Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet crew-cr-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERDICT: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Chatot. Hull: AT-167, reclassified ATA-167 (15 May 1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-chatot-at167-pkt-crew-cr-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Chatot' entry, Naval Historical Center / NHHC [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Chatot entry (Wayback capture 2012-11-07); live NHHC URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/chatot.html returned 404 on 2026-09-26 - standing NHHC link-rot issue noted in Batch-01
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry (verbatim): 'Chatot (AT-167), formerly Buttercup, was fitted out at Mare Island Navy Yard for service as a coastal tug. She was placed in service on 3 November 1943 and reclassified ATA-167 on 15 May 1944. She operated in the 12th Naval District until 9 February 1945 when she was placed out of service and delivered to the War Shipping Administration. Stricken from the Navy Register on 10 March 1945, she was thereafter transferred to the U.S.S.R.' Name etymology: 'A tribe of Indians of southeastern United States.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, designation changes, service dates, district assignment, and disposal path. Contains no asbestos, materials, or crew information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chatot-at167-01
-
[3]Shipscribe.com USN auxiliaries, 'USS Cahokia (AT-61) Class' page (AT 61-80 incl. AT-166/167) - compiled from BuShips, District Craft Development Board, and Naval Register data by Stephen S. Roberts [other_primary]
- Locator
- AT-167 construction/disposition table rows and AT-167 ship note; class notes paragraph on EFC Design 1035
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Compiled Navy-record data (shipscribe / S. Roberts, USN auxiliaries): EFC Design 1035 tug ex-Buttercup (ID-4212, completed 8 Aug 1919); Navy acquisition 16 Oct 1943 after the District Craft Development Board reported WSA offered the tug at San Francisco; recommended bareboat charter, Navy-manned, for 12th Naval District; 'she retained her original steam machinery, and her only conversion work consisted of the installation of radio equipment'; in service 3 Nov 1943 to 9 Feb 1945; reclassified ATA-167 15 May 1944 and ATO-167 effective 24 Apr 1945; returned to Maritime Commission as Buttercup 9 Feb 1945 and simultaneously transferred to USSR under Lend-Lease; renamed Albatros; foundered in Tatar Strait 31 Aug 1947. Class data: 526 light / 1,035 full load tons; 150.0' oa x 27.5' x 13.75'; 800 hp, 1 screw, triple expansion, 11 kts; keel 6 Mar 1919, launched 21 May 1919.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1919-1947
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of primary Navy/DCDB records - the standard auxiliary-vessel reference for this type; not itself a government publication. Establishes operational and disposal history including minimal conversion scope. Contains no asbestos or materials statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chatot-at167-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, Chatot (ATA-167) page 47167 - hosting NHHC photo 19-N-71209 and Navy Yard Mare Island photo series 741-44 through 744-44 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/47/47167; photo captions dated 31 Jan 1944
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource photo archive entry for Chatot (ATA-167) ex AT-167 reproduces five dated official photographs of the hull off San Francisco on 31 January 1944, shortly after being placed in service: Navy Yard Mare Island photos nos. 741-44, 742-44, 743-44, 744-44 and NHHC photo 19-N-71209. Entry records the build/ownership/service/disposal chain (Buttercup, U.S. No. 218243 as printed; Bethlehem Elizabeth NJ; Ford Motor Co. Great Lakes; Navy purchase; Mare Island conversion; AT-167 in service 1943-11-03; ATA-167 1944-05-15; out of service 1945-02-09; WSA disposal; stricken 1945-03-10; transferred to USSR, 'fate unknown'). Radio call sign NFQN; awards listed: American Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1919-1945
- Limitations
- Photo archive transcribing official captions and DANFS; its printed official number 218243 conflicts with 218244 in shipscribe/NMA/shipbuildinghistory records - see correction row ev-09. 'Fate unknown' is superseded by shipscribe's documented 1947 Tatar Strait loss. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chatot-at167-03
-
[5]University of Detroit Mercy, Fr. Edward J. Dowling, S.J. Marine Historical Collection, vessel record for Buttercup (collectionCode=gls, record_id=321) [museum_official]
- Locator
- Dowling Collection vessel card, record_id=321
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Fr. Edward J. Dowling, S.J. Marine Historical Collection (University of Detroit Mercy University Archives) catalog record for Buttercup: sea-going tug, steel, built 1919 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co., Elizabeth NJ, engine same builder, triple-expansion (pistons 17/25/43 in., stroke 30 in.), 142 ft x 27.7 ft x 14.8 ft, gross 422 / net 234, registry US 218243, hull 2131; owner chain USSB -> Ford Motor Co. -> WSA -> U.S. Navy -> USSR; other names U.S.S. Chatot (ATO.167), Albatros (1945); 'Sold Russian after World War II (May 11, 1949)'; final disposition 'Not reported since 1959, U.S.S.R.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1919-1959
- Limitations
- Period-registry-style archive card; its registry number (218243), engine dimensions, and 1949 Soviet-sale documentation date conflict with other sources - discrepancies logged in ev-09 and gaps. No asbestos or materials content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chatot-at167-04
-
[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
- AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed scholarship documents extensive asbestos use as fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding and repair during the era covering this hull's 1919 construction and 1943-45 naval service; a merchant steam tug of the period carries the era-typical insulation environment (boiler and steam-line lagging, gaskets, machinery packing, brake linings on towing/winching machinery). No design materials specification for EFC Design 1035 was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1919-1945 era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and vessel crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Era/program-level scholarship; does not name this vessel or its design and establishes no asbestos aboard this hull - the inference path is construction era plus steam-plant type only. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chatot-at167-05
-
[7]CourtListener API v4 searches: q=Chatot type=o (2 non-qualifying collisions); q=Chatot type=r (7 non-qualifying); q="ATA-167" type=o (0); q="AT-167" type=o (19,647 non-discriminating hits, none vessel-related in top-ranked); q="Buttercup" tug type=o (3 hits: 1 vessel-related 1925 admiralty libel, 2 non-qualifying) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-chatot-at167-07 through sl-uss-chatot-at167-10 and sl-uss-chatot-at167-13
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep (API v4, authenticated, 2026-09-26): opinion search 'Chatot' returned 2 hits, both Vermont state-court cases (Union School District 45 v. Wright & Morrissey, Inc., 2007 VT 129; Okemo Mountain School, Vt. Super. 2016) - the word appears as a non-vessel reference; both classified name collision / non-qualifying. Docket search 'Chatot' returned 7 hits, all unrelated civil/bankruptcy dockets (surname collisions). Opinion search '"ATA-167"' returned 0. Bare hull string 'AT-167' is non-discriminating (19,647 hits dominated by unrelated citations and docket numbers); no vessel-related hit in top-ranked results. Merchant-name sweep '"Buttercup" tug' returned 3 opinions, of which one - National Oil Transport Co. v. United States, 8 F.2d 281 (E.D. La. 1925) - names this hull in her USSB-era merchant service (classified 'other litigation,' see ev-11); the other two are non-qualifying. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this vessel under any name or designation was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of located litigation does not prove no exposure occurred or that no claim was ever filed - RECAP coverage gaps, settled/non-docketed claims, and misindexed records are not ruled out. Vermont 'Chatot' hits were classified as collisions on case subject matter (school/construction and ski-school matters), not by inspecting every full text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chatot-at167-06
-
[8]Batch-2778 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC (Wayback), shipscribe AT-61 class data, NavSource archive incl. NHHC/Mare Island NY photos, Dowling Collection vessel card, NARA deck-log index, NVR scope note, MARAD ShipHistory, CourtListener sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-chatot-at167-01 through sl-uss-chatot-at167-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement or shipbreaking contract, hazmat disclosure, medical or crew-exposure finding, or docketed asbestos case naming Chatot / Buttercup (this hull) / AT-167 / ATA-167 / ATO-167 was found in the public sources searched. The hull foundered in the Tatar Strait in 1947, so no extant-fabric survey is possible.
- 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 1919 steam tug in 1943-45 naval service is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chatot-at167-07
-
[9]NARA, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' index page + RG 24 logbook series guidance (archives.gov/research/military/logbooks) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA digitized deck-log index (C section - Chatot absent); NARA logbook guidance pages; catalog series 594258
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (not retrieved): National Archives deck-log holdings list Chatot ATA-167 logs spanning March 1944-February 1945, within 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' (RG 24, catalog series NAID 594258, Archives II College Park). The hull does not appear on NARA's fully-digitized deck-log index page, so the logs are cataloged but apparently not scanned; contents unexamined. Deck logs would document daily operations, drills, and any recorded underway periods of the tug in the 12th Naval District.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1945 records
- Population
- Chatot deck-log officers/crew (potential), March 1944-February 1945
- Limitations
- Record-availability statement only - the catalog SPA did not return the file-unit listing to automated fetch, so the March 1944-February 1945 span is carried from the verified fleet/batch NARA listing rather than re-enumerated here. Contents unknown until pulled; nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chatot-at167-08
-
[10]Cross-source reconciliation: shipscribe AT-61 page + shipscribe McKellar EFC index (shipscribe.com/mckellar/OceanTugs.html); NMA ships/78942; shipbuildinghistory.com Bethlehem Elizabethport yard list; Dowling Collection card; NavSource 47167 [other_primary]
- Locator
- EFC Ocean-Going Tugs list, entries 1319-1320; AT-61 class page ship note; Dowling record_id=321
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved/logged: (a) U.S. official number - 218244 per shipscribe McKellar EFC index, Naval Marine Archive record U218244, and shipbuildinghistory yard list (yard 2131), vs 218243 on the NavSource page, GLtugs, and the Dowling card (218243 belongs to sister tug Butterfield, yard 2130, per the same yard lists) - 218244 adopted as the weight of independent compilations, discrepancy logged. (b) Completion date - 8 Aug 1919 (shipscribe ship note) vs 21 Aug 1919 (McKellar EFC list) vs 'Aug 1919' (NMA/shipbuildinghistory); month-level agreement only is asserted. (c) Soviet transfer - shipscribe records simultaneous MC delivery and USSR transfer 9 Feb 1945 and foundering in the Tatar Strait 31 Aug 1947; the Dowling card records the Soviet sale processed 11 May 1949 with 'not reported since 1959,' and GLtugs records removal from documentation 1950 - operational transfer 1945 adopted, documentation dates logged as the registry-trailing artifacts they appear to be. (d) Register tonnage reported variously (422 or 437 gross; 234 net; NavSource's '144 gross' appears corrupted) - not asserted in the record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1919-1959
- Limitations
- Reconciles secondary-compilation discrepancies; none affects identity or the service/disposal timeline materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chatot-at167-09
-
[11]National Oil Transport Co. v. United States (The Buttercup; The Independent), 8 F.2d 281 (E.D. La., Oct. 28, 1925), CourtListener opinion 6934505 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text - opening paragraphs (parties, libel framing) and merits disposition
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- National Oil Transport Co. v. United States, 8 F.2d 281 (E.D. La. 1925) - admiralty libel naming this hull in her pre-Navy merchant identity: 'in personam against the United States upon in rem principles as owner of the seagoing tug Buttercup.' Under a January 24, 1920 towage contract (W.G. Coyle & Co., managing operators for the United States Shipping Board), Buttercup towed the oil barge W.A. Ebsen New Orleans-Orange, Tex.-Tampico-Southport/Plaquemine, La.; libelant alleged negligent towage when the barge grounded in the Mississippi River about 39 miles below New Orleans with harbor tug Independent also lashed alongside. Disposition: 'The evidence fails to show any negli[gence]' - claim failed on its merits at trial. Documents USSB-era Gulf/Mexico oil-barge towage for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1920-1925
- Limitations
- OTHER LITIGATION, not asbestos: a 1925 towage/negligence libel decided against the libelant on failure of proof - a merits disposition with no exposure, materials, or injury content. Pre-dates Navy service by 18 years; cited here because it is a docketed case that names this specific hull and corroborates USSB ownership and Gulf towage operations.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chatot-at167-11
-
[12]Dept. of the Navy / City of Vallejo, Final EIS/EIR for Disposal and Reuse of Mare Island Naval Shipyard (April 1998), DTIC ADA344388; Atlas shipyards.json entry mare-island-naval-shipyard [other_primary]
- Locator
- EIS/EIR Appendix J IR01 waste descriptions; shipyards.json evidence rows ev-mare-island-01 ff.
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The Navy fitting-out site (DANFS: 'fitted out at Mare Island Navy Yard') is a yard with documented asbestos-containing materials: the Atlas shipyards dataset records Unibestos, Marinite, Transite, Kaylo, Careytemp, Gold Bond, Super 66, pump/valve packing, gaskets, bonnet insulation, and refractory materials documented for Mare Island Naval Shipyard, anchored to the Navy/City of Vallejo Final EIS/EIR (April 1998, DTIC ADA344388).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1998 document; yard context
- Population
- Mare Island Naval Shipyard facility (yard-level)
- Limitations
- Yard-level environmental documentation decades removed from 1943 and addressed to yard buildings/waste streams, not to work aboard this hull; shipscribe describes the 1943 conversion as radio-equipment installation only. Establishes nothing about materials aboard Chatot.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chatot-at167-10