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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

BATR-20
ex
 HMRT Justice (W-140) (1943 - 1946)
 BATR-20 (1943)


BATR-20 was turned over to the United Kingdom under the Lend-lease Act, named HMRT Justice (W-140)
ATR-1 Class Rescue Tug
  • Laid down, 20 January 1943, at Camden Ship Building & Marine Railway Co., Camden, ME.
  • Launched, 18 October 1943
  • Transferred to the United Kingdom under terms of the Lend-lease Act, 24 April 1944
  • Commissioned HMRT Justice (W-140), at Boston, MA., 24 April 1944, LT. J. S. Allison, RNR, in command
  • Reported to have served at Normandy landings
  • Returned to US Naval custody, 20 March 1946, name withdrawn, reverted to BATR-20
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 3 July 1946
  • Merchant Service
    Sold 3 October 1947, to Leopoldo Simoncini, Buenos Aires, renamed St. Christopher, re-flagged Costa Rica
    Chartered in 1953 to Salvamar (Leopoldo Simoncini), Buenos Aires for salvage operations in Beagle Channel on
    the sunken Monte Cervantes (wrecked in 1930), in conjunction with Argentine Navy vessels Chiriguanos,
    Guaraní and Sanavirón
    Suffered engine trouble and rudder damage in 1954, grounded in Beagle Canal
    Ashore and abandoned in 1957
    Remaining fuel oil removed in 2004
  • Current Disposition, abandoned at Bahia Ushuaia, Argentina
    Specifications:
    Displacement 852 t.(lt) 1,315 t.(lim)
    Length 165' 5"
    Beam 33' 4"
    Draft 15' 10" (lim)
    Speed 12.2 kts.
    Armament
    one single 3"/50 dual purpose gun mount
    two single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Largest Boom Capacity 4 Tons
    Fuel Oil Capacity, 1,620 Bbls.
    Complement
    Officers 5
    Enlisted 47
    Propulsion
    one vertical triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine
    two Babcock & Wilcox D-type boilers, 250psi, ° Sat.
    three Turbo Ships' Service Generators, 60Kw, 120V D.C.
    single screw, 1,600shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    BATR-20 52k ex-BATR-20 as the Salvamar salvage company tug St. Christopher aground in the Beagle Channel, Argentina, circa 1953. Courtesy Historia y Arqueologia Marítima web site
    BATR-20 71k St. Christopher moored at Bahia Ushuaia, Argentina, circa 2008.
    ©Lodewijk Westerbeek van Eerten    		 Courtesy, Archives of Hans van der Ster
    BATR-20 213k St. Christopher aground in the Beagle Channel, off Ushuaia, Argentina, date unknown.
    Photo by Christopher Michel.    		 Robert Hurst
    BATR-20 253k St. Christopher aground in the Beagle Channel, off Ushuaia, Argentina, 22 May 2017.
    Photo by Gabriel Resende Veiga.    		 Robert Hurst
    BATR-20
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    ATR-1-class Rescue Tug Illustration by Vern Bouwman
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Service Ship Photo Index Back To The Rescue Tug (ATR) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 16 March 2018