USS Albuquerque (PF-7)

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

1. [1]research packet 984-packet.md [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-albuquerque-pf7-pkt-984-packet-md

2. [2]NavSource Online: Frigate Photo Archive, Albuquerque (PF 7) ex-PG-115 (verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource Albuquerque (PF 7) page: class/timeline block, specifications block, photo captions (U.S. Navy photos 913-44, 914-44, 1821-44, 1823-44, 1826-44), commanding-officers list

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource record for this hull: originally designated patrol gunboat PG-115; reclassified patrol frigate PF-7 on 15 April 1943; laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1425) by Kaiser Cargo Inc., Richmond, CA; launched 14 September 1943; commissioned USS Albuquerque (PF-7) 20 December 1943; scuttled the stern section of U.S. freighter John Straub with gunfire 18 April 1944 after she broke in two off Sanak Island, Aleutian Islands; decommissioned 16 August 1945 at Cold Bay, Alaska (page reads 'Cold Harbor' - transcription error, see limitations); loaned to the Soviet Union 17 August 1945 under Lend-Lease and reclassified EK-16 (conflicts with NHC appendix EK-14 - see ev-03); returned to U.S. custody 15 November 1949 at Yokosuka and laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Yokosuka; recommissioned at Yokosuka 30 October 1950 (conflicts with DANFS 3 October - see ev-02); decommissioned 28 February 1953; transferred on loan to Japan 30 November 1953 and renamed Tochi (PF-296); struck from the Naval Register 1 December 1961; returned briefly to U.S. Navy custody 28 August 1962 and almost simultaneously permanently transferred to Japan; reclassified auxiliary stock vessel YAC-15 on 31 March 1965; decommissioned 31 March 1969; returned to U.S. custody 9 July 1971; fate unknown. Specifications: 1,430 t; 303'11" oa; 37'6" beam; 13'8" draft; 20.3 kt; complement 190; three 3"/50 DP mounts, two twin 40mm, nine 20mm, one Hedgehog, eight Y-gun projectors, two depth-charge tracks; propulsion two 3-drum express boilers, two 5,500-ihp vertical triple-expansion J. Hendy Iron Works engines, two shafts. Commanding officers listed LCDR Wayne L. Goff, USCGR (20 Dec 1943-6 Oct 1944) and LT Robert C. Sweet, USCGR (6 Oct 1944-16 Aug 1945) - both Coast Guard officers. U.S. Navy photo captions place her at Mare Island Navy Yard 4 February 1944 and 9-21 March 1944 (post-commissioning availability).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1971

   Population

   Kaiser Richmond construction trades 1943; Coast Guard-manned crew 1943-45 (complement 190); Soviet crew 1945-49; U.S. Navy crew 1950-53; JMSDF crew 1953-69; Mare Island yard workers Feb-Mar 1944

   Limitations

   Timeline compilation, not an asbestos record. Three values conflict with more authoritative sources: Soviet designation 'EK-16' vs NHC Project Hula appendix 'EK-14' (ev-03 controls); transfer date 17 August vs NHC table's 16 August 1945; recommissioning 30 October vs DANFS 3 October 1950 (ev-02 controls). 'Cold Harbor' is a NavSource transcription error for Cold Bay. 'Fate unknown' is NavSource's close; shipbuildinghistory records 'scrapped 1971' (ev-04). Mare Island dates derive from photo captions, not a yard work order.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-albuquerque-pf7-01

3. [3]DANFS, Albuquerque (PF-7), Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships Vol. 1 p. 24 (hazegray.org verbatim transcription; live NHHC DANFS page not located - cited via Wayback capture 2020-02-29) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry 'Albuquerque', spec block + four service paragraphs + battle-star sentence

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: launched 14 September 1943 by Kaiser Cargo Co., Inc., Richmond, Calif.; sponsored by Mrs. B. L. Livingston; commissioned 20 December 1943, Lieutenant Commander W. L. Goff, USCG, in command; reported to Escort Division 27, Pacific Fleet. 'Between 4 April 1944 and 5 June 1945 the Coast Guard manned Albuquerque escorted convoys in the Aleutian Islands and patrolled in the Northern Pacific and Bering Sea.' Decommissioned 16 August 1945 at Cold Bay, Alaska, 'and the following day was transferred to the U.S.S.R. under Lend-Lease' (i.e., 17 August per DANFS - conflicts with NHC table's 16 August, see ev-03). Returned to the Navy 15 November 1949 at Yokosuka, Japan. Recommissioned 3 October 1950 at Yokosuka; served on patrol and escort duty in Far Eastern waters until September 1951. In the Korean conflict engaged in convoy escort and patrol duties. Decommissioned 28 February 1953 at Yokosuka and loaned to Japan 30 November 1953. 'Albuquerque received three battle stars for service performed during the Korean conflict.' Spec block: dp 1,264; l 303'11"; b 37'6"; dr 13'8"; s 20.3 k; cpl 190; a 3 3"; cl Tacoma.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1953

   Population

   Coast Guard-manned crew 1943-45; U.S. Navy crew 1950-53

   Limitations

   DANFS documents service history and awards, not materials or asbestos content. This is the original-edition DANFS entry (Vol. 1, p. 24, published 1959): it predates the 1961 striking, the YAC-15 epilogue, and the 1971 disposal, and carries only summary Korean-conflict narrative; a fuller NHHC online DANFS entry is referenced by secondary retellings but the NHHC page returns 404 (archival lead). 'The following day' transfer (17 Aug) conflicts with the NHC Project Hula appendix (16 Aug, ev-03). Displacement 1,264 t vs NavSource/secondary 1,430 light / 2,415 full - carried in gaps. hazegray.org unreachable by direct DNS 2026-10-04; verbatim text verified via Wayback capture.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-albuquerque-pf7-02

4. [4]Richard A. Russell, Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan, Naval Historical Center, Washington DC, 1997 (U.S. Government publication; verbatim PDF via HyperWar/ibiblio) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Russell, Project Hula, Appendix table p. 38ff, row 'Albuquerque (PF 7) EK-14'; return-negotiation narrative pp. 37-38

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The Naval Historical Center's appendix table 'U.S. Navy Combatant Ships Transferred to the USSR Under Project HULA, May-September 1945' names this hull directly: 'Albuquerque (PF 7) EK-14', transferred 16 August 1945 (date inherited by table ditto convention from the Tacoma-group row), disposition '1949-returned'. Russell's narrative establishes the program context: 28 Tacoma-class frigates were transferred at Cold Bay; negotiations for their return ran from 1946; 'in October and November 1949 the Soviet navy returned 27 of the ships' (ex-Belfast a total loss); returned frigates were subsequently transferred to the Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Japan.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1945-1949

   Population

   Soviet crew of EK-14, 1945-49; Project Hula Soviet trainees and U.S. Navy Detachment 3294 personnel at Cold Bay

   Limitations

   Corrects two secondary-source values: NavSource, NavalCoverMuseum and shipbuildinghistory all read 'EK-16' and NavSource/DANFS place the transfer on 17 August - the NHC-published table gives EK-14 and 16 August 1945 (the latter by ditto convention; the row prints no explicit date). Appendix records designation/transfer/disposition only - no asbestos content. The table was compiled from U.S. transfer records; Soviet-side designation lists in some secondary works differ systematically.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-albuquerque-pf7-03

5. [5]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton), Kaiser Richmond No. 4 yard table - Maritime Commission construction record (verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Kaiser Richmond No. 4 yard table, hull no. 50 row; yard description paragraph

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Kaiser Richmond No. 4 yard table row for this hull: yard hull number 50, 'Albuquerque', type S2-S2-AQ1, MC hull 1425, keel laid 20 July 1943, launched 14 September 1943, delivered 20 December 1943 (56 days on the ways, 97 days fitting out, 153 days total); disposition note 'PF 7, to USSR 1945 as EK-16, to Japan 1953 as Tochi (PF 296), scrapped 1971'. The yard itself: Richmond No. 4 was an emergency yard developed by Kaiser Cargo, Inc. with 3 ways in the fifth wave of shipbuilding expansion, originally designated Richmond 3A, renamed Richmond 4 with separate management, closed at the end of the war.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1971

   Population

   Kaiser Cargo/Richmond No. 4 construction trades, 1943

   Limitations

   Independent yard-table compilation (standard open-source reference for Maritime Commission hull data), not a government record. Its 'EK-16' conflicts with the NHC Project Hula appendix's 'EK-14' (ev-03 controls); its 'scrapped 1971' is the only located disposition statement - NavSource reads 'fate unknown' - and the scrapping location is not given. Sole authoritative source for the 20 July 1943 keel date; DANFS does not state a laid-down date.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-albuquerque-pf7-04

6. [6]Composite: NavSource specifications block (two 3-drum express boilers, two vertical triple-expansion J. Hendy Iron Works engines); Atlas shipyard dataset record 'kaiser-shipyards' (wartime asbestos products documented; DTSC/EPA environmental records); NARA RG19 General Information Books archival lead [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource PF-7 specifications block; shipyards.json record 'kaiser-shipyards' (yard_id verified 2026-10-04)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/yard inference: a Tacoma-class patrol frigate built in 1943 at Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 4 with a two-boiler, two-engine steam plant would have carried period-standard asbestos applications - boiler and steam-line thermal insulation/lagging, pipe insulation, gaskets, valve packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. The builder complex is documented at yard level in the Atlas shipyards dataset (tier 3): wartime asbestos product list covering insulation, fireproofing, hull insulation, boiler components, pipe coverings, turbine insulation, electrical wiring, deck materials, and adhesives; DTSC records asbestos-containing material in soils and structures at the former Richmond yard site. NARA RG19 'General Information Books' holding per-vessel material specifications are an archival lead for hull-level specs.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1971

   Population

   Kaiser Richmond No. 4 construction trades 1943; crew 1943-71 across three navies; Mare Island yard workers 1944

   Limitations

   Class/era and builder-yard inference only - names era-standard applications, not materials confirmed installed on this hull. No hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, or work package located. No quantities. The yard-level product list is dataset-general across the Kaiser Richmond complex, not specific to Yard No. 4's frigate line; DTSC documents post-closure site contamination, not shipboard installation. NARA GIB retrieval not performed.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-albuquerque-pf7-05

7. [7]California DTSC, Kaiser Richmond Shipyard - Richmond Harbor Restoration Project (Site ID 400137001), as cataloged in Atlas shipyards.json record 'kaiser-shipyards' (ev-kaiser-shipyards-epa-01) [other_primary]

   Locator

   DTSC SiteCleanup project page (blocked to automated fetch); shipyards.json ev-kaiser-shipyards-epa-01/-02

   Finding type

   environmental_record

   Finding

   California DTSC documents asbestos-containing materials in soils and structures at the former Kaiser Richmond shipyard site (Richmond Harbor Restoration Project, Site ID 400137001); the Atlas yard dataset records this hull's builder complex as constructing 747 vessels 1940-1945 at peak employment above 90,000, with an associated EPA CERCLA listing (CAD980637557, Kaiser Alum & Chem Co Shipyard No. 2, NFRAP determination).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1940-1945 (operations); 1990s-2010s (remediation)

   Population

   Site-wide remediation/grounds population, post-closure

   Limitations

   Post-closure site environmental record, not a hull record: documents residual contamination at the builder yard property, not materials installed aboard this vessel in 1943. dtsc.ca.gov blocks automated fetch (HTTP 403 on 2026-10-04) - row verified against the Atlas shipyards.json record that catalogues it. EPA CERCLA listing covers Yard No. 2 alum/chem site specifically; asbestos not listed as primary CERCLA contaminant.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-albuquerque-pf7-06

8. [8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO HRD-80-2 product page description

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's 1943 construction and both U.S. Navy commission periods (1943-45, 1950-53).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1940s-1979

   Population

   Navy-wide shipboard and shipyard population, program era

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. GAO fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - neither is this hull's builder or documented repair yard. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch) - content via product-page description, per standing batch convention.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-albuquerque-pf7-07

9. [9]NPS, Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front NHP, 'Historic Richmond Shipyards' (verified live 2026-10-04) [nps]

   Locator

   NPS Rosie the Riveter site, 'Historic Richmond Shipyards' - 'Henry J. Kaiser's Shipbuilding Empire' and 'Innovative Shipbuilding Methods' sections

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NPS documents this hull's builder complex: Henry J. Kaiser's four Richmond shipyards became the largest shipbuilding operation on the West Coast; yards 3 and 4 were built in 1942, and by late 1942 the complex featured 27 graving basins and dry docks. Kaiser introduced mass-production prefabrication beginning May 1942 - 'whole sections of a ship's superstructure - boilers, double bottoms, forepeaks, after-peaks, and deck-houses - were preassembled in a new plant located between Shipyards No. 3 and 4,' completing ships in roughly two-thirds the time and a quarter the cost of the average yard.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1940-1946

   Population

   Kaiser Richmond yard workforce, 1940-1945

   Limitations

   Yard-complex operational context only; names this hull's builder's methods and scale, contains no asbestos content and no vessel-specific information. The prefabrication note is relevant context for how machinery-space components (including any insulation) were assembled, but says nothing about materials.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-albuquerque-pf7-08

10. [10]Search-ledger summary (see search_ledger rows sl-07 through sl-11) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger sl-uss-albuquerque-pf7-01 through -11

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, government health evaluation, or docketed asbestos case naming PF-7, PG-115, EK-14, Tochi, or YAC-15 was found in the public sources searched. The only asbestos assertions naming this hull are law-firm marketing listicles (e.g., mesolawcenter.com frigate lists) that cite no primary source - excluded by source policy. The hull left U.S. control in 1945 and 1962 (Soviet then permanent Japanese transfer) and was disposed by 1971 - leaving no U.S. museum, reserve-fleet, or MARAD channel through which a modern asbestos survey would plausibly exist. CourtListener could not be searched this session (fleet-paced) - an unsearched repository, not a negative result; see search_ledger sl-11.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-04

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943 steam frigate is era-consistent with asbestos insulation (see ev-05), and Soviet/JMSDF-era material records were not searched and are largely inaccessible. Japanese-language sources for the Tochi/YAC-15 period are thin and the cited JMSDF database (hush.gooside.com) is defunct.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-albuquerque-pf7-09