/Histarmar-derived historial, Poder Naval, MARAD ShipList, NARA SL44 and asbestos guide, NAVSEA reading room, NVR, CourtListener [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-ata-227-ata227-01 through -14

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming ATA-227 (or ARA Chiriguano) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Consistent negatives: no DANFS/NHHC entry exists (the hull was never named or commissioned); the HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy 1940-1945' commissioned-ATA table ends at ATA-218 and contains no ATA-219-238 hulls; the MARAD Vessel History Database name list has no ATA-227 or Chiriguano entry (the vessel never entered NDRF or retained Maritime Commission custody - it was sold directly abroad); no NVR disposed-vessel page exists.

    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 diesel auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos in exhaust lagging, gaskets, deck coverings, and brake linings even without a boiler plant. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. The CourtListener sweep completed with only name collisions and clean negatives (ev-11).

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-ata-227-ata227-12