Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]Shipscribe.com, USS ATR-1 class page - transcription of official Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels / Register of Ships construction and disposition tables, with class notes from BuShips correspondence; ShipbuildingHistory, Bellingham yard table [other_primary]
- Locator
- Construction table row 73; Disposition table row 73 (Decomm. 2 Jul 46 / Strike 19 Jul 46 / Disposal 5 Aug 47 / Fate MC-D / MA Sale 29 Jul 47); Ship Notes row 73; http://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/bellingham.htm yard table row 'ATR 73'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy register data for ATR-73: ordered 1942-11-27; built by Bellingham Marine, Bellingham, WA; keel laid 1943-12-11; launched 1944-05-25; commissioned 1945-01-01; decommissioned 1946-07-02; struck from the Naval Register 1946-07-19; disposal 1947-08-05 (fate code MC/D); MA Sale column 1947-07-29. Ship note: 'Sold (delivered) by MC to O. Y. Warren, Norwalk, Conn. (awarded 1 Jul 47, handed over 5 Aug 47). Merc. JUDITH ANN MESECK 1947, scrapped 1954.' ShipbuildingHistory's Bellingham yard table independently records ATR-73 as an 850-ton, 165-ft tug completed 1 Jan 45.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1954
- Limitations
- Shipscribe is a transcription project of official Navy register/Ships' Data publications, not the register scan itself; figures adopted over NavSource's conflicting disposal narrative (see correction row ev-03) and corroborated for commissioning by NARA deck-log coverage beginning 1945-01-01 (ev-04). Decommissioning location is not given. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-73-atr73-01
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[2]NavSource Naval History, USS ATR-73 page (Service Ship Photo Archive, ATR index 40073), incl. NHHC photo NH 81044 caption [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page header narrative, call-sign line, awards line, photo caption, and Specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource service record for USS ATR-73: international radio call sign NHFQ; commissioned 1945-01-01 with LTjg. E. L. Givins in command; during WWII assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; displayed awards American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal; decommissioning and strike dates shown as unknown. Hosts NHHC photo NH 81044, captioned: the ship 'on her return to San Francisco from the western Pacific circa early 1946 and before her transit to the East Coast for decommissioning.' Specification block: 852 t light / 1,315 t full; 165'6" x 33'4" x 15'6"; 12.2 kts; one Prescott Co. vertical triple-expansion engine; two Foster Wheeler 'D'-type boilers, 260 psi saturated; two 60 kW turbo-driven ship's service generators; single propeller 1,600 shp; armament 1x3"/50 DP, 2x20mm; complement 5 officers + 47 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Population
- Ship's company, WWII service (Asiatic-Pacific Theater)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive; the assignment, CO, awards, call sign, spec block, and NH 81044 caption are retained as stated. Its disposal narrative ('sold in 1945 to Meseck Towing', merchant name 'Judith Meseck') conflicts with the register and is corrected at ev-03. Spec-block machinery builders (Prescott, Foster Wheeler) are single-source - not corroborated by the register's class-level 'vertical triple expansion' entry. No asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-73-atr73-02
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[3]Shipscribe register transcription (ATR-73 disposition row and ship note) vs NavSource ATR-73 narrative and NavalCoverMuseum ATR 73 entry; NHHC photo NH 81044 caption (via Shipscribe photos page); NARA Special List #44; New York Times 2015-01-01 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Shipscribe disposition table row 73 and Ship Notes row 73; https://www.navsource.net/archives/09/40/40073.htm narrative; https://www.navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/ATR_73; https://shipscribe.com/usnaux/ATR/ATR01-p.html (NH 81044); https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/01/nyregion/on-brooklyn-campus-annual-antique-display-goes-out-with-a-terrifying-wail.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Disposal-timeline discrepancy resolved: NavSource and NavalCoverMuseum state ATR-73 was 'sold in 1945' to Meseck Towing & Transportation Co., New York, renamed 'Judith Meseck,' and list decommissioning/strike dates as unknown. The register data (decommissioned 1946-07-02, struck 1946-07-19, MC disposal 1947-08-05, sale awarded 1947-07-29; ship note: MC sale to O. Y. Warren of Norwalk, CT awarded 1947-07-01 and handed over 1947-08-05; merchant JUDITH ANN MESECK 1947, scrapped 1954) is internally consistent and corroborated: the NHHC photo caption places the ship in naval service returning from the western Pacific in early 1946, and NARA deck-log coverage begins on her 1945-01-01 commissioning. The 1945-sale date is impossible for a commissioned naval vessel; the Meseck fleet identity is consistent across sources (sister ATR-67 likewise went via O. Y. Warren to merchant DOROTHY ANN MESECK), so the operative sequence is Navy to MC to Warren to the Meseck fleet as JUDITH ANN MESECK. A 2015 New York Times account independently describes the 'Judith Ann Meseck' as a WWII rescue tugboat whose whistle and siren were salvaged. Register timeline adopted; NavSource's 'sold 1945' and 'Judith Meseck' logged as secondary-source errors.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1954
- Limitations
- Resolves secondary-source transcription errors; agreement of register data, NHHC photo caption, and NARA log-custody start date supports the adopted timeline. Whether Warren resold to Meseck or bought on its behalf is not documented; the NYT item is independent context, not a hull-level link. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-73-atr73-03
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[4]National Archives, 'Special List #44, by Ship Numbers' - inventory of U.S. Navy deck logs in NARA custody [other_primary]
- Locator
- PDF p.11, 'ATR-73 1/1/1945 6/30/1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List #44 (deck-log inventory by ship number) lists USS ATR-73 deck logs covering 1945-01-01 through 1945-06-30 - the period from commissioning through nearly the end of WWII. Logs are paper custody, not digitized; no coverage for 1945-07-01 through 1946-07-02 (decommissioning) appears in the list.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-01-01 to 1945-06-30 (coverage window)
- Limitations
- Inventory entry only - logs were not retrieved or read; their content (movements, operations, conditions) is unexamined. Custody start date independently corroborates the 1945-01-01 commissioning (ev-01). Post-June-1945 logs are not in this list - location unknown. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-73-atr73-04
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[5]Shipscribe ATR-1 class notes (quoting BuShips-CNO correspondence of 1941-1943); NHHC DANFS, Narraguagas (AOG-32) - TU 30.9.23 composition [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class Notes paragraphs (BuShips letter, program directives, wooden-hull rationale, Alden attribution); https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/n/narraguagas.html June 1945 passage
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ATR-1 class design/procurement context: BuShips' 1941-09-12 letter to CNO argued the need for rescue tugs to tow disabled vessels; CNO directed ATR 1-40 construction 1942-01-19 under the Maximum War Effort (1799-Vessel) Program and VCNO directed ATR 50-89 on 1942-08-05 (ATR-73 falls in this second tranche; ordered 1942-11-27). To avoid competing with steel combatant construction the Navy built the type with wooden hulls and simple triple-expansion steam machinery, letting small shipyards and local machine shops do the work; one source attributes the design to the John G. Alden firm. Class service pattern: NHHC's DANFS entry for Narraguagas (AOG-32) places sister rescue tugs ATR-38 and ATR-62 in towing unit TU 30.9.23 in the Okinawa operation, June 1945 - the employment context for ATR-73's documented Asiatic-Pacific assignment.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- ATR-1 class crews; shipyard trades at small wooden-ship builders (class context)
- Limitations
- Class/program-level documentation - establishes design intent and sister-ship employment, not this hull's operations. The Alden design attribution is hedged by the source itself ('one source indicates'). The Okinawa citation names ATR-38 and ATR-62, not ATR-73. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-73-atr73-05
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[6]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); applied to the NavSource-documented plant configuration [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373, WWII shipbuilding asbestos-use documentation; NavSource spec block for plant configuration
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era-level documentation: asbestos was used extensively as insulating and fireproofing material in U.S. WWII shipbuilding. Applied to this hull only as inference: a 1944-45-vintage steam plant (two Foster Wheeler 'D'-type boilers, Prescott vertical triple-expansion engine, single screw - per NavSource spec block) is consistent with period asbestos applications - boiler insulation, steam-line lagging, flange/valve gaskets, machinery packing, brake linings on towing and anchor machinery, and accommodation-space insulation. The class's wooden hull removes the structural-steel fireproofing a steel ship would carry.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Bellingham yard construction trades (Bellingham, 1943-45); engine-room and deck crew, 1945-46
- Limitations
- Program/era scholarship applied to a class-typical plant - no source names this hull or its actual outfit; no survey, drawing, or contract for ATR-73 was located. Does not establish that asbestos was aboard, its quantity, location, condition, or any individual exposure; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-73-atr73-06
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[7]CourtListener API v4 searches, 2026-09-26: type=o "ATR-73" (0); type=r "ATR-73" (2 - Stolt-Nielsen FOIA, non-vessel string collisions); type=o "ATR 73" tug OR asbestos OR vessel (0) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-atr-73-atr73-08, -09, -10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweeps returned no qualifying result for this hull: 'ATR-73' in the opinion index - 0 hits; 'ATR 73' (unhyphenated, with tug/asbestos/vessel terms) in the opinion index - 0 hits; 'ATR-73' in the RECAP docket index - 2 hits (Stolt-Nielsen Transportation Group Ltd. v. United States FOIA cases, D.D.C. 1:05-cv-02217 and 1:06-cv-00474) whose match is an incidental string inside filed documents - name collisions, not cases naming the vessel. No asbestos litigation, other litigation, or operative name collision naming the ship was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- CourtListener indexes do not cover all federal/state dockets or unreported matters; zero qualifying hits means no located case, not proof that no claim was ever filed. The merchant-name sweep ('Judith Ann Meseck' / 'Judith Meseck') was not completed before the fleet pacing window closed - see search_ledger. PACER was not searched (no spend authorized). A hull-specific absence is consistent with a small, short-lived, unnamed auxiliary disposed in 1947 and scrapped 1954.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-73-atr73-07
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[8]Batch-3002 search ledger (this record): Shipscribe register data; NavSource; NARA Special List #44; NHHC DANFS (no entry); NVR (pre-1987 disposals excluded); NavalCoverMuseum; ShipbuildingHistory Bellingham table; HyperWar class stub; CourtListener opinion/docket sweeps; MARAD ShipHistory (blocked) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-atr-73-atr73-01 through sl-uss-atr-73-atr73-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement or removal contract, hazmat disclosure, museum documentation, or government report naming ATR-73 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull left federal custody in 1947, ran as merchant tug JUDITH ANN MESECK until scrapped 1954, and carries no NRHP/NHL/museum status that would generate modern condition documentation.
- 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 1944-45 steam tug is era-consistent with ACM in the machinery spaces. 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-73-atr73-08