HMS Justice

HMS Justice (W-140), a Royal Navy ship classified as a rescue tug, was built in the United States as U.S. Navy ATR-1-class rescue tug ATR-20. Never commissioned into the U.S. Navy, she was transferred to the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease at delivery. Returned to the U.S. after the end of World War II, she was redesignated BATR-20. Struck and sold for commercial service in 1946, she was eventually grounded at Ushuaia, Argentina and abandoned.

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Justice (W-140)
Builder	Camden Shipbuilding & Marine Railway Co. Camden, Maine, United States
Laid down	20 January 1943 (as ATR-20)
Launched	18 October 1943
Sponsored by	Miss Joy D. Creyk
Completed	24 April 1944
Acquired	24 April 1944
Commissioned	24 April 1944 at Boston, Massachusetts
Fate	Returned to U.S. Navy, 20 March 1946
United States
Acquired	20 March 1946
Reclassified	BATR-20
Stricken	3 July 1946
Fate	Sold, 3 October 1947 Grounded and abandoned, Ushuaia, Argentina 54.809694°S 68.308117°W / -54.809694; -68.308117
General characteristics
Class & type	ATR-1-class rescue tug
Displacement	1,360 tons
Length	165 ft 5 in (50.42 m)
Beam	33 ft 6 in (10.21 m)
Draught	15 ft 10 in (4.83 m)
Propulsion	triple-expansion reciprocating steam engines, single screw, 1,600 hp[1]
Speed	12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement	32 officers and men
Armament	1 × 3"/50 caliber gun 3 × 20 mm guns

Operational history

ATR-20 was laid down by Camden Shipbuilding & Marine Railway Co., Camden, Maine, 20 January 1943; launched 18 October 1943; sponsored by Miss Joy D. Creyk; transferred to the United Kingdom under lendlease 24 April 1944; and commissioned as HMS Justice at Boston, Massachusetts the same day.

During the remainder of World War II, Justice served as a rescue tug in the Royal Navy. She reportedly served at the Normandy invasion in June 1944.^[1]

Justice was returned to the U.S. Navy on 20 March 1946 and redesignated BATR-20. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 3 July 1946 and sold 3 October 1947 to Leopoldo Simoncini of Buenos Aires as the Costa Rican-flagged St. Christopher.^[1] In 1953 she was chartered for salvage operations in Beagle Channel on the sunken Hamburg South America Line^[2] ocean liner SS Monte Cervantes along with several Argentine Navy vessels.^[1]

After suffering engine trouble and rudder damage in 1954, it was laid up at Ushuaia, Argentina. She was beached and abandoned there in 1957, and, in 2004, had its remaining fuel oil removed. As of 2024, St. Christopher is still grounded and abandoned at Ushuaia.^[1]

54.809694°S 68.308117°W / -54.809694; -68.308117