Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), Auxiliaries - Rescue Tugs (ATR) section: ATR 50-89 class data block and per-hull ATR-74 construction/machinery rows (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 ATR tables pp. 414-420 (class block: dimensions pp. 414-415; per-hull machinery row p. 417 ATR-74 = Fulton Iron Wks vert. 3-exp. / B. & W. 'D'; per-hull construction row p. 419 ATR-74 = Camden, 30 Jan 43 / 24 Mar 44 / 14 Aug 44); 'Ocean Tugs, Rescue (ATR)' index entry p. 414
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries a per-hull row for ATR-74: built by Camden S.B. & Mar. Ry. Co., Camden, Maine; keel laid 30 Jan 1943; launched 24 Mar 1944; date of first commission 14 Aug 1944; engine Fulton Iron Works vertical triple-expansion; boilers B. & W. 'D' type. The ATR 50-89 class block gives: wood hulls; 165'5" oa / 155'0" wl x 33'4" extreme beam; trial displacement 1,312 t; limiting displacement 1,315 t (average maximum load for class); limiting draft 15'10"; trial speed 12.2 kts; single screw, 1,600 shp; 2 boilers at 260 psi saturated; 2 turbo-drive ship's-service generators 60 kW 120 V DC; fuel 1,620 bbl; armament 1 x 3"/50 cal D.P.; largest boom capacity 4 t; accommodations 5 officers + 47 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Construction trades at Camden Ship Building & Marine Railway (1943-44); authorized wartime complement 52
- Limitations
- Authoritative wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, machinery plant, manning, builder, and commissioning date. OCR of the scanned table is columnar and partially garbled; values cross-verified against shipscribe and NavSource. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-74-atr74-01
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[2]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS ATR-1 Class' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from official records): construction table, disposition table, ship note for ATR-74, and class notes [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux/ATR/ATR01.html - construction table row 74, disposition table row 74, ship notes entry 74, class notes
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Construction table: ATR-74 ordered 27 Nov 1942, Camden SB, keel 30 Jan 1943, launched 24 Mar 1944, commissioned 14 Aug 1944 (agrees with BuShips SDB). Disposition table: decommissioned 12 Sep 1946, stricken 8 Oct 1946, disposal/MA sale 19 Mar 1947 (fate code MC/D). Ship note: 'Sold (delivered) by MC to Lloyd W. Lambert, Luzon Stevedoring Co., Baltimore, Md. Merc. FOUNDATION FRANCES 1948, scrapped in Canada 1962.' Class notes: rescue-tug requirement originated in the 12 Sep 1941 BuShips letter to CNO; ATR 50-89 ordered under the Maximum War Effort program per VCNO directive of 5 Aug 1942; wooden hulls and simple triple-expansion machinery chosen to keep the program out of mainline yards; 80 wood ATRs averaged 9.4 months keel-to-launch and 13.6 months keel-to-commissioning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1962
- Population
- Camden yard trades (1943-44); wartime crew; Luzon Stevedoring mercantile crews (1947-62); Canadian breaking yard (1962)
- Limitations
- Secondary compiled reference (Roberts/shipscribe) built from official Navy and Maritime Commission records - not itself a primary document. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material information; the mercantile FOUNDATION FRANCES career (1947-1962) is a one-line summary with no materials detail.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-74-atr74-02
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[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS ATR-74 page (file 09/40/40074; contributed launch photo by Dave Shirlaw) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource file 09/40/40074 - identity block, awards ribbons, spec block, photo caption, DANFS-absence notice
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent compiled identity record: ATR-1 class rescue tug laid down 30 Jan 1943 at Camden Ship Building & Marine Railway, Camden, ME; launched 24 Mar 1944; decommissioned/struck 'date unknown'; 'disposed of in 1946'; radio call sign NHUI; launch photo dated circa 24 Mar 1944. Ribbon display shows only the American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal for the ship - no theater campaign ribbons, consistent with American/coastal convoy-lane duty. Page explicitly states 'There is no DANFS history available for USS ATR-74'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation. Commissioning shown as '14 April 1944' - contradicts BuShips SDB 'date of first commission' (14 Aug 1944), the NARA deck-log coverage start (14 Aug 1944), and shipscribe (14 Aug 44); carried here as the minority date and logged as a gap. 'Disposed of in 1946' is imprecise vs. shipscribe's decomm 12 Sep 46 / struck 8 Oct 46 / MC disposal 19 Mar 47. Ribbon-only display is evidence of award eligibility, not a documented operating area. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-74-atr74-03
-
[4]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull (Fulton vertical triple-expansion engine; two B. & W. 'D' boilers, 260 psi sat.; 1,600 shp, single screw) + ATR-1 class wooden-hull design notes (shipscribe class page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 ATR machinery row (ATR-74) + class block; shipscribe ATR-1 class notes (wood-hull program rationale)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull carried a low-pressure saturated-steam plant (two B&W 'D'-type boilers at 260 psi feeding a vertical triple-expansion engine) built in 1943-44 at the peak of WWII asbestos usage - the machinery configuration for which boiler casings and lagging, steam-line insulation, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, and generator insulation of the period were commonly asbestos-containing. The ATR-1 class's wooden hull reduces (but does not remove) insulation scope relative to a steel auxiliary - combustible hulls still required machinery-space insulation and fire protection around the boiler room. Disturbance-phase pathways for this hull are limited: wartime operation Aug 1944 - Sep 1946, mercantile service as FOUNDATION FRANCES 1947/48-1962, and breaking in Canada 1962.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1962
- Population
- Camden yard construction trades (1943-44); wartime engine-room crew; mercantile engine-room crews (1947-62); Canadian breakers (1962)
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, material schedule, or abatement record naming ATR-74 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. Wood hull does not eliminate machinery insulation; it also does not prove it.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-74-atr74-04
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[5]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
- 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 emergency construction program under which this wooden rescue tug was built at a small non-mainline yard.
- 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)
- 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.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-74-atr74-05
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[6]Library of Virginia, World War II Separation Notices: Navy (NAVPERS-553 forms), crowdsourced transcription at FromThePage - records for F1c Freddie Ray Childress (work 1142095_001_129_001) and F1c William Ashley Culpepper (work 1142422_002_153_001) [other_primary]
- Locator
- FromThePage works 1142095_001_129_001 (Childress) and 1142422_002_153_001 (Culpepper), 'Service Vessels and Stations' fields
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Two Virginia WWII Navy separation notices list 'USS ATR-74' among service vessels and stations: Childress (F1c; stations incl. NTS Bainbridge, NAS Whidbey Island, USS Richmond, USS ATR-74; decorations American Area, Victory WWII, Asiatic-Pacific Area & 1 star - ribbon set reflects his whole service, not this hull alone) and Culpepper (F1c; stations incl. USS LST-171, USS Amycus, USS Harry T. Allen, USS Phobos, USS ATR-74). Confirms the hull carried wartime enlisted crew consistent with the authorized complement of 52.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Wartime enlisted crew (firemen/engine-room ratings among them)
- Limitations
- Crew-service documentation only - establishes named sailors served aboard this hull; contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information and establishes no exposure. Transcriptions are volunteer-indexed; a sailor's aggregated ribbon set (e.g., Childress's Asiatic-Pacific star) cannot be attributed to service aboard this vessel specifically.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-74-atr74-06
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[7]CourtListener API v4 sweep (authenticated, fleet-paced): exact-phrase hull and name queries for this vessel [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-atr-74-atr74-06 through sl-uss-atr-74-atr74-09
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located naming this hull. 'USS ATR-74' returned zero opinions and zero dockets; 'ATR-74' returned zero opinions and one docket hit - Cole v. NIBCO, Inc. (D.N.J. 3:13-cv-07871, fraud nature-of-suit), where the string appears inside exhibit text, not as a vessel reference - name collision; 'ATR 74' dockets surfaced the same Cole v. NIBCO collision; 'Foundation Frances' returned unrelated party names (Roger Baldwin Foundation/ACLU references; Fallbrook Public Utility District, Boston Chicken, and Madoff SIPA dockets) - name collisions, not the mercantile hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- A name-match absence on CourtListener does not prove litigation never occurred - small-hull asbestos-era claims were often pleaded against operators/manufacturers or bundled in MDL-875 without hull names. Sweep coverage is near-complete: one residual query ('ATR 74' opinions) remained under fleet-wide pacing at session end; the more precise quoted-hull queries (exact 'ATR-74' and 'USS ATR-74') both completed with zero qualifying results. See search_ledger for per-query disposition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-74-atr74-07
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[8]Batch-3003 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS live page; NavSource 09/40/40074; shipscribe ATR-1 class page; BuShips SDB 1945 v3 (shipscribe scan); NARA Special List 44; Library of Virginia separation notices; HyperWar wartime index; uboat.net Allied Warships; shipyards.json yard list; CourtListener API [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-atr-74-atr74-01 through sl-uss-atr-74-atr74-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS ATR-74 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No DANFS entry exists for the hull (NavSource states this outright; live NHHC URL 404s). Ship was scrapped in Canada in 1962 - predating modern ACM survey regimes - so no present-day hull documentation exists or is expected.
- 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 steam auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing machinery materials, and the wooden-hull program does not remove that scope. 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-74-atr74-08
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[9]National Archives, Special List #44 (finding aid for U.S. Navy deck logs), ship-number index - ATR-74 entry [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, ship-number index entry 'ATR-74 ... 8/14/1944 - 6/30/1945'; NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 24 / RG 19 / RG 178
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List #44 lists deck logs held for ATR-74 covering 14 Aug 1944 - 30 Jun 1945 (WWII deck-log series, RG 24, NARA College Park). The coverage start matches the official commissioning date, independently corroborating 14 Aug 1944. Further leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): post-June-1945 deck logs through the 12 Sep 1946 decommissioning sit in later deck-log series (not confirmed in SL44); BuShips contract and specification records for the wooden ATR program (RG 19); Maritime Commission sale/disposal file for the 19 Mar 1947 delivery to Luzon Stevedoring (RG 178) - the disposal-era file is the most promising materials-phase lead.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1947 records
- Limitations
- Finding-aid listing only - confirms logs exist for the stated date range; the logs themselves were not retrieved or read and their content is unknown. Post-June-1945 coverage is inferred from the series structure, not confirmed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-74-atr74-09
-
[10]HyperWar/ibiblio transcription, 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 - AT (Tugs)' index: ATR rescue-tug class block and ATR-74 row [other_primary]
- Locator
- ships-at.html, 'ATR -- Rescue Tugs' class block and roster row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Wartime registry listing for the hull: ATR-74 appears in the rescue-tug (ATR) roster with generic service window '1943-45'; class block describes 'wooden-hulled Rescue Tugs, built to patrol convoy lanes' - the documented class mission (coastal/convoy-lane salvage and towing).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Limitations
- Transcription of the official 1940-45 ship list - confirms hull existence and class mission only; the '1943-45' window predates actual commissioning (Aug 1944) and is generic to the roster, not a service record. Class block shows complement 35, conflicting with BuShips/NavSource 52 - logged as a gap. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-atr-74-atr74-10