Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet crew-dg-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-ata-237-ata237-pkt-crew-dg-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 [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux/ATA/ATA174.html - construction table row (237: ord. 20 Nov 44, Gulfport Boiler & Welding, keel 8 May 45, launch 23 Jun 45, commiss. --), disposition table row (26 Feb 46 strike; 22 Apr 47 MC; 22 Apr 47 disposal), ship note 237 (acceptance 27 Dec 45; MC sale to Compania Argentina de Navegacion Dodero SA via South American Trading Corp., New York; merc. VENGADOR; deleted 1962), class notes (18 Nov 44 CNO approval of ATA 219-38 for Soviet Lend-Lease; 14 Sep 45 directive for ATA 234-238 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-237 ordered 20 Nov 44, builder 'Gulfport Boiler & Welding' (Port Arthur, TX), keel 8 May 45, launch 23 Jun 45, commissioned '--' (never); disposition table lists struck 26 Feb 46, custody to MC 22 Apr 47, disposal 22 Apr 47. Ship note 237: 'Accepted and delivered 27 Dec 45. Sold (delivered) by MC to the Compania Argentina de Navegacion Dodero SA via the South American Trading Corp., New York., merc. VENGADOR. Deleted 1962.' 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 14 Sep 45 CNO directed that ATA 234-238 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
- 1944-1962
- Population
- Gulfport Boiler & Welding construction workforce (Port Arthur TX, 1945)
- 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 Argentine buyer. 'Deleted 1962' is a register-listing datum whose meaning is unresolved (the hull demonstrably operated into the 2000s per histarmar) - logged in gaps, not adopted as a fate. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-237-ata237-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - ATA-237, navsource.net/archives/09/38/38237.htm (page updated 9 May 2014) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource ATA-237 page - chronology block, spec block, merchant resale chain, and photo caption (builder's trials off Port Arthur TX, Dec 1945, no armament or radar fitted; Gulfport yard photo files)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive entry for ATA-237 (never styled 'USS' on the page): 'Sotoyomo Class Auxiliary Fleet Tug: Laid down, 8 May 1945, as Gulfport Hull No. 266, by Gulfport Boiler & Welding Works, Port Arthur, TX. Launched, 23 June 1945. Completed, 27 December 1945. Canceled by the War Shipping Administration in 1945. Struck from the Naval Register, 26 February 1946. Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 22 April 1947. Sold in 1947 to Compania Argentina de Navegacion Dodero S.A., Buenos Aires, named Vengador. Resold in 1957 to Flota Argentina de Navegacion de Ultramar S.A., Buenos Aires, name retained. Resold, date unknown, to Remolcadores Unidos Argentinos S.A., Buenos Aires, name retained. 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; largest boom 5 t.; complement 5 officers + 40 enlisted; fuel 1,200 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, 1,200 shp. Photo: ATA-237 port profile under way, probably during builder's trials off Gulfport Boiler and Iron Works, Port Arthur TX, December 1945 - no armament and no radar installed; photo from the files of Gulfport Boiler and Iron Works, Port Arthur, TX.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1947
- Population
- Gulfport Boiler & Welding 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/completion/strike/MC-transfer dates agree exactly). Internal conflicts carried: spec-block displacement 835 lt / 1,360 fl vs Shipscribe class figures 534 lt / 835 max; 'Canceled by the War Shipping Administration in 1945' framing vs Shipscribe's 'accepted and delivered 27 Dec 45' (reconciled via the CNO 14 Sep 45 directive - accepted into custody, never commissioned, disposal routed to WSA); FANU resale dated 1957 vs histarmar's 5 Aug 1949 (histarmar adopted - Argentine specialist source); 'fate unknown' vs histarmar's documented operation through 2006. 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-237-ata237-02
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945, Vol. III (NAVSHIPS 250-012), 'Auxiliaries - Ocean Tugs, Auxiliary (ATA)' tables, printed pp. 384-387 (scan via shipscribe.com/pubs/SDB1945v3.pdf) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 Vol III p.384 (ATA219-238 characteristics row) and pp.385-387 construction table (ATA237, Gulfport Boiler & Welding Wks. Port Arthur, keel/launch/commission blank; footnote 'Contractor General Motors Corp., Cleveland, Ohio'); vessel index lists 'ATA219-238' under Ocean Tugs, Auxiliary
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official 1945 register data: Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945, Volume III (NAVSHIPS 250-012, Bureau of Ships) lists the ATA-219 through ATA-238 group under 'Auxiliaries - Ocean Tugs, Auxiliary (ATA)' with class characteristics 143'0" overall / 133'8" waterline / 33'10" extreme beam / 13.0 knots trial speed / 835 tons trial displacement, and carries ATA237 in the construction table under builder 'Gulfport Boiler & Welding Wks., Port Arthur, Tex.' with keel/launch/commission cells blank at the volume's mid-1945 publication (hull still building). A table footnote records the prime contractor as General Motors Corp., Cleveland, Ohio - consistent with the Shipscribe class note that BuShips contracted with G.M., which supplied the diesel engines and subcontracted hull construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Official BuShips publication inspected at item level this session (PDF scan, OCR-assisted text extraction) - documents the hull on the naval list and its builder/contract assignment while under construction; blank date cells reflect publication timing, not cancellation. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information - the volumes tabulate dimensions, machinery, and armament only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-237-ata237-03
-
[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: runs indexed through ATA-217; no ATA-219 through ATA-238 entries (verified by full-text extraction this session)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 (ship-number index to World War II deck logs) indexes commissioned ATA hulls through ATA-217 (plus additional runs for ATA-197/-198) and contains no entry for ATA-237 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. 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-237-ata237-04
-
[6]Fundación HISTARMAR (Historia y Arqueología Marítima, Argentina), 'VENGADOR' remolcador registry entry, histarmar.com.ar (via Internet Archive capture 2021-05-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- histarmar 'VENGADOR' remolcador page - vessel data block (IMO 7742243, matrícula 2416 F, hull 266, machinery) and dated ownership chronology 1946-2006
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Argentine merchant career (histarmar, Fundación HISTARMAR - Argentine maritime history foundation registry entry for VENGADOR): yard hull 266 by Gulfport Boiler & Welding Works Inc., Port Arthur TX; IMO 7742243; matrícula 2416 F; TRG 504 / TRN 161; dimensions 43.74 m x 10.06 m x 5.18 m, draft 3.96 m; two General Motors 12-cylinder diesel engines (222 x 267) with two electric groups, General Motors Corp. Detroit, 1,850 HP, one screw, bollard pull 17.0. Career: launched for the U.S. Navy, christened ATA 237 (framed 1946; 'order cancelled, left incomplete'); sold 22 April 1947 to Compañía Argentina de Navegación Dodero, renamed VENGADOR; transferred 5 August 1949 to FANU (Flota Argentina de Navegación de Ultramar); transferred 1 August 1959 to FANF (Flota Argentina de Navegación Fluvial, under the state river fleet E.F.F.E.A.); sold 1980 to RUA Remolcadores Unidos Argentinos S.A. (later Panama registry); chartered 1999 to Remolcadores Mar del Plata S.A. operating at Mar del Plata; returned to RUA 2002; still under RUA, Argentine flag, 6 November 2006.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1946-2006
- Population
- Argentine merchant tug crews (Dodero/FANU/FANF state fleet/RUA service, 1947-2006+)
- Limitations
- Argentine maritime-history foundation compilation (registry-level detail: IMO, matrícula, machinery figures) - the most granular located source for the post-1947 career and the sole source for IMO 7742243. Conflicts carried: launch framed '1946' vs U.S. records' 23 Jun 1945; 'order cancelled, left incomplete' vs completed/delivered 27 Dec 1945; FANU transfer 5 Aug 1949 vs NavSource's 1957 (histarmar adopted); continued operation to 2006 vs shipbuildinghistory's 'scrapped 1988' and Shipscribe's 'Deleted 1962' - the U.S.-side fate lines are inconsistent with the Argentine record and are logged, not adopted. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-237-ata237-05
-
[7]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton) - Gulfport Boiler & Welding / Gulfport Shipbuilding yard construction table and US Navy ocean tugs (AT/ATA/ATF/ATR) index [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Gulfport yard table row: '266 | ATA 237 | US Navy | Tug | 835d | 134 | 23-Jun-45 | Cancelled, sold 1947 as Vengador (Argentina)'; ATA index row at shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/auxat.htm: 'ATA 237 | Gulfport B & W | Port Arthur TX | 835 | 143 | 1947 | Sold 1947 as Vengador, scrapped 1988'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Gulfport Boiler & Welding yard table at shipbuildinghistory.com lists ATA-237 as yard hull no. 266, type Tug, 835 dwt, 134 ft, owner US Navy, launch/delivery column 23-Jun-45, disposition 'Cancelled, sold 1947 as Vengador (Argentina)' - independently corroborating builder identity, yard hull number, and the 1947 Argentine sale. The same site's US Navy ocean-tug index records 'ATA 237 ... Sold 1947 as Vengador, scrapped 1988' - the 'scrapped 1988' datum conflicts with histarmar's documented Argentine operation through 2006 and is treated as erroneous, not adopted.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1947
- Population
- Gulfport Boiler & Welding construction workforce (Port Arthur TX)
- Limitations
- Independent secondary compilation corroborating the Shipscribe/NavSource record on builder, yard hull number, and Argentine sale; its 23-Jun-45 'delivery' is actually the launch date (Shipscribe/NavSource give delivery/acceptance 27 Dec 45), and its 'scrapped 1988' fate conflicts with the histarmar-documented Argentine operation into 2006 - flagged in gaps, not adopted. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-237-ata237-06
-
[8]RamalloCiudad.com.ar (Ramallo, Argentina local news), 'Tareas de reflotamiento del Remolcador "Vengador"', 4 March 2011, citing Prefectura Naval Argentina - Ramallo [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article text: Prefectura Naval Argentina-Ramallo notice, km 323,500 margen derecha del Río Paraná, refloatation of the Remolcador 'Vengador' by Empresa Raúl Negro y Compañía SA
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A tug named 'Vengador' was reported sunk at km 323.5 right bank of the Paraná River (Muelle Cooperativa Agrícola), Ramallo, Buenos Aires province, with refloatation work announced March 2011 by Prefectura Naval Argentina (Ramallo station) and performed by Raúl Negro y Compañía S.A. over approximately fifteen days - consistent with the ex-ATA-237 hull's documented 2006 status under RUA and indicating the hull was likely still extant in Argentine river service in 2011.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2011
- Population
- Raúl Negro y Compañía refloatation crews (2011)
- Limitations
- Same-hull identity is probable but not document-proven - the article names the tug 'Vengador' and its operator but prints no IMO, matrícula, or ex-U.S. lineage; Argentine towing records would need registry confirmation. Consistent with histarmar's 2006 endpoint and inconsistent with the 'deleted 1962'/'scrapped 1988' fate lines. Contains no asbestos information; a sunken/refloated hull carries environmental/condition implications not documented in this source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-237-ata237-07
-
[9]U.S. EPA, Superfund Enterprise Management System / CERCLA site profile, TEXAS GULFPORT SHIPBUILDING CO, EPA ID TXD096610621 [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA CERCLA site information page - site identity block, NPL status, NFRAP determination
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- EPA CERCLA record for 'TEXAS GULFPORT SHIPBUILDING CO' (EPA ID TXD096610621), 400 West Lakeshore Dr, Port Arthur, Jefferson County, TX - the builder yard where this hull was constructed in 1945: NPL status 'Not on the NPL'; non-NPL status 'NFRAP - Site does not qualify for the NPL based on existing information'; not a federal facility. The yard (Gulfport Boiler & Welding Works, renamed Gulfport Shipbuilding postwar, acquired by Levingston 1970, closed 1985) was evaluated under the Superfund program without NPL listing.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- CERCLA evaluation era (site active 1930s-1985)
- Population
- Gulfport yard workforce and surrounding Port Arthur community (site-level)
- Limitations
- Yard-site environmental record, not a hull record - documents that the builder's Port Arthur site was evaluated under CERCLA and did not qualify for the NPL; the public profile lists no contaminant detail, so it neither establishes nor excludes asbestos at the yard. Post-dates the hull's 1945 construction by decades. No vessel named.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-237-ata237-08
-
[10]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, Shipscribe class block, and SDB 1945 Vol III (ev-01, ev-02, ev-03)
- 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 brake linings on towing/winch gear.
- 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); Gulfport 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, spent under sixteen 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-237-ata237-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 search (type=o and type=r), authenticated via cl-auth-search.py fleet helper [court_record]
- Locator
- Queries: 'USS ATA-237' type=o (count 0); 'ATA-237' type=o (count 0); 'ATA-237' type=r (count 1 - Sokolow v. PLO, S.D.N.Y., exhibit OCR noise); 'Vengador' type=o (count 3 - PR Supreme Court collisions); 'Gulfport Boiler' asbestos type=o deferred by fleet pacing
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep (authenticated API v4 via cl-auth-search.py, 2026-09-26): '"USS ATA-237"' opinion search returned 0 hits. '"ATA-237"' opinion search returned 0 hits. '"ATA-237"' docket search returned 1 hit - Sokolow v. Palestine Liberation Organization (S.D.N.Y. 1:04-cv-00397), where 'ATA 237' appears inside OCR noise of a scanned exhibit list (docket 547 exhibit attachments), a token collision, not a vessel or asbestos reference. '"Vengador"' opinion search returned 3 hits - all Puerto Rico Supreme Court cases (Cintrón Adorno v. Gómez 1999; Pueblo v. Pérez Casillas 1986), Spanish-language opinions where 'vengador' is an ordinary word, name collisions only. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located.
- 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; 'ATA-237' is nonetheless a token-noisy query and only the returned hits were inspected. 'Vengador' queries cover U.S. dockets only - Argentine merchant-service litigation is outside CourtListener coverage entirely. 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-237-ata237-10
-
[12]Batch-2908 search ledger (this record): NavSource ATA-237 archive page; Shipscribe ATA-174 class page; SDB 1945 Vol III (NAVSHIPS 250-012); shipbuildinghistory Gulfport yard table and ATA index; NARA SL-44 deck-log index; MARAD Vessel History Database; NVR; NHHC DANFS index; histarmar Vengador record; EPA CERCLA; UNT Special Collections (Davis collection); CourtListener API v4; Atlas shipyards.json; class-profile worktrees [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ata-237-ata237-01 through sl-uss-ata-237-ata237-15
- 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-237 / USS ATA-237 / Vengador (IMO 7742243) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull never commissioned, was held in U.S. custody under sixteen months, and passed to Argentine merchant service - the U.S.-side 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, and the hull's six-decade Argentine working career is undocumented at materials level. 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-237-ata237-11
-
[13]NARA Guide to Federal Records - RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) and RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission); UNT Libraries Special Collections, Stephen E. Davis Collection AR0751 [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html ; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html ; UNT ArchivesSpace agent record for Gulfport Boiler & Welding Works, Inc. (Port Arthur, Tex.)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) holds contract records and plans for the ATA-219-238 Lend-Lease batch built under the General Motors prime contract, and for Gulfport hull 266 - including any material schedules; RG 178 (Maritime Commission) may hold the disposal jacket for the 22 April 1947 MC sale to Compañía Argentina de Navegación Dodero via the South American Trading Corp., New York. (b) University of North Texas Special Collections holds the Stephen E. Davis Collection (AR0751): 110 photographs documenting construction of barges, tugboats, icebreakers, cutters, and other oceangoing vessels at the Gulfport shipyard, Sabine-Neches Canal, Port Arthur TX, 1936-1971 - may include ATA-237 construction or launch imagery.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1971 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and collection mapping only - no box-level or item-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for hull 266 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ata-237-ata237-12