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     The Supervisor believes that there was too little knowledge available to all hands regarding the practicability of substitute materials, and that at least a part of the delay in completion of these wooden vessels could have been eliminated had the characteristics of other lumber been known.
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     The vessels also suffered from the necessary design changes brought about by actual war conditions. The Supervisor feels that alterations on a "not to delay" basis is strictly a fallacy. Any change necessitates a delay, though the delay may or may not be apparent, due to the ability of the contractor to employ extra personnel to overcome the delay.
     
     
     AT77 - Contract NOs-82425:    
     
     
     In February 1943, contract NOs-82425 was awarded to Levingston Shipbuilding Company, Orange, Texas, for construction of AT77. The plans for this vessel were furnished by Eads-Johnson. The ship was a Diesel Tug of slightly different design than other vessels of this class being built for the Navy.
     
     


     In connection with the construction of this vessel, the first of its type or size to be built by Levingston, one or two very important events occurred. The first happened at the launching. The vessel was equipped with two tanks, one on either side of the keel at the stern to prevent the ship from striking the river bottom, as the river was very shallow immedately outboard of the building ways. When the ship was launched it became apparent that the builder had placed the tanks too low. This caused the GM of the vessel to be practically zero and she almost stood on her beams' end as she cleared the launching ways. For a few seconds all the spectators were certain the vessel was going to "turn turtle". This casualty was not due to the design of the vessel but rather to the tanks which were rigged under her stern. When finished, it was found that, due to topside weight caused by armament, the vessel had to be ballasted in the interest of stability. This reduced the designed freeboard so that while this ship was an excellent sea boat she was very wet.

     

     The Supervisor is making these comments because the lesson learned on the AT77 was well worth while because the design of subsequent vessels, designated as BAT's, ATP's and ATA's, corrected all of the defects experienced on this first ship.

     Levingston Shipbuilding Company was awarded the sub-contract, under General Motors' contract NObs-224, for construction of nine ATR's - ATR 41-49 (!43' Rescue Tugs), and was also sub-contractor for construction of four BAT's - BAT 3-6 - (143' Rescue Tugs) under General Motors' contract DA-NOd-2222. Gulfport Boiler & Welding Works was awarded the sub-contract for construction of two vessels on this contract, which were BAT 1 and ATR90 (143' Rescue Tugs). Also, the following contracts were awarded to General Motors Corporation for construction of BAT's, BYT's, ATR's, and ATA's and sub-contracted to Levingston and Gulfport:
 

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