Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
-
[1]Shipscribe, USS ATR-1 class page (S.S. Roberts compilation of Naval Vessel Register / BuShips / Maritime Commission records): construction row - ordered 6 Jul 1942, Lynch SB, keel 17 Nov 1943, launched 1 Aug 1944, commissioned 10 Jan 1945; disposition row - decommissioned 25 Jun 1946, struck 28 Jan 1947, disposal 1 Apr 1948, fate MC/D (Maritime Commission disposal), MA sale awarded 16 Mar 1948; ship note - 'Sold (awarded) by MC to Capt. Floyd R. Harrington, Wilmington, Cal.' [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux/ATR/ATR01.html - Construction table row 39; Disposition table row 39; Ship Notes row 39
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Construction and disposal record for this hull: ordered 6 Jul 1942; laid down 17 Nov 1943 at Lynch Shipbuilding, San Diego; launched 1 Aug 1944; commissioned 10 Jan 1945; decommissioned 25 Jun 1946; struck 28 Jan 1947; custody to Maritime Commission 1 Apr 1948; Maritime Administration sale awarded 16 Mar 1948 to Capt. Floyd R. Harrington of Wilmington, California.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Lynch Shipbuilding construction trades 1943-45; wartime crew ~52
- Limitations
- Compiled specialist reference reproducing official Navy and Maritime Commission record data - the underlying registers were not sighted directly and the hull predates NVR online coverage, so the dates are carried as the compilation states them. Does not establish materials, asbestos content, or post-1948 fate.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-39-atr39-01
-
[2]NavSource Online, USS ATR-39 page (compiled official Navy data): commissioned 10 Jan 1945, LCDR A. W. Wilde in command; Asiatic-Pacific Theater assignment; Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) and China Service Medal (extended) both for 2 Sep 1945 - 27 Feb 1946; awards also include American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal; hull 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 20mm; complement 5 officers / 47 enlisted; one Lynch Shipbuilding vertical triple-expansion steam engine, two Foster Wheeler D-type boilers 200 psi, single screw 1,600 shp); IRCS NPCY; 'There is no DANFS history available for USS ATR-39' [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/09/40/40039.htm - hull entry, awards table, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Service record for this hull: commissioned USS ATR-39 on 10 Jan 1945 under LCDR A. W. Wilde; assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater for WWII service; post-war occupation and China service in the Far East 2 Sep 1945 - 27 Feb 1946 qualifying for both the Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) and the China Service Medal (extended); no battle stars recorded.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Population
- Wartime crew ~52; occupation/China-service crew Sep 1945 - Feb 1946
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive of official Navy data, not itself a government record. Its 'decommissioned date unknown / struck date unknown / disposed of in 1946, fate unknown' line is superseded by the dated Shipscribe disposal chain (ev-01) - logged in gaps. No campaign participation detail is given beyond theater assignment; specific ports and towing/salvage operations are undocumented here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-39-atr39-02
-
[3]Shipscribe ATR-1 class notes (BuShips/CNO correspondence summarized): CNO directed construction of ATR 1-40 on 19 Jan 1942 under the Maximum War Effort (1799 Vessel) Program; the Navy deliberately specified wooden hulls and 'relatively simple triple expansion steam machinery' so small builders outside the main shipbuilding effort could produce them; design attributed by one source to the John G. Alden firm. HyperWar transcription 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' lists ATR-39 among 'Wooden-hulled Rescue Tugs.' [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux/ATR/ATR01.html - Class Notes; https://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-at.html - ATR section listing ATR-39
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Class design record: the ATR-1 class was a wooden-hulled rescue tug type procured to patrol convoy lanes and tow disabled vessels, deliberately built of wood with simple triple-expansion steam machinery so that small yards could build them without competing with the main Navy program; 80 wooden ATRs were built at seven small yards including Lynch Shipbuilding, San Diego.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Limitations
- Class-level documentation only - establishes design intent, hull material, and machinery type for the class, not materials aboard this specific hull. The Alden attribution is flagged 'one source' by Shipscribe. Nothing here addresses asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-39-atr39-03
-
[4]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - documents endemic WWII-era asbestos use and exposure in Navy steam plants and shipyards; machinery block per NavSource USS ATR-39 hull spec (two Foster Wheeler D-type boilers, vertical triple-expansion steam engine) [other_primary]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (description); navsource.net ATR-39 specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference: a 1944-45 steam-propelled wooden tug with two oil-fired Foster Wheeler 'D'-type boilers at 200 psi feeding a vertical triple-expansion engine would have carried era-standard asbestos insulation on boiler casings, steam piping, valves, and flange gaskets, plus machinery packing and brake linings on the towing engine/windlass; the wooden hull form removes the hull-insulation and heavy deck-covering categories typical of steel combatants. GAO HRD-80-2 documents that asbestos exposure was endemic to Navy steam machinery and shipyard work of the era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Lynch Shipbuilding construction trades 1943-45; engineering crew in service 1945-46
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No construction drawing, specification sheet, survey, or post-custody record names any material aboard ATR-39; wooden construction narrows but does not eliminate asbestos applications. Does not establish quantity, individual exposure, or legal eligibility. GAO product-page description used (full text returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-39-atr39-04
-
[5]National Archives, Special List No. 44 (logbooks of U.S. Navy ships and stations, by ship number): index entry for ATR-39 covering deck logs 10 Jan 1945 - 30 Jun 1945 [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/files/research/military/logbooks/sl-44-ship-number.pdf - 'ATR-39' entry under AT hull block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's deck-log index lists logbook coverage for ATR-39 from 10 Jan 1945 (her commissioning date) through 30 Jun 1945. Deck logs for her occupation/China-service period (Jul 1945 - Jun 1946) are not in this index and may exist in RG 24/RG 38 holdings at College Park.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- A finding aid establishes that logs exist and their coverage window, not their content; deck logs rarely record materials or insulation data and this lead was not pursued into the logs themselves. Alignment within the index column verified against commissioned-date anchors for ATR-1, ATR-38, and ATR-4.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-39-atr39-05
-
[6]CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweep (2026-09-26): opinions "ATR-39" - 0 hits; opinions "USS ATR-39" - 0; opinions "ATR 39" tug - 0; dockets "ATR-39" - 5 hits, all classified name collisions: Martinez v. Aero Caribbean (N.D. Cal. 3:11-cv-03194, 'ATR' = Avions de Transport Regional, aircraft manufacturer); Lebowitz v. New York City Dept. of Education ('ATR' = Absent Teacher Reserve); Stolt-Nielsen Transportation Group v. DOJ x2 (D.D.C. FOIA, 'ATR' document/Vaughn-index references); Bennett Marine v. Lenco Marine (Fed. Cir. 12-1336, patent, hull-string collision in exhibits) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-atr-39-atr39-06 through sl-uss-atr-39-atr39-07
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation and no other litigation naming USS ATR-39 was located on CourtListener. All five docket hits on the hull-number string are name collisions in unrelated matters (aircraft-manufacturer defendant, teacher-reserve program, FOIA document codes, marine-patent exhibits) - none references the vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a docketed federal case on CourtListener does not prove no claim was ever filed - state-court filings, settled claims, and unindexed pleadings are outside the index. The collision pattern also shows the bare string 'ATR-39' is an unreliable litigation identifier for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-39-atr39-06