UNAUTHORIZED TKOF; CLRNC DISPUTED BY TWR; DEP CTLR.

Narrative

WHILE STILL ON A TAXIWAY SOME DISTANCE FROM THE RWY THE TWR CLRED US INTO POS AND HOLD. I THOUGHT I HEARD THE FO READ BACK CLRED FOR TKOF AND AS WE ROLLED ONTO THE RWY STARTED THE TKOF ROLL. THE FE QUESTIONED THE TKOF BUT BOTH THE FO AND I STATED WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF. THE FE DID NOT QUESTION IT FURTHER THINKING HE MAY HAVE MISSED SOMETHING WHILE DOING A CHKLIST. AFTER TKOF THE TWR QUESTIONED US ABOUT OUR HDG; TOLD US TO TURN L TO 220 DEG; HAD US TO STAY WITH THE TWR THEN TO CALL DEP. DEP DID ASK ABOUT A TKOF CLRNC WE ANSWERED THAT WE UNDERSTOOD WE HAD BEEN CLRED. BACKGND: HAD FLOWN 16 HRS IN 4 DAYS; A SHORT OVERNIGHT IN ORD (10 HRS); A CHANGE OF AIRPLANES AT DEP TIME WHICH CAUSED US TO BE 45 MINS LATE OUT OF THE GATE. THIS ON TOP OF OVER A YR OF NOT KNOWING IF THE COMPANY WAS GOING TO BE IN BUSINESS THE NEXT WK OR MONTH DUE TO ITS OWNER AND HIS HANDLING. THE STRESS ON ALL CREWS HAS BEEN VERY HIGH AND NO DOUBT AFFECTS US ALL IN OUR OP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 188269: I BELIEVE SOME OF THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS COULD BE RECEIVING TKOF CLRNC TOO EARLY; SHORT NIGHT (ARRIVED AT HOTEL APPROX PM45 AND DEPARTED HOTEL AM00) TIME IS 2 HRS OFF W COAST TIME WHERE I LIVE. THIS WAS THIRD DAY OF TRIP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 188509: AS WE WERE TAKING THE RWY; THE CAPT (PF) STARTED APPLYING TKOF PWR. I (FE) SAID; 'DID HE CLR US'? THE CAPT RESPONDED 'YES' AND CONTINUED TKOF. THEN DEP CTL SAID; 'ACR X; BTWN YOU AND ME; WERE YOU CLRED FOR TKOF'? WE SAID; 'WE UNDERSTOOD WE WERE; BUT WE COULD BE MISTAKEN'. DEP CTL SAID; 'OK; JUST BTWN YOU AND ME; NO PROBLEM'; ACR X CONTACT CHICAGO CENTER (FREQ) WE'LL SEE YA LATER'. THERE WAS NEVER ANY CONFLICT WITH ANY OTHER ACFT. TFC WAS VERY LIGHT THAT EARLY MORNING. I STILL DON'T THINK WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF; BUT IN ANY CASE I THINK THE PROBLEM OCCURRED BECAUSE WE WERE CLRED INTO POS LONG BEFORE WE EVEN GOT TO THE END OF THE RWY. A GOOD 45 SECONDS WENT BY; BY THE TIME WE WERE ROLLING. BY THAT TIME I DON'T THINK IT WAS CLR IN ANY OF OUR MINDS WHAT WE WERE REALLY CLRED FOR.