USS Atr-87 (ATR-87)

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]research packet dt-packet.md (1 sources cited) [museum_official]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED. — real identity: NONE — never named; served as USS ATR-87.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-atr-87-atr87-pkt-dt-packet-md

2. [2]Bureau of Ships, 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945' (NAVSHIPS 250-012, Vol. III), Rescue Tugs (ATR) class table pp. 414-415 and per-hull machinery/construction tables pp. 438-439 (scan hosted by shipscribe.com/pubs/SDB1945v3.pdf) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3.pdf pp. 414-415 (class table) and pp. 438-439 (machinery row 74 'ATR87 Prescott Co., vert., 3-exp. ... F.W. "D"'; construction row 'Kruse & Banks S.B. Co., Inc., North Bend ... 26 Feb 44 ... 20 Sept 44 ... 31 Oct 44')

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official BuShips register entry: 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945' (NAVSHIPS 250-012, Vol. III, auxiliaries volume) construction table lists ATR-87 built by Kruse & Banks S.B. Co., Inc., North Bend, with keel 26 Feb 44, launch 20 Sep 44, and commissioning 31 Oct 44. The machinery table hull row (no. 74) lists a Prescott Co. vertical triple-expansion engine with Foster Wheeler 'D'-type boilers. The class row for group ATR 50-89 gives: wood hull; 165'5" oa x 155'0" wl x 33'4" beam; 12.2 kt trial speed; ~1,312 t trial displacement; 1,600 shp, one screw, 2 boilers at 260 psi saturated; armament one 3"/50 cal DP plus two 20mm; accommodations 5 officers, 47 enlisted; 60 kW turbo ship's-service generators at 120 V DC; fuel capacity 1,620 bbl; largest boom 4 t; limiting draft 15'10" (average maximum load for class).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-1945

   Population

   Kruse & Banks construction trades (North Bend OR, 1943-44); wartime crew (design complement 52)

   Limitations

   Authoritative wartime BuShips register naming this hull - strongest identity/milestones source located. Figures for the ATR 50-89 group are class-level register data applied to an enumerated group containing this hull; per-hull machinery/engine-builder line is ship-specific. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information - supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-atr-87-01

3. [3]HyperWar/ibiblio 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' compilation - AT (tugs) index, ATR (Rescue Tugs) block [other_primary]

   Locator

   ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-at.html, ATR index row for ATR-87 and class header

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   HyperWar/ibiblio 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' ATR index lists 'ATR-87 | 1943-45' among the rescue tugs and describes the type as 'Wooden-hulled Rescue Tugs, built to patrol convoy lanes' with class specs of 852 t displacement, 165'6" length, 33'4" beam, 15'6" draft, 12 knots.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-1945

   Limitations

   Register-style compilation of official wartime hull data - corroborates hull identity, type, class specs, and the wooden-hull design. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-atr-87-02

4. [4]Naval History and Heritage Command, 'Operation Crossroads: Composition of Joint Task Force One' (online reading room; live URL returns 404 as of 2026-09-26 - cited via Internet Archive Wayback capture 2020-12-15) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Task Group 1.2 section, 'Task Unit 1.2.7 (Salvage Unit)' - row 'ATR-87 *'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC 'Operation Crossroads: Composition of Joint Task Force One' lists ATR-87 in Task Unit 1.2.7 (Salvage Unit), Task Group 1.2 (Target Vessel Group), flagged with an asterisk as a non-target support ship; TG 1.2's missions included salvage and rescue assistance to damaged target vessels, evacuation of ships at test time, and radsafe reconnaissance support. Sister salvage unit members listed alongside include ATR-40, ATA-180, ATA-185, ATA-192, and the ARS/ASR/ARSD salvage vessels.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1946

   Population

   ATR-87 crew during Crossroads (69 per DNA-TR-82-05-V3)

   Limitations

   Official NHHC organizational listing naming this hull and its task unit - confirms participation and role, not a deck-log-level account. Contains no asbestos or materials information. Live NHHC page 404s this session; the Wayback capture of the official page is cited.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-atr-87-03

5. [5]NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953), Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, Part IV, Section 2, sub-section 16 (Area Campaign Medals ship tables) and sub-section 18 (Occupation/China Service ships table) - verbatim transcription via HyperWar/ibiblio [other_primary]

   Locator

   Awards-IV-16.html ship-credit table row 'ATR 87: 20 Apr 45 - 28 Jun 45 | P34-1'; Awards-IV-17.html row 'ATR 87 | 12-23 Oct 45 | A | 25 Oct 45 - 5 Jan 46'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953) - the Secretary of the Navy's controlling campaign/service credit list - credits ATR-87 with engagement P34-1 'Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto,' 20 Apr 45 - 28 Jun 45 (Asiatic-Pacific campaign; the basis for one WWII battle star); Navy Occupation Service Medal credit with Asia clasp 12-23 Oct 45; and China Service Medal (extended) 25 Oct 45 - 5 Jan 46.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1945-1946

   Population

   wartime crew aboard during credited periods

   Limitations

   Official awards-manual campaign credit for this specific hull - authoritative for medal entitlement and campaign dates. Establishes presence in the Okinawa operating area, not any specific action or exposure. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-atr-87-04

6. [6]Science Applications, Inc., for Defense Nuclear Agency, DNA-TR-82-05-V3, 'Analysis of Radiation Exposure for Naval Units of Operation Crossroads, Volume III (Appendix B): Support Ships,' 3 Mar 1982 - USS ATR-87 information summary, path report, and radiation report (OSTI full-text purl 6354991) [other_primary]

   Locator

   DNA-TR-82-05-V3 Vol. III, Appendix B-2, USS ATR-87 section (report pp. 75-79); TOC 'USS ATR-87'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Defense Nuclear Agency dose-reconstruction report (NTPR program) for Operation Crossroads support ships gives a ship-specific section for USS ATR-87: crew size 69; group SALVAGE; mission 'salvaging the damaged target vessels after the tests, performing emergency repairs, and fighting fires.' The reconstructed path report (built from the ship's deck log) shows ATR-87 observing Shot Able from ~24 miles east on 1 Jul 1946, entering Bikini lagoon that day, arriving at USS Pennsylvania to fight fire and at USS Cortland to fight fire, standing by Haven, mooring alongside Nevada, moored to Salt Lake City and alongside Nagato, conducting washdowns of the beached USS Hughes plus USS Dentuda and USS Pensacola after Shot Baker, and towing LCT-1114, APL-27 (departing for Kwajalein), LCT-815, and LCT-1112 movements. Total calculated dose received while at Bikini: 0.485 rem; departed Bikini 1 Sep 1946 (Baker +38); ship contamination factor at departure: 4.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1946

   Population

   ATR-87 crew of 69 at Crossroads

   Limitations

   Official government technical report with a ship-specific section built from this hull's deck log - the strongest operational record located. Content is radiological (film-badge dose reconstruction for NTPR veteran dose assessment), NOT asbestos documentation; it establishes Crossroads presence, duties, and movements only. OCR of the scanned PDF is imperfect (e.g., 'ATR-67'/'ATR-B7' garbles in the path-report header area); figures used here come from the section's printed summary lines. A date reading '24 August 1945' in the APL-27 excerpt is an OCR/context artifact of the 1946 sequence.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-atr-87-05

7. [7]W. A. Shurcliff, 'Bombs at Bikini: The Official Report of Operation Crossroads' (1947), Appendix 8 Support Vessels, section (h) Salvage Unit - verbatim reproduction via atomicarchive.com [other_primary]

   Locator

   Appendix 8, '(h) Salvage Unit (Task Unit 1.2.7, commanded by Captain B. E. Manseau)' - row 'ATR-87 | Lt. R. E. Ward'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The official report of Operation Crossroads ('Bombs at Bikini: The Official Report of Operation Crossroads,' Wm. A. Shurcliff, 1947), Appendix 8 'Support Vessels,' lists ATR-87 under the Salvage Unit (Task Unit 1.2.7, commanded by Captain B. E. Manseau) and names her commanding officer at Bikini: LT. R. E. Ward.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1946

   Population

   ATR-87 crew under LT. R. E. Ward

   Limitations

   Mirror reproduction of the official 1947 JTF-1 report - ship-specific listing including the on-scene CO name. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-atr-87-06

8. [8]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts), 'USS ATR-1 Class' register compilation (shipscribe.com/usnaux/ATR/ATR01.html) - construction table row 87, disposition table row 87, ship note 87, class notes [other_primary]

   Locator

   ATR01.html construction table (ATR-87 row), disposition table (ATR-87 row: '20 Dec 46 | 7 Feb 47 | 2 Jul 48 | MC/D | 18 May 48'), ship note 87

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts) ATR-1-class register compilation - construction row: ordered 27 Feb 43, builder Kruse & Banks, keel 26 Feb 44, launch 20 Sep 44, commissioned 31 Oct 44 (identical to the NAVSHIPS 250-012 register). Disposition row: decommissioned 20 Dec 46; struck 7 Feb 47; disposal/MC custody 2 Jul 48; fate code 'MC/D' (Maritime Commission disposal); MA sale awarded 18 May 48. Ship note: 'Sold (awarded) by MC to Robert O. Fleming & Co., Seattle, Wash., delivered 5 Jul 48.' Class notes document the wooden-hull design decision (built by small shipbuilders outside the main Navy program, triple-expansion steam machinery from small local machine shops; design attributed to the John G. Alden firm per one source) and that the 80 wooden 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

   1943-1948

   Population

   Kruse & Banks construction workforce; post-Navy merchant purchasers

   Limitations

   Secondary register compilation transcribing official BuShips/MC data - construction values verified identical to the official NAVSHIPS 250-012 scan; the MC disposal chain (struck 7 Feb 47, custody 2 Jul 48, MA sale 18 May 48, delivery to Robert O. Fleming & Co. 5 Jul 48) resolves NavSource's 'struck date unknown / fate unknown' and is the sole source for the buyer name. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-atr-87-07

9. [9]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - USS ATR-87 (navsource.net/archives/09/40/40087.htm, page maintained by Gary P. Priolo, last updated 15 Mar 2024) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 09/40/40087 - chronology block, ribbon block, specifications block, photo table (NH 83874), 'no DANFS' note

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive page for USS ATR-87: ribbon set (China Service Medal extended; American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 1 star; WWII Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia clasp); Asiatic-Pacific assignment with the Okinawa Gunto campaign row '20 April to 28 June 1945'; occupation 12-23 Oct 1945 and China service 25 Oct 1945 - 5 Jan 1946; JTF-1 / TU 1.2.7 assignment at Operation Crossroads; 'decommissioned in 1946'; 'transferred to the Maritime Commission in 1947 for disposal'; one battle star; call sign NKJY; NHHC photo NH 83874 (underway, date/location unknown). Spec block: 852 t lt / 1,315 t fl; 165'6" x 33'4" x 15'6"; 12 kts; complement 5 officers + 47 enlisted; 1x3"/50 DP + 2x20mm; 'one Preston Co. vertical triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine, two Foster Wheeler "D"-type boilers 200psi sat'; page notes 'no DANFS history available for USS ATR-87.'

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-1948

   Population

   wartime and Crossroads-era crew

   Limitations

   Volunteer-maintained secondary compilation, not an official record - campaign/ribbon data corroborated against NAVPERS 15,790 and the Crossroads assignment against NHHC's JTF-1 page where they overlap. Its build dates for this hull are wrong (they match sister ATR-88's official dates exactly - see correction row); its 'Preston Co.' engine maker conflicts with the official register's 'Prescott Co.'; its 200 psi conflicts with the official 260 psi; and its 'struck date unknown / fate unknown' is superseded by shipscribe's documented MC chain. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-atr-87-08

10. [10]NAVSHIPS 250-012 construction/machinery tables + shipscribe ATR-1 table (controlling) vs NavSource ATR-87 page (conflicting prints); NARA SL-44 index corroboration (ATR-87 run opens 10/31/1944) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Same citations as ev-01, ev-07, ev-08, ev-11

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies documented, with resolution where the register is controlling: (a) Build dates - NavSource prints laid down 10 Jul 43, launched 4 Mar 44, commissioned 8 Aug 44 for ATR-87; NAVSHIPS 250-012 and shipscribe both print keel 26 Feb 44, launch 20 Sep 44, commissioned 31 Oct 44. NavSource's dates are identical to ATR-88's official dates (Burger Boat: keel 10 Jul 43, launch 4 Mar 44, commissioned 8 Aug 44) - a copy-over error between sister pages; NARA SL-44's deck-log index corroborates the official version (ATR-87 log run opens 10/31/1944; ATR-88's opens 8/8/1944). (b) Engine builder - official machinery table prints 'Prescott Co., vert., 3-exp.'; NavSource prints 'Preston Co.' - likely transcription error; Prescott Co. carried as controlling. (c) Boiler pressure - official 260 psi sat vs NavSource 200 psi. (d) Strike date and fate - NavSource 'struck date unknown / fate unknown' vs shipscribe's documented struck 7 Feb 47, MC custody 2 Jul 48, MA sale 18 May 48, delivery to Robert O. Fleming & Co. 5 Jul 48; the documented chain is adopted. (e) Ordered date 27 Feb 43 rests on shipscribe's compilation of the contract award (consistent with the NAVSHIPS build contract listing) - carried, flagged as compilation data.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1943-1948

    Limitations

    Documents and resolves a multi-source conflict so a future pass does not silently adopt NavSource's boilerplate row - the official register plus the NARA log index control the milestone dates. Record fields carry the official dates; NavSource's prints are retained here for auditability. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-atr-87-09

11. [11]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

    Era-level inference only: peer-reviewed 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 wooden-hulled steam rescue tug was built. Unlike diesel sisters of other auxiliary types, this hull carried a full steam plant (two Foster Wheeler 'D'-type boilers at 260 psi, Prescott Co. triple-expansion engine, steam auxiliaries): period steam systems commonly used asbestos-containing boiler insulation, steam-line lagging, valve and flange gaskets, packing, and insulation felts, and towing/winching brake linings of the era commonly contained asbestos. The wooden hull bounds the plausible scope to machinery-space and piping applications rather than structural fireproofing.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1943-1948

    Population

    Kruse & Banks construction trades (North Bend OR, 1943-44); wartime crew (design complement 52; 69 at Crossroads); machinery-space watchstanders

    Limitations

    Program/era-level scholarship only - does not name this vessel or the ATR-1 class and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. No class- or design-specific material documentation for ATR tugs was located. The applications named are general era practice for steam vessels, not documented aboard this hull. The wooden hull reduces but does not eliminate plausible scope.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-atr-87-10

12. [12]NARA, Special List #44 by ship number (sl-44-ship-number.pdf, ATR block, line 'ATR-87 10/31/1944 6/30/1945'); NARA 'Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives' guidance page; NARA 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' list [other_primary]

    Locator

    SL-44 ship-number list, ATR block, 'ATR-87 10/31/1944 6/30/1945' (verified by direct PDF text extraction); archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online (no ATR hulls digitized)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    NARA Special List #44 (List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947, by ship number) indexes one deck-log run for this hull: 'ATR-87 10/31/1944 - 6/30/1945' - held in Record Group 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel), Entry 118, at the National Archives at College Park. The run's opening date matches the official commissioning date (31 Oct 1944), independently corroborating it against NavSource's conflicting print. This hull does not appear on NARA's published list of digitized deck logs in the National Archives Catalog (no ATR-series hull is on that list), so the run is retrievable only via Archives II textual reference. Coverage limitation: nothing is indexed for July 1945 onward - yet the DNA-TR-82-05-V3 path report demonstrates the July-September 1946 deck log (Okinawa aftermath through Operation Crossroads) exists and was used for dose reconstruction; post-June-1945 runs are simply not in the SL-44 index for this hull.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1944-1946 records

    Limitations

    Verifies that NARA indexes a log run for this specific hull and its date coverage - not the logs' content, which is unsurveyed (no box-level retrieval performed; no spend authorized). The indexed run ends 6/30/1945, missing the postwar, Crossroads, and decommissioning windows - the later logs demonstrably exist (DNA used them) but their RG/entry coverage is unmapped here. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-atr-87-11

13. [13]Batch-3017 search ledger (this record): NAVSHIPS 250-012; shipscribe ATR-1 compilation; NavSource; HyperWar ships index + NAVPERS 15,790; NHHC JTF-1 page (Wayback); DNA-TR-82-05-V3 (OSTI); Bombs at Bikini Appendix 8; NARA SL-44 + digitized-log list; CourtListener API v4 (opinion + docket); general web litigation search; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; master-hull-list.json [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-atr-87-01 through sl-uss-atr-87-15

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed case naming USS ATR-87 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Litigation search, authenticated CourtListener API v4 (2026-09-26): opinion search '"ATR-87"' returned zero hits; docket/RECAP search '"ATR-87"' returned two hits, both classified as name collisions - LaSalle Business Credit LLC v. Gitto (D. Mass. 04-cv-12227, a RICO docket where the token appears inside a filing) and Muir v. DHS (D.C. Cir. 22-1318) - neither names the vessel nor involves asbestos. A fallback general web litigation search surfaced only unrelated 'ATR' collisions (Australian Tax Reports citations) and ship-history pages. Additional negatives: no DANFS entry exists for this unnamed hull (NavSource confirms none; DANFS covers named vessels); no NVR ship-detail record (hull stricken 1947, predating the register's online coverage); MARAD ShipHistory search returned only an application error to automated queries this session.

    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-driven hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing machinery and piping insulation. MARAD coverage is a coverage limitation (search errored), not a negative. 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-87-12