USS Atr-15 (ATR-15)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]research packet di-packet.md (3 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED. — real identity: NONE — never named; served as USS ATR-15. [M] https://www.navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/ATR_15

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-atr-15-atr15-pkt-di-packet-md

2. [2]Shipscribe USS ATR-1 class page - Stephen S. Roberts compilation of official Navy records (vessel register data, BuShips/CNO correspondence, MC disposal records) [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipscribe.com/usnaux/ATR/ATR01.html - Construction table row 15, Disposition table row 15, Class Notes, Ship Notes row 15

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Vessel-register compilation documents ATR-15 in the ATR-1 class construction/disposition tables and ship notes: ordered 19 Jun 42; built by Jakobson Shipyard (Oyster Bay, N.Y.); laid down 12 Sep 42; launched 1 Aug 43; commissioned 9 Feb 44; decommissioned 28 May 45; stricken 22 Jun 45; register disposal entry 22 Apr 47, fate 'Dest.' Ship note (verbatim): 'Driven over a reef, damaged and nearly sunk in a gale off Normandy 19 Jun 44, towed to safety by ATR-4. Left for U.S. ca. 11 Dec 44, laid up Nov 45. Withdrawn from MC sale by Navy 8 Feb 46 because of major hull damage, disposed of by sinking in mid-1946.' Class notes: program originated in a 12 Sep 41 BuShips letter to CNO on the 'need of rescue tugs to tow in disabled vessels'; CNO directed construction of ATR 1-40 on 19 Jan 42 under the Maximum War Effort (1799 Vessel) Program and VCNO directed ATR 50-89 on 5 Aug 42; hulls built of wood with simple triple-expansion steam machinery to place construction with small yards and machine shops outside the main Navy effort; design attributed by one source to the John G. Alden firm; class notes cite 'the merciless pounding that ATR-15 barely survived off Normandy in June 1944' as evidence of a rugged design. Class spec line: 852 light / 1,315 max tons; 165.4' oa x 33.3' x 15.8' max; 1,600 hp; 12.2 kts; 1-3"/50, 2-20mm; complement 51 (1944).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   ATR-15 ship's company (commissioned crew, ~32-52 per conflicting sources)

   Limitations

   Private specialist compilation transcribing official records (register data, BuShips correspondence, MC disposal files) - a transcription layer over the documents, not the documents themselves; underlying originals are the NARA archival lead (ev-10). Internal inconsistency: ship note says 'disposed of by sinking in mid-1946' while the disposition table prints a 22 Apr 47 disposal date - treated as administrative closure vs physical sinking. Commissioned 9 Feb 44 here vs 5 Feb 44 in secondary sources. Contains no asbestos or materials information; establishes no asbestos fact.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-atr-15-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - USS ATR-15 page (navsource.net/archives/09/40/40015.htm) [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net/archives/09/40/40015.htm - chronology block, campaign table, specifications block, 'no DANFS' note

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource service-ship archive page for USS ATR-15: 'ATR-1 Class Rescue Tug: Laid down, 12 September 1942, at Jakobson Shipyard, Oyster Bay, N.Y. Launched, 1 August 1943. Commissioned USS ATR-15, 5 February 1944.' Assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater; campaign credit 'Invasion of Normandy, 6 to 19 June 1944'; one battle star; ribbons American Campaign Medal, Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (1), World War II Victory Medal; call sign NPFV. Headline: 'Lost due to grounding, off the Normandy beachhead, 19 June 1944'; 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown'; 'Final Disposition, lost by grounding off Normandy, France, 19 June 1944.' Spec block: 852 t. (lt) / 1,315 t. (fl); 165'6" x 33'4" x 15'6"; 12.2 kts; one 3"/50 DP, two single 20mm AA; complement 5 officers + 47 enlisted; fuel 1,620 Bbls NSFO; propulsion one Fulton Iron Works vertical triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine, two Foster Wheeler 'D'-type boilers 200psi Sat, two turbo-drive 60kW 120V DC ship's-service generators, single propeller 1,600 hp. Page states verbatim: 'There is no DANFS history available for USS ATR-15 at NavSource.' One photo held (underway, date/location unknown), contributed via NAFTS courtesy Ken Sigg.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Limitations

   Volunteer-maintained secondary archive compiling register/DANFS-derived data - authoritative for specs and campaign credits but its 'Final Disposition, lost by grounding' headline is refuted by the register compilation (ev-01): the ship was salvaged, returned to the U.S., decommissioned 28 May 45, stricken 22 Jun 45, and sunk in disposal mid-1946. Commissioning 5 Feb 44 conflicts with the register's 9 Feb 44. Contains no asbestos or materials information; establishes no asbestos fact.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-atr-15-02

4. [4]U.S. Navy at War 1941-1945 (official reports to SecNav from CNO Ernest J. King), Appendix C, 'Losses of United States Naval Vessels From all Causes' - HyperWar transcription [other_primary]

   Locator

   USN-King-C.html, Appendix C, TUGS section, 'ATR 15' row

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The CNO's official wartime report (Adm. Ernest J. King's reports to the Secretary of the Navy, 'U.S. Navy at War 1941-1945'), Appendix C - 'Losses of United States Naval Vessels From all Causes, 7 December 1941-1 October 1945' - lists under TUGS: 'ATR 15 | 49 N, 00 26 W | 19 June 1944' (adjacent entry ATR 98, lost in the Atlantic convoy crossing 12 April 1944).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-06-19

   Limitations

   Official CNO tabulation - but it lists the hull among losses although she was salvaged and remained on the register until June 1945 (ev-01): the table records casualties/constructive losses 'from all causes,' not literal sinkings only. The position reads '49 N, 00 26 W' (the specialist record's 49.22N 00.26W supplies the likely minutes figure). Transcription retrieved via HyperWar mirror, a secondary presentation of an official document. No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-atr-15-03

5. [5]laststandonzombieisland.com, 'Warship Wednesday Oct. 2, 2024: Slow Going' (C. Eger) - article explicitly 'distilled from Moffett's March and April 1944 War Diaries' with NARA photo citations [reputable_press]

   Locator

   Article, NY-78 convoy section; war-diary links to fold3/NARA holdings

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Secondary distillation of USS Moffett (DD-362) March-April 1944 war diaries documents ATR-15's Atlantic crossing in Convoy NY-78 / TF-67: Moffett convoy commander, departed New York 25 March 1944 towing 34 large railroad-car barges ('pickaback' car floats) required for Overlord logistics, oiler Maumee (AO-2) accompanying; the tug force included wooden-hulled ATR-4, ATR-13, and ATR-15 plus steel ATR-97/-98/-99, fleet tugs Kiowa, Bannock, Pinto, Abnaki, Alsea, Arikara, Admiralty tug HMS Emphatic, and ten WSA-owned V4-M-A1 tugs operated by Moran Towing civilian mariners. Diary highlights: 1 April - ATR-4 broke down and was ordered to be taken in tow by ATR-15, which broke down herself the next day; 12 April - ATR-98 foundered after a heavy-seas collision with Abnaki (all 44 survivors recovered by Moffett); convoy reached British waters 18-19 April 1944 after a 25-day ~3,400 nm crossing averaging under six knots, tugs and barges proceeding to Falmouth under Admiralty orders.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-03-25 to 1944-04-19

   Population

   ATR-15 crew on NY-78 crossing; convoy TF-67 personnel

   Limitations

   Specialist blog post - a secondary distillation, not the war diary itself; the underlying primary source is USS Moffett's March-April 1944 war diary (NARA RG 38) plus convoy escort reports, flagged as archival lead ev-10. Names this vessel specifically (tug roster; 1-2 April towing breakdown sequence) but should be verified against the diary before being treated as established. No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-atr-15-04

6. [6]Mulberry B official report (British wartime official history, HyperWar transcription); corroborated by UNH Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping Mulberry survey summary [other_primary]

   Locator

   MulberryB report, gale narrative; ccom.unh.edu/research/research-projects/d-day/results-discussion/omaha-beach-mulberry-harbor

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The official British report on Mulberry B (Arromanches artificial harbor) documents the storm that produced the ATR-15 casualty: 'on June 19th - a gale blew up from the north-east. It blew for three days: the worst June gale the Channel had known for forty years... it came from the worst possible direction, piling up the seas on our north facing beaches... Both outside the harbours and within them there were ships in distress, ships dragging their anchors or whose anchors were already lost. The American harbour was the worse hit. Great seas surged through the gaps torn in the breakwater, drove small craft ashore, and seriously damaged the piers.' Academic and hydrographic surveys corroborate: a rare Force 6-7 storm 19-22 June 1944 washed more than 800 vessels onto the beaches and destroyed the American Mulberry off Omaha (20 of 30 Phoenix caissons destroyed).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-06-19 to 1944-06-22

   Population

   Allied shipping and beach-logistics personnel, Normandy assault area

   Limitations

   Establishes the meteorological event that drove ATR-15 over the reef (19-22 June 1944 gale) - does not name ATR-15 or document the casualty itself; event-level context only. No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-atr-15-05

7. [7]Naval Cover Museum (navalcovermuseum.org) - ATR 15 wiki page and cover artifact (postmark image) [museum_official]

   Locator

   ATR_15 wiki page - Ship Name and Designation History; Postmarks table (APO 555 Hilsea 1944-05-10)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Naval Cover Museum ship page for ATR 15: designation history reads 'USS ATR 15 - Commissioned February 5 1944; SUNK (Grounding) off Normandy beachhead June 19 1944; Salvaged and towed her back to Britain, where they spent the next 6 months trying to repair her. Towed back to the States and she spent the rest of the war in a shipyard on Long Island. Decommissioned on May 28 1945. Scrapped April 22 1947.' Collection artifact: a censored sailor's-mail cover bears a U.S. Army Postal Service Type 2 postmark, APO 555, Hilsea, England, dated 1944-05-10 - placing the vessel in the Portsmouth area during pre-invasion staging. Awards listing matches NavSource (American Campaign Medal, EAME Campaign Medal w/1 battle star, WWII Victory Medal).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1947

   Limitations

   Museum wiki compilation - the cover artifact itself is a genuine primary postal artifact (APO 555 postmark is contemporaneous documentary evidence of UK staging), but the salvage narrative is unreferenced secondary text: decommissioning 28 May 45 agrees with the register (ev-01), while 'scrapped April 22 1947' misreads the register's administrative disposal date - the ship note documents disposal by sinking mid-1946. The 'shipyard on Long Island' repair/layup detail is unverified (plausibly the builder Jakobson at Oyster Bay, but not documented). Page prints keel laid 'September 12 1944' - an evident typo for 1942. No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-atr-15-06

8. [8]thamestugs.co.uk, 'Mulberry Tugs [US]' specialist compilation; corroborated by navalmarinearchive.com (Colton shipbuilding history) Jakobson Shipyard table [reputable_press]

   Locator

   thamestugs.co.uk Mulberry-Tugs-US page, ATR-15 entry; navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/shipyards/small/jakobson.html hull 291

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Specialist tug record for ATR-15: 'Built 1943 by Jakobson Shipyard, Oyster Bay, NY. YN291. Wooden Hulled tug. L165'6". B33'4". D15'6". 1360disp [full load] 1600hp 3cyl TE steam engine. Complement 32. Armament 1x3" DP 2x 20mm AA. 1944 Delivered to US Navy. 14-6-1944 departed Solent for beachhead. [Convoy EWL8]. 19-6-1944 Lost after grounding in storm off Normandy beaches, position 49.22N 00.26W.' Corroborating builder data: T. Colton's shipbuilding-history yard table for Jakobson Shipyard lists hull 291 'ATR 15 / US Navy / Rescue Tug / 850 / 5-Feb-44 / Lost off Normandy 1944' - the 5-Feb-44 figure aligning with delivery rather than the register's 9 Feb 44 commissioning.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-1944

   Limitations

   Specialist/enthusiast compilations - unreferenced secondary sources; the yard number (291), convoy assignment (EWL8, Solent departure 14 Jun 44), and precise casualty position (49deg22'N 00deg26'W) are plausible and consistent with official records but not independently verified against them; 'complement 32' conflicts with NavSource (52) and register class line (51). Both records repeat 'lost off Normandy' framing refuted by the register's salvage/disposal chain. No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-atr-15-07

9. [9]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; steam-plant spec per NavSource class block (ev-02)

   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 program under which this wooden-hulled steam tug was built (1942-43) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard U.S. hulls and in shipyards. ATR-15 carried a conventional steam plant of the period (two Foster Wheeler 'D'-type boilers, 200 psi; Fulton Iron Works triple-expansion engine) for which boiler insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, and packing were era-typical asbestos applications.

   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); Jakobson Shipyard construction trades (1942-43)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Wooden hull construction does not eliminate steam-plant insulation inference but no materials list for the ATR-1 class was located.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-atr-15-08

10. [10]CourtListener API v4 opinion search via cl-auth-search.py, 2026-09-26; batch-2951 search ledger (this record): NavSource archive; shipscribe official-records compilation; CNO official loss tabulation (HyperWar); Naval Cover Museum; specialist tug records; NARA catalog; MARAD ShipHistory [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-atr-15-01 through sl-uss-atr-15-14

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, occupational-medicine record, materials list, or docketed case naming ATR-15 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Structurally, essentially none can be generated by the usual routes: the hull was a war casualty in June 1944, never repaired to operational status, decommissioned and stricken in mid-1945, withdrawn from Maritime Commission sale in February 1946 for major hull damage, and disposed of by sinking in mid-1946 - there is no surviving hull, no museum stewardship, no MARAD custody record, and no post-service refit/abatement history. No DANFS entry exists for this hull (NavSource statement; canonical NHHC URL 404s). CourtListener opinion search (API v4, authenticated): 'ATR-15' returned 2 opinions, both Las Cruces TV Cable v. FCC (D.C. Cir. 1981) - 'ATR' there is American Television Relay, Inc., a microwave common carrier, a name collision unrelated to the vessel; 'USS ATR-15' returned 0 opinions. No qualifying asbestos litigation, no other litigation naming the vessel in opinions. Docket-level sweep and qualifier variants deferred - fleet pacing budget contended at research time (see ledger).

    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 1943 steam plant is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-atr-15-09

11. [11]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 24 (deck logs), RG 38 (war diaries); NavSource photo credit line [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov RG 19/24/38 guidance pages; navsource.net/archives/09/40/40015.htm photo credit

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 holds WWII deck logs - an ATR-15 deck-log series (Feb 1944-May 1945) would document the 19 Jun 44 grounding, the tow by ATR-4, the UK repair period, and the December 1944 return passage; RG 38 holds WWII war diaries - Moffett (DD-362) March-April 1944 war diaries are the primary source for the NY-78/TF-67 convoy detail (ev-04), and an ATR-15 war diary may exist for the Normandy period; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) holds casualty, salvage, and disposition correspondence - the likeliest location of the grounding board report, the 'major hull damage' survey behind the 8 Feb 46 withdrawal from MC sale, and the sinking-disposal authorization. The NavSource photograph traces to the National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors collection (contributor Ken Sigg). Existence of asbestos-specific documents in any of these is unknown until surveyed.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1942-1947 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed (NARA catalog returns SPA shell to scripted queries at research time); nothing in this row is an asbestos finding. RG 178 (Maritime Commission) is a weak lead here - the hull was withdrawn from MC sale and never entered MC custody; MARAD ShipHistory search returned no ATR-15 record.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-atr-15-10

12. [12]Cross-source comparison: shipscribe register compilation (ev-01); NavSource (ev-02); CNO loss table (ev-03); Naval Cover Museum (ev-06); thamestugs/Colton (ev-07) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Per-row locators of ev-01, ev-02, ev-03, ev-06, ev-07

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Cross-source discrepancy resolution: (a) Commissioning - register compilation prints 9 Feb 44; NavSource and Naval Cover Museum print 5 Feb 44, matching the Jakobson yard table's 5-Feb-44 delivery figure - the 5th is likely the delivery date, the 9th commissioning, unresolved. (b) Fate - CNO's official loss table lists 'ATR 15' among losses from all causes 19 Jun 44 and NavSource headlines 'lost by grounding,' but the register documents salvage, tow to safety by ATR-4, return to the U.S. ca. 11 Dec 44, decommissioning 28 May 45, striking 22 Jun 45, and disposal by sinking mid-1946; the loss-table listing reflects the casualty/constructive-loss event, not literal destruction on that date. (c) Final disposition - register ship note says 'disposed of by sinking in mid-1946' while the register disposition table prints disposal date 22 Apr 47 with fate 'Dest.' and the museum record reads 'scrapped April 22 1947' - physical fate per the ship note is sinking; the 1947 date is administrative closure. (d) Complement - 52 (NavSource spec), 51 (register class line), 32 (specialist tug record) - unresolved. (e) Casualty position - CNO table '49 N, 00 26 W' vs specialist '49.22N 00.26W' - likely 49deg22'N 00deg26'W. (f) Museum keel-laid 'September 12 1944' is an evident typo for 1942; its 'shipyard on Long Island' repair detail is unverified. (g) NavSource prints 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown' where the register compilation supplies 22 Jun 45.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1942-1947

    Limitations

    Resolves publication-level discrepancies between official register data and secondary archives; the official loss-list entry is reconciled, not refuted - she was a constructive casualty of the 19 June gale even though the hull was recovered. No asbestos content in any cited source.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-atr-15-11