USS Abilene (PF-58)

Evidence

8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).

1. [1]research packet 982-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-abilene-pf58-pkt-982-packet-md

2. [2]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Abilene (PF-58), by Lou Ann Parsons, published 12 July 2022 [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Abilene (PF-58) entry, specification block and service narrative

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: Bridgeport (PF-58) was laid down on 6 May 1943 under a Maritime Commission contract (M.C. Hull 1465) at Superior, Wis., by the Globe Shipbuilding Co.; launched on 21 August 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Thomas F. Rogers; acquired by the Navy on 31 May 1944; renamed Abilene on 28 June 1944; and commissioned at New Orleans, La., on 28 October 1944, Lt. Cmdr. Chester I. Steel, USCG, in command. Following shakedown at Bermuda, Abilene steamed to Argentia, Newfoundland, where she joined the North Atlantic Weather Patrol through May 1945, conducting weather observations and rendering navigational assistance to airplanes. After a brief period of upkeep at Boston, she assumed air-sea rescue duties in the Atlantic in June 1945 as a member of Task Group 24.5, collecting weather data while serving as plane guard along air routes between Europe and the United States. Decommissioned at New Orleans on 21 August 1946; name struck from the Navy list on 13 November 1946; sold to the government of the Netherlands on 5 May 1947. Specifications: displacement 2,100; length 303'11"; beam 37'6"; draft 13'8"; speed 20.3 knots; complement 176; armament 2 3-inch, 4 40mm, 4 20mm, 2 depth charge tracks, 8 depth charge projectors; class Tacoma; type S2-S2-AQ1.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1947

   Population

   Globe Shipbuilding construction trades 1943-44; Kansas City Bridge Co. fitting-out personnel 1944; Coast Guard crew 1944-46 (complement 176 per DANFS)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific historical record only; it does not identify asbestos, individual exposure, quantities, abatement, or material condition. DANFS prints the commanding officer's name as 'Chester I. Steel' - the USCG Historian's Office, NavSource, and the ship's own war history read 'Steele' (Chester Irwin Steele); the DANFS spelling is a typographical variant carried in gaps. DANFS gives the rename date as 28 June 1944; the ship's war history reads 'On July 10th the ship was renamed' - discrepancy carried in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-abilene-pf58-01

3. [3]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, USS Abilene, PF-58 asset history, 29 March 2021 [other_primary]

   Locator

   USCG Historian's Office USS Abilene PF-58 page, specifications block and History narrative

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Coast Guard Historian's Office record for this hull: launched as Bridgeport 21 August 1943 by Globe Shipbuilding Co., Superior, WI; sponsored by Mrs. Thomas F. Rogers; renamed Abilene 28 June 1944 and commissioned 28 October 1944 under LCDR Chester I. Steele, USCG, reporting to the Atlantic Fleet. Duties with Air-Sea Rescue Station as part of Task Group 24.5, 'a unit of 26 patrol frigates assigned weather duties and the highly important task of guarding the air routes over which thousands of men were being re-deployed from the European Theatre of Operations.' Received the American Theatre and European-Middle Eastern-African Theatre Campaign Ribbons. Served on weather patrol until 24 March 1946. Weather observations used radiosonde balloons, ocean-temperature recording, and surface/aloft wind computations reported to the Weather Bureau; air-sea rescue depended on the vessel's navigational position with radio beacons and rescue gear. The Coast Guard manned 15 weather stations with 23 patrol frigates in the Atlantic by 1 July 1945. Decommissioned 21 August 1946 and sold to the Netherlands 5 May 1947. Specifications: length 303'11"; beam 37'6"; draft 12'8" fl; displacement 2,230 tons; propulsion '2-shaft VTE, 3 boilers'; range 9,500 nm at 12 knots; top speed 20 knots; complement 190; armament 3 x 3"/50, 4 x 40mm (2x2), 9 x 20mm, 1 Hedgehog, 8 depth charge projectors, 2 depth charge racks - 'For those frigates fitted out for weather patrol duty, the after 3-inch gun was removed and a weather balloon hangar was added aft.' Cites The Coast Guard At War, Transports and Escorts Vol. V; Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946; DANFS Vol. 1 p. 5.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1947

   Population

   Coast Guard crew 1944-46 (this hull was Coast Guard-manned, all four commanding officers USCG/USCGR)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific historical record only; no asbestos, exposure, quantity, or condition content. USCG figures differ from DANFS on draft (12'8" vs 13'8"), displacement (2,230 vs 2,100), complement (190 vs 176), and armament detail - carried in gaps. The 'until 24 March 1946' weather-patrol end date is the USCG page's own; DANFS covers the station phases without this terminal date.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-abilene-pf58-02

4. [4]National Archives Catalog, 'USS ABILENE - War History' (file unit, 3 images), Record Group 38, Series: World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories; ship's letter PF58/A7 Serial 518, 12 December 1945, LT Ludwig Wedemeyer, USCGR, commanding [other_primary]

   Locator

   NARA Catalog NAID 77580937, RG 38 WWII War Diaries series; images 0391-0393 (Fold3 file 302745173; micro serial 151519, serial 518)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The ship's own war history, submitted by its commanding officer 12 December 1945 (NAID 77580937): the frigate was built by Globe Shipbuilding Co. of Superior, Wisconsin; originally named USS Bridgeport for Bridgeport, Connecticut; 'completed and floated November 12, 1943.' Coast Guard crew assembly began 6 February 1944; LCDR Chester I. Steele (USCG Academy 1937, of Hightstown, N.J.) confirmed prospective commanding officer; nucleus crew trained at Norfolk and at the Coast Guard Training Station, Manhattan Beach, N.Y. Sea trials at Superior in April 1944; in May the Bridgeport traveled the Great Lakes to Chicago, through the ship canal to the Mississippi, and downriver to Plaquemine, Louisiana, where the Kansas City Bridge Company continued fitting-out. 'On July 10th the ship was renamed USS Abilene in honor of the City of Abilene, Kansas, the home of General of the Armies Dwight D. Eisenhower.' Placed in service 17 October 1944; on 28 October 1944 at the Todd-Johnson Shipyard, New Orleans, the ship was placed in full commission by Capt. William K. Scammell, USCG, with 13 officers and 155 men. Shakedown of four weeks at Bermuda (85% of crew first time at sea); final alterations and battle readiness at Boston; sailed for Argentia under Commander Destroyers, U.S. Atlantic Fleet and joined the North Atlantic Weather Patrol (Rear Admiral Ed. H. Smith, USCG, Commander Task Force 24). Five months of patrols; 'a quick run to Boston in February [1945] for emergency repairs'; V-E Day on patrol near Greenland; late May 1945 to Boston for recreation and repair; late June 1945 a 1,500-mile voyage to an Air-Sea Rescue Station in Task Group 24.5; V-J Day on station near the Azores; more than 40,000 miles steamed. Command passed from LCDR Steele to LT Frank K. Wyatt, Jr., USCGR; LT(jg) Curtis C. Page, USCGR, designated executive officer; Navy Day, 27 October 1945, found the ship at Argentia.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1945

   Population

   Ship's company 1944-45 (13 officers, 155 enlisted per the document); Globe Shipbuilding, Kansas City Bridge Co., and Todd-Johnson yard personnel

   Limitations

   Primary ship-originated document; confirms construction yard, fitting-out yard (Kansas City Bridge Co., Plaquemine), commissioning venue (Todd-Johnson Shipyard), Coast Guard manning, and station assignments - but contains no asbestos, material, insulation, or exposure content. Its 'July 10th' rename date conflicts with DANFS/NavSource 28 June 1944, and 'completed and floated November 12, 1943' postdates the recorded 21 August 1943 launch - both discrepancies carried in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-abilene-pf58-03

5. [5]NavSource Online, Frigate Photo Archive, Abilene (PF 58), ex-Bridgeport, ex-PG-166 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource header, timeline, specifications block, and commanding-officers list

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NavSource identifies the same hull's full designation chain: originally authorized as Patrol Gunboat PG-166; reclassified Patrol Frigate PF-58 on 15 April 1943; laid down 6 May 1943 as Bridgeport under a Maritime Commission contract by Globe Shipbuilding Co., Superior, Wisconsin; launched 21 August 1943; renamed Abilene 28 June 1944; commissioned 28 October 1944; decommissioned 21 August 1946; turned over to the State Department Liquidation Commission; sold to the Netherlands 5 May 1947 and renamed Cirrus; scrapped in 1969. Specifications: displacement 1,430 t.; length 303'11"; beam 37'6"; draft 13'8"; speed 20.3 kts.; complement 190; propulsion 'Two 3-drum express boilers, two 5,500 iHP Valley Iron Works engines, two shafts.' Commanding officers all USCG/USCGR: LCDR Chester Irwin Steele (28 Oct 1944-27 Aug 1945); LT Frank K. Wyatt (27 Aug-5 Nov 1945); LCDR DeWitt S. Walton (5 Nov-15 Dec 1945); LT L. W. Wedemeyer (from 15 Dec 1945).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1969

   Population

   Construction and operating personnel; no exposure or material finding

   Limitations

   Consolidates the PG-166/PF-58/Bridgeport/Abilene/Cirrus identity chain and supplies the Valley Iron Works engine builder and post-sale Dutch disposition (renamed Cirrus, scrapped 1969) that DANFS does not carry past the 5 May 1947 sale. NavSource is an official-archive-style volunteer compilation, not the Navy registry; the Dutch-service details are secondary there. Propulsion data do not establish asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-abilene-pf58-04

6. [6]U.S. Government Accountability Office, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2, published 18 October 1979, publicly released 22 October 1979 [gao]

   Locator

   GAO HRD-80-2 product page, Highlights section

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, including the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos from Navy ships, and compensation programs for asbestos-related disabilities. The Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed to accomplish necessary repairs, modified in 1979 to include selectively replacing asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1975-1979 review period

   Population

   Navy shipyard and ship-repair workers

   Limitations

   Program-level Navy evidence, not an Abilene survey or work package; fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk. It supports era context only and does not prove that any asbestos product was installed on PF-58, the quantity, the condition, or any person's exposure. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to plain curl; product page verified live via firecrawl.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-abilene-pf58-05

7. [7]CDC/NIOSH, Shipyards, Maritime Safety and Health, page reviewed 2026-10-04 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NIOSH Shipyards page, At a glance and Overview

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   NIOSH identifies asbestos exposure among the chemical hazards of shipyard manufacture, repair, maintenance, and dismantling work.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   General historical and current shipyard work

   Population

   Shipyard workers

   Limitations

   General shipyard safety context, not evidence about Abilene, Globe Shipbuilding, Kansas City Bridge Co., Todd-Johnson Shipyard, or any individual. It does not establish that asbestos was present aboard this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-abilene-pf58-06

8. [8]Batch-8464 source and litigation search ledger [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-abilene-pf58-01 through -12

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos survey, abatement record, hazmat disclosure, or litigation finding was located in the official sources searched. All four required CourtListener base queries were attempted through the authenticated helper and every attempt was stopped by the fleet-wide pacing budget (exact-name opinion retried four times over roughly one hour); all are logged as blocked access gaps, not negative litigation results.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   2026-10-04

   Limitations

   Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard or absence of litigation. CourtListener coverage is entirely unexecuted because the shared pacing budget was momentarily spent at research time; no asbestos-qualified variant was run because no base query returned a 20-result overflow page.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-abilene-pf58-07