USS Bagaduce (ATA-194)

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

1. [1]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Bagaduce II (ATA-194)' (Francis, Timothy L., 2005-09-25); live NHHC page returns 404 - text verified via Wayback Machine capture 2025-02-21 [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Bagaduce II (ATA-194)' full entry; canonical NHHC URL https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/bagaduce-ii.html (live 404, 2026-09-26)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS (NHHC): 'The auxiliary ocean tug ATA-194 was laid down on 7 November 1944 at Orange, Texas, by the Levingston Ship Building Co.; launched 4 December 1944; and commissioned at Orange on 14 February 1945, Lt. (j.g.) William J. Bryan in command.' Pacific towing via Panama Canal and Pearl Harbor (arrived 29 April 1945) to Eniwetok, Guam, Saipan, Leyte (9 July 1945); arrived Buckner Bay, Okinawa, 14 October 1945 - one day before a typhoon devastated the anchorage - and spent the following month retracting two LCIs from the beach and a YMS from a reef; Philippine Sea Frontier into 1946; supported Operation Crossroads preparations spring 1946; Seattle 15 June 1946; 17th Naval District Alaskan duty (Kodiak, Cold Bay, Adak, Anchorage, Attu, Dutch Harbor) for six years with a Puget Sound overhaul summer 1947; named Bagaduce 15 July 1948; decommissioned 17 July 1953; transferred to MSTS 31 August 1953; five years northern-Pacific towing out of Kodiak; transferred to MARAD for NDRF lay-up at Olympia, WA, 25 August 1958 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same day; transferred to USCG 15 April 1959, reclassified WATA-194, renamed Modoc, commissioned 20 April 1959; reclassified WMEC-194 in 1968; decommissioned 31 May 1979; sold 1980 to Marine Power & Equipment of Seattle, then acquired by Peter Benneson and renamed Modoc Pearl. DANFS spec block: displacement 835; length 143'0"; beam 33'10"; draft 13'2"; speed 13 knots; complement 45; armament 1 3-inch, 2 20mm; class ATA-121. Name: a peninsula in Hancock County, Maine; second ship of the name.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1980

   Population

   Navy crew (wartime Pacific towing and salvage operations; Alaska duty); MSTS civilian crews 1953-1958

   Limitations

   Authoritative for construction, service timeline, and Navy-era characteristics. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation statement; supports no asbestos claim. Naming date in this narrative (15 July 1948) differs from the DANFS name-entry stub ('name assigned 10 July 1948') and NavSource (16 July 1948) - see correction row.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bagaduce-ata194-01

2. [2]DANFS 'Bagaduce II (ATA-194)' vs NavSource 09/38/38194 header/CO table vs USCG Historian's Office 'Modoc, 1959' cutter history (uscg.mil webcutters PDF, Wayback capture 2012-10-10) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS narrative and spec block; NavSource ship page header block and Commanding Officers table; USCG 'Modoc, 1959' PDF pp.1-2 (dates block and History section)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Publication-level date discrepancies resolved against DANFS: (a) the NavSource header block prints 'Launched, 4 December 1943' and 'Commissioned USS ATA-194, 14 February 1944' - internally impossible given the 7 November 1944 keel it also prints, and contradicted by NavSource's own commanding-officer table (LTjg Bryan's tenure begins 14 February 1945); (b) the official USCG Historian's Office cutter history for Modoc carries the reclassification as 15 May 1943, launch 4 December 1943, commission '15 February 1944,' MSTS transfer 'in 1946,' naming '16 December 1948,' and decommission 'sometime in 1952' - each superseded by DANFS (reclassify 15 May 1944, launch 4 December 1944, commission 14 February 1945, MSTS 31 August 1953, decommission 17 July 1953); (c) naming date is stated three ways - DANFS name-entry 'assigned 10 July 1948,' DANFS narrative 'named Bagaduce on 15 July 1948,' NavSource '16 July 1948' - the record adopts 15 July per the DANFS ship narrative.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1959

   Limitations

   Resolves chronology conflicts in favor of DANFS. A secondary timeline (Roberts compilation, referenced in the batch brief) also gives the commission year 1945 - consistent with DANFS. Discrepancies concern publication typographical errors only; no effect on hull identity. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bagaduce-ata194-02

3. [3]NavSource Online, 'USCGC Modoc (WMEC-194) ex-USNS Bagaduce (T-ATA-194) ex-USS Bagaduce (ATA-194) ex-USS ATA-194,' page 09/38/38194 (Gary P. Priolo, auxiliaries archive; page updated 2025-02-21) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource ship page: header chronology, Specifications block, Commanding Officers table, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive page 09/38/38194: Sotoyomo-class auxiliary fleet tug, planned as rescue tug ATR-121, reclassified ATA-194 15 May 1944; class specification lists complement of 5 officers/40 enlisted, two GM 12-278A diesel-electric engines, single propeller 1,200 shp, one 3"/50 and two 20mm mounts; CO list shows LTjg William J. Bryan in command 14 February 1945 - 23 February 1946 (consistent with DANFS commission date); Navy Occupation service in the Far East 14 October 1945 - 28 January 1946; photo record includes USNS Bagaduce approaching Midway Island 16 November 1956 towing lighters YCV-17 and YCV-12; disposition chain through Earthrace Conservation purchase 2019 as M/Y Modoc.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-2019

   Limitations

   Volunteer-maintained archive used as a corroborating locator, not a controlling source - its header launch/commission dates are documented typographical errors (see correction row) while its CO table and photo captions corroborate DANFS. Specification block propulsion figure (1,200 shp) conflicts with USCG/MARAD 1,500 shp. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bagaduce-ata194-03

4. [4]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'Modoc, 1959' cutter history (uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Modoc_1959.pdf), citing the Cutter History File, USCG HQ; retrieved via Wayback Machine capture 2012-10-10 (live history.uscg.mil returns 403 to automated fetch) [other_primary]

   Locator

   USCG 'Modoc, 1959' PDF pp.1-5 (specs block, History narrative, Awards, Sources)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   USCG Historian's Office official cutter history 'Modoc, 1959' (ATA/WMEC-194; ATR-121; ex-Bagaduce): commissioned USCGC Modoc 20 April 1959 under LT Clarence J. Pare Jr.; homeport Coos Bay, Oregon for its entire CG career, replacing the 125-foot cutter Bonham; missions of coastal/offshore search and rescue, oceanography, and fisheries law enforcement from the California-Oregon border to Canada and the Gulf of Alaska; boom and heavy towing gear removed August 1963; reclassified WMEC-194 in 1968 (with sister Comanche the smallest cutters so designated); decommissioned 31 May 1979 at Coast Guard Base Seattle and placed in inactive/reserve status; later sold; as of 2004 renamed Modoc Pearl, a bed-and-breakfast at Gig Harbor, WA. Documented CG-era particulars: displacement 754 tons; length 143'; beam 33'10"; draft 13'3"; machinery '2 electric motors driven by 2 generators driven by 2 General Motors diesels; 1,500 BHP; single propeller'; complement 47. Awards: Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation; Coast Guard Battle Efficiency 'E' Ribbon; WWII Victory, American Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign, Navy Occupation, National Defense Service ribbons.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1959-2004

   Population

   USCG crews 1959-1979 (CG-era complement 47; a documented 1970 law-enforcement patrol carried 5 officers and 34 enlisted)

   Limitations

   Official USCG source, authoritative for the Coast Guard era; its Navy-era dates carry documented typographical errors superseded by DANFS (see correction row), and its complement figure (47) describes CG-era manning. Contains no asbestos or materials statement; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bagaduce-ata194-04

5. [5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - BAGADUCE (ATA-194) Detail 390 and USCGS MODOC (WMEC-194) Detail 5726, incl. digitized vessel status cards (Form MC-7146a; Form MA-363; Form MA-20 PD-X-1033) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 390 and 5726 milestone tables; status card scans https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/390_728AF.jpg (MA-363), card b0e592a6 (MC-7146a), card d38671a7 (MA-20 sale record PD-X-1033)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory records and digitized status cards: (a) Detail 390 'BAGADUCE (ATA-194)' - year built 1945, Levingston Shipbuilding, 143.0 ft x 33.8 ft ATA auxiliary ocean tug; custody milestones entry/acquisition 1958-08-25 and disposition/withdrawal 1959-03-04 at the Olympia, WA reserve fleet; Form MC-7146a vessel status card records 'Reserve Fleet (Permanent Transfer)' entry Olympia 8-25-58 and Coast Guard custody 3-4-59 with note 'Renamed "MODOC" (WATA-194) (As per Coast Guard ltr of Mar. 20, 1959)'; (b) Form MA-363 reserve-fleet particulars card - 'Navy Design Ocean Tug Diesel,' builder 'Levington SB' Orange TX, built 1945, 'G.M.Diesel elec.12-278-A,' 1,500 shaft horsepower, trial displacement 835 tons, passengers/complement '5 Off. 40 Enlisted,' withdrawal reason 'Temporary Loan Coast Guard' with annotation 'Permanent Transfer to Coast Guard May 1969 ... Coast Guard given authority to remove towing machine and related equipment ... made available to the U.S. Navy'; (c) Detail 5726 'USCGS MODOC (WMEC-194)' Form MA-20 Record of Ship Sales - ex-CGC Modoc awarded to Marine Power & Equipment Co., Inc., Seattle, 10-7-80 for $75,000 under contract MA-9869, advertised under PD-X-1033 (8-27-80) and awarded under sale condition (1) NTU (non-transportation use) rather than condition (2) 'SCRAP HULL-US.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1958-1980

   Population

   NDRF Olympia lay-up and later commercial buyers/conversion workforce (context)

   Limitations

   Authoritative custody and sale records. The web record's 'Fate: Sold - Scrap' label on Detail 390 is contradicted by its own digitized MA-20 card: the 1980 award was under condition (1) NTU, not the scrap condition - and the hull demonstrably survives. Status-card handwriting partially legible. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bagaduce-ata194-05

6. [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) [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 naval auxiliary program under which this 1944-45 Sotoyomo-class diesel-electric tug was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant-type hulls.

   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 and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. As a diesel-electric tug with no boilers, this hull lacks the steam-lagging pathway prominent on larger combatants; any asbestos aboard would follow the non-steam auxiliary pattern (exhaust insulation, gaskets, packing, electrical and accommodation insulation, brake linings) - inference only.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bagaduce-ata194-06

7. [7]Euronews, 'Meet the man using dogs and drones to save wildlife in Costa Rica' (2021-08-01); corroborated by Earthrace Conservation vessel page (earthrace.net/assets/modoc) and NavSource disposition line [reputable_press]

   Locator

   Euronews feature (Aug 2021) - vessel identity, 2019 purchase, Golfito Bay since January 2020; earthrace.net assets/modoc page

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The hull remains extant and in service: Earthrace Conservation (Pete Bethune) purchased the former Modoc in 2019 as the organization's operations base, refitted her in Ensenada, Mexico (including a UAV flight deck), and moved her in January 2020 to Golfito Bay, Costa Rica, where she supports Costa Rican government (SINAC/MINAE) national-park and fisheries patrols; reported aboard in August 2021 as a '43.2-metre, 1944 US Navy ship.' Earthrace lists the vessel as its 45m 'Base of Operations' with a crew complement of 25.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   2019-2021

   Population

   Earthrace crews, Costa Rican rangers embarked (contemporary)

   Limitations

   Establishes the hull is extant and operating as a converted conservation vessel - relevant because present-day ACM status aboard is undocumented. Contains no asbestos information; does not establish whether original-era materials survive the 1990 passenger-conversion rebuild and 2019 refit, nor any exposure condition aboard.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bagaduce-ata194-07

8. [8]Batch-2868 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (Wayback capture); USCG Historian 'Modoc, 1959'; MARAD ShipHistory 390/5726 + status cards; NavSource 09/38/38194; Earthrace/Euronews disposition coverage; CourtListener name/hull searches [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-bagaduce-ata194-01 through -08

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, condition survey, or docketed case naming this hull under any of its designations (ATR-121, ATA-194, Bagaduce, T-ATA-194, WATA-194, WMEC-194, Modoc, Modoc Pearl, M/Y Modoc) was found in the public sources searched - DANFS, the USCG Historian cutter file, MARAD custody/sale records, and NavSource contain no asbestos statement (see search_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 1945 naval auxiliary surviving intact is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials, though the diesel-electric plant removes the steam-lagging pathway and two commercial rebuilds (c.1990 Modoc Pearl conversion; 2019 Earthrace refit) may have disturbed or removed original materials. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bagaduce-ata194-08

9. [9]CourtListener API v4 search, query '"Bagaduce"' type=o, 5 results, all classified name collision (Maine geography/company), no qualifying asbestos or vessel-related result [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener search results: FDIC v. Reiner (144 F.R.D. 599); In re Selected Somersworth Bank Cases; Brophy v. Town of Castine; State v. Shellhammer; State v. Dignoti (682 A.2d 666)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener v4 opinion search '"Bagaduce"' returned 5 results, all name collisions unrelated to the vessel: Bagaduce Realty, Inc. (a Maine corporation) appears as a party in FDIC v. Reiner and In re Selected Somersworth Bank Cases (Maine receivership litigation); Brophy v. Town of Castine, State v. Shellhammer, and State v. Dignoti reference the Bagaduce River/peninsula geography of Hancock County, Maine - the ship's namesake region. No result is asbestos litigation, and none names or references the vessel. Hull-number and docket-level searches are logged in the search ledger.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   2026-09-26

   Limitations

   Litigation sweep covers published opinions indexed in CourtListener only; it does not reach trial-level filings, MDL-875 complaint schedules, or state dockets that may list the vessel without a published opinion. A defendant's absence from this index does not establish that no claim was ever pleaded naming the hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bagaduce-ata194-09

10. [10]NARA record-group mapping (RG 24 deck logs; RG 181 naval shipyard records, Seattle facility); USCG Historian's Office Cutter History File (cited as the official cutter history's source) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 24 (deck logs) and RG 181 (Puget Sound NSY records, NARA Seattle); USCG 'Modoc, 1959' PDF Sources section ('Cutter History File. USCG Historian's Office, USCG HQ, Washington, D.C.')

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs for ATA-194/USS Bagaduce 1945-1953 and USNS-period logs (College Park); USCG Historian's Office Cutter History File for Modoc (WATA/WMEC-194), the underlying source of the official cutter history; Puget Sound Naval Shipyard records for the documented summer-1947 overhaul (NARA Seattle, RG 181); Levingston Shipbuilding contract and build records for hull ATA-194 (builder files not located in public sources).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1944-1979 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-bagaduce-ata194-10