Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet 979-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-belfast-pf35-pkt-979-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Belfast (PF-35), 1943-1950 (Raymond A. Mann; updated Robert J. Cressman, 26 Oct 2021) - NHHC page; live URL returns 404, cited via Wayback capture 2024-05-27 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS 'Belfast (PF-35)' entry, 1943-1950 - spec block + service narrative + battle-stars line (Wayback capture 20240527022850)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 26 March 1943 at Wilmington, Calif., by the Consolidated Steel Corp. under a Maritime Commission contract (M.C. Hull 1446); launched 20 May 1943; sponsored by Miss Elizabeth C. Wilson; placed in commission at Terminal Island, Calif., 24 November 1943, Lt. Cmdr. J. J. Hutson, USCG, in command. Departed San Pedro 30 April 1944; Noumea; Cairns end of May; patrol vessel and convoy escort in the southwest Pacific; Noemfoor Island landing 2 July; Cape Opmarai assault four weeks later; escorted reinforcement convoy to Leyte October 1944, operated around Leyte end of October to second week of December; arrived Boston 24 January 1945 for extensive repairs until spring; departed late March 1945 via Canal Zone, Seattle, Port Townsend, Kodiak; arrived Cold Bay 15 June; trained Soviet crew ~1 month; decommissioned and transferred 12 July 1945 under Lend-Lease. Soviet EK-3 until grounding off Petropavlovsk 17 November 1948; declared a total loss by the Navy 14 November 1949; struck from the Navy List 31 January 1950; scrapped 1960. Two battle stars (Western New Guinea ops incl. Morotai landings 15 Sep 1944 and Seventh Fleet ops 12 Oct-7 Nov 1944; Leyte landings 19 Oct-6 Nov 1944). Spec block: dp. 1430; l. 303'11"; b. 37'6"; dr. 13'8"; s. 20.3 k.; cpl. 190; class Tacoma; type S2-S2-AQ1.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1950
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades (1943); Coast Guard crew (1943-45)
- Limitations
- Service history and specifications only; no asbestos or material content. Live NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-10-04 - cited via Wayback capture dated 2024-05-27 (archived copy, labeled as such). Decommissioned-and-transferred dated 12 July 1945; NavSource carries an 11 July decommission - conflict carried in gaps. Spec-block complement (190) conflicts with the earlier DANFS edition (180) and NavSource (214) - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belfast-pf35-01
-
[3]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'USS Belfast, PF-35' asset entry (24 March 2021, Article 2549159) - official .mil record; cites The Coast Guard At War Vol. V No. 1, Conway's 1922-1946 pp. 148-149, DANFS Vol. 1 p. 112, and Russell Project Hula pp. 39-40 [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG Historian asset page 'USS Belfast, PF-35' (History paragraph + spec block + Sources list)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- USCG Historian record for this hull - the Coast Guard manning authority: 'The Coast Guard manned Belfast joined the 7th Fleet at Cairns, Australia, 29 May 1944 and served as a patrol vessel and convoy escort.' Participated in Noemfoor Island landing (2 July 1944) and Cape Opmari, New Guinea (30 July 1944); escorted a follow-up convoy to Leyte, in area 29 October-8 December 1944; departed 30 December 1944 for Boston, arrived 24 January 1945, underwent 'repair and overhaul preparatory to transfer to the USSR under Lend Lease'; departed Boston 28 March 1945; transferred 12 July 1945; commissioned into the Soviet Navy as EK-3; 'lost in a storm off Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka, 17 November 1948'; two battle stars. Specs: displacement 2,230 tons; propulsion '2-shaft VTE, 3 boilers' (vertical triple-expansion - reciprocating, not turbines); range 9,500 nm at 12 kt; complement 190.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Coast Guard crew of PF-35 (1943-45)
- Limitations
- Official USCG record confirming Coast Guard manning and the VTE (reciprocating) propulsion plant - directly contradicts 'turbine' renderings in secondary summaries (see ev-07). No asbestos content. Says 'lost' in the storm; the refloat/repair and later Soviet reclassifications come only from NavSource (secondary). Draft given as 12'8" vs DANFS 13'8" - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belfast-pf35-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Frigate Photo Archive, Belfast (PF-35) ex-PG-143 - designation timeline, specifications, commanding officers, Soviet-era disposition [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/08035.htm header block ('ex-PG-143'), timeline, specifications block, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 26 March 1943 as Patrol Gunboat PG-143 under a Maritime Commission contract by Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Wilmington, CA; reclassified patrol frigate PF-35 on 15 April 1943; launched 20 May 1943; commissioned 24 November 1943; decommissioned 11 July 1945 at Cold Bay, Alaska; transferred 12 July 1945 under Lend-Lease to the Soviet Union, reclassified EK-3; ran aground 17 November 1948 in a storm off Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka; declared a total loss 14 November 1949; refloated and repaired but never reported to the U.S. Navy; struck from the U.S. Navy Register 31 January 1950; reclassified 31 December 1952 as a non-self-propelled submarine tender named Samarga; reclassified barracks ship PKZ-116 on 27 December 1956; scrapped 29 April 1960. 'Belfast was the only U.S. Patrol Frigate never returned.' CO list: LCDR John Jenkins Hutson, Jr., USCG (24 Nov 1943-1944); LT O. D. Rohlfs, Jr., USCGR (12 Jul 1945). Call sign Nan-Zebra-Uncle-Charlie. Specs: cpl. 214; propulsion 'Two 3-drum express boilers, two 5,500ihp J. Hendy Iron Works engines, two shafts.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1960
- Population
- Consolidated Steel trades (1943); USCG crew (1943-45); Soviet crews (1945-60)
- Limitations
- Volunteer secondary compilation - milestone dates generally track DANFS/Russell but three details rest on NavSource alone: the 11 July decommission date (vs 12 July elsewhere), the refloat-and-repair statement, and the post-1949 Soviet designations (Samarga 1952, PKZ-116 1956) - flagged in gaps. Complement 214 conflicts with DANFS/USCG 190 - carried in gaps. No asbestos content. The PG-143 -> PF-35 reclassification date (15 April 1943) is corroborated by the class-wide PF reclassification.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belfast-pf35-03
-
[5]Richard A. Russell, 'Project HULA: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan' (The U.S. Navy in the Modern World Series No. 4; Washington, DC: Naval Historical Center/GPO, 1997) - official Navy monograph, NARA-sourced (RGs 19, 24, 38, 45, 59, 80, 181, 313, 319, 334, 457) plus Russian naval archives [other_primary]
- Locator
- Russell Project HULA pp. 22-24 (frigate program, Escort Division 25), p. 38 (1949 returns/ex-Belfast total loss), p. 39 (Appendix transfer table '1960-scrapped'), photo captions (Hutson)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHC monograph documents this hull's transfer context: 'All 18 frigates built by Consolidated Steel, which generally outperformed the rest of the class, escorted convoys and supported amphibious operations in the southwest Pacific with the Seventh Fleet' (p. 23 of the text). 'Escort Division 25, comprising Long Beach (PF 34) (flagship), Ogden (PF 39), San Pedro (PF 37), Glendale (PF 36), Belfast (PF 35), and Coronado, got underway for Seattle via the Canal Zone on 28 March' (1945). Of the 28 frigates turned over, 'the Soviet navy received 12 of the most reliable ships (those frigates built by Consolidated)' - Belfast among them. 'In 1949, the Soviet government returned 27 frigates, reporting that the ex-USS Belfast (PF 35), which had nearly sunk in a storm off Petropavlovsk in 1948, was damaged beyond economical repair'; in Oct-Nov 1949 'the Soviet navy returned 27 of the ships, but reported ex-Belfast as a total loss from storm damage.' Appendix: 'Belfast (PF 35) EK-3 [transferred] 12 Jul. [1945] 1960-scrapped.' The class's reciprocating engines are noted as a readiness issue ('reciprocating engines also impinged on readiness'). Belfast's first CO, Cdr. John J. Hutson, Jr., USCG, was Project HULA's senior training officer and second-in-command of Detachment 3294.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-1960
- Population
- Escort Division 25 crews; Detachment 3294 (USCG-led training cadre); Soviet 10th Frigate Division trainees
- Limitations
- Government monograph based on U.S. and Russian archival records - the most authoritative public account of the transfer and non-return. Documents disposal status, not materials or asbestos content. 'Nearly sunk ... beyond economical repair' is the Soviet-reported condition; the refloat/repair and tender/barracks-ship careers rest on secondary sourcing (NavSource). The grounding is described as storm-driven 'in 1948' (17 November date per DANFS/NavSource).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belfast-pf35-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (Tacoma-class steam plant); NavSource specifications (2 x 3-drum express boilers, 2 x 5,500 ihp J. Hendy Iron Works engines); USCG Historian ('2-shaft VTE, 3 boilers'); Russell Project HULA (class's reciprocating engines); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-use era) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications; USCG Historian propulsion line; Russell p. 23 (reciprocating engines)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steam-powered patrol frigate built March-November 1943 at Consolidated Steel sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a steam vessel of this type and period were boiler and steam-line insulation, reciprocating-engine (VTE) lagging, gaskets, valve packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. The machinery suite (3-drum boilers feeding vertical triple-expansion engines) is the same asbestos-relevant steam pathway as larger combatants - lagged boilers, piping, and engines - at frigate scale.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1960
- Population
- Consolidated Steel trades (1943); USCG crew (1943-45); Soviet crews and yard workers (1945-60)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for PF-35. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Soviet-service material condition (1945-60) entirely undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belfast-pf35-05
-
[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- 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 entire U.S. build and commission era (1943-45).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403 - same standing defect as Batch 01/98); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belfast-pf35-06
-
[8]Designation/propulsion cross-check: USCG Historian ('2-shaft VTE, 3 boilers'); NavSource ('two 5,500ihp J. Hendy Iron Works engines'); Russell Project HULA ('reciprocating engines also impinged on readiness'); Wikipedia infobox ('2 x 5,500 shp turbines 3 boilers') [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG Historian spec block; NavSource specifications; Russell Project HULA p. 23
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: secondary summaries (e.g., Wikipedia's infobox) render this hull's propulsion as 'turbines.' The official USCG Historian entry gives '2-shaft VTE, 3 boilers' (vertical triple-expansion = reciprocating steam engines); NavSource itemizes 'two 5,500ihp J. Hendy Iron Works engines' (Joshua Hendy built the Tacoma class's triple-expansion plants); and the NHC Project HULA monograph attributes class-wide readiness problems to 'reciprocating engines.' The correct plant is reciprocating VTE, not turbines - relevant to asbestos inference because the lagged component is engine lagging on a triple-expansion engine rather than turbine lagging.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating spec error, not a material/asbestos claim. The VTE plant is documented by a .mil official source (USCG Historian) and consistent with the NHC monograph; only tertiary compilations say turbines. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belfast-pf35-07
-
[9]Batch-8439 search ledger (this record): DANFS (updated NHHC entry via Wayback; Vol. 1 edition via losthistory.net mirror); USCG Historian asset page; NavSource 12/08035; Russell Project HULA (NHC 1997, full text); NVR (not digitized); GAO product page (403); CourtListener 4 base queries + 1 qualified variant attempt; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-belfast-pf35-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS Belfast (PF-35) / PG-143 / EK-3 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener exact-name queries returned zero on both indexes - 'USS Belfast' appears in no indexed opinion or docket; 'PF-35' surfaced only non-ship token collisions (pharmaceutical designations, docket-text tokens). The only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm marketing content (mesolawcenter.com ship list) asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. CAVEAT: the 'PF-35' docket base returned 67 hits of which 20 were reviewed (all collisions); the asbestos-qualified variant could not be run (fleet pacing saturated all session - 40 retries over ~85 min) and is logged blocked in sl-11, not as a negative result; 47 unreviewed docket hits remain an open screening gap.
- Verification
- verified
- 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 - a 1943 steam warship built inside the documented asbestos era would ordinarily have carried it. The litigation picture is near-negative, not fully closed: exact-name coverage is complete (0/0), but hull-number docket coverage is partial (20 of 67 hits screened, all noise). Soviet-service records (1945-60) were not searchable at all - no Russian-language litigation or worker-claims source exists in accessible form. Deck logs, Consolidated Steel work packages, and Soviet disposal records are undigitized leads.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belfast-pf35-08