Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 980-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-el-paso-pf41-pkt-980-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, El Paso I (PF-41) (live NHHC page verified 2026-10-04 - specifications block and service narrative) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS El Paso I (PF-41) entry, specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched 16 July 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Wilmington, Calif., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. J. L. Raster; commissioned 1 December 1943, Cmdr. R. J. Borromey, USCG, in command. Service: departed San Diego 20 February 1944; Milne Bay 4 April after Pearl Harbor training and convoy escort to the Gilberts and Espiritu Santo; New Guinea patrols and bombardments (Maffin Bay 25 May; Wakde Island 27 May with two DEs; Aitape fire support night of 14 June; Wakde airfield edge 25 June; scouting/salvage/rescue at Pagan and Fanildo Islands 25 August); Morotai landing screen September 1944; arrived Leyte 29 October for patrol/screen duty; bombarded Sarmi Point and Mount Makko 11 November; escort duty New Guinea-Philippines through year-end. Departed Humboldt Bay 6 January 1945 for New York overhaul and weather-ship conversion, interrupted by Oran convoy escort April-May 1945; arrived Leyte 23 September 1945; weather station ship in the Philippines until 16 April 1946; decommissioned Seattle 18 July 1946; sold 14 October 1947. Three battle stars. Spec block: displacement 1,264; length 303'11"; beam 37'6"; draft 13'8"; speed 19 kt; complement 190; class Tacoma; type S2-S2-AQ1.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades (1943); Coast Guard crew (1943-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Sponsor spelling on the live NHHC page is 'Raster' while the USCG Historian's Office and secondary transcriptions read 'Kaster' - live DANFS carried, variant in gaps. Live NHHC page verified 2026-10-04 (earlier-batch NHHC 404 link-rot did not affect this page).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-el-paso-pf41-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Frigate Photo Archive, El Paso (PF-41), ex-PG-149 (designation timeline, specifications, propulsion, commanding officers) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/08041.htm header block, specifications block, commanding-officer table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: originally authorized as Patrol Gunboat PG-149; reclassified Patrol Frigate PF-41 on 15 April 1943; laid down 18 June 1943 under a Maritime Commission contract at Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Wilmington, CA; launched 16 July 1943; commissioned USS El Paso (PF-41) 1 December 1943; decommissioned 18 July 1946 at Seattle, WA; sold 14 October 1947; 'Fate unknown.' Specifications: 1,430 t light / 2,415 t full; 303'11" x 37'6" x 13'8"; 20.3 kt; complement 214; two 3-inch/50 mounts, two twin 40mm, nine 20mm, two DCT, eight DCP, one hedgehog; propulsion - two 3-drum express boilers, two 5,500 ihp J. Hendy Iron Works engines, two shafts. Commanding officers all Coast Guard: CDR Romeo Joseph Borromey USCG (1 Dec 1943 - 5 Sep 1945); LT Thomas W. Phillips USCGR; LCDR Thomas W. Spencer USCGR; LCDR J. A. Small USCG (10 Feb 1946 - 18 Jul 1946). Photo caption documents the ship's officers and men photographed at the Philippines 8 April 1946 (U.S. Coast Guard source).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades (1943); Coast Guard crew (1943-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; its milestone dates track DANFS/USCG but its spec figures conflict with DANFS on displacement, complement, speed, and boiler count (all carried in gaps). No asbestos content. 'Fate unknown' contradicts secondary 'scrapped 1947' claims - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-el-paso-pf41-02
-
[4]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'USS El Paso, PF-41' (dedicated ship page, history.uscg.mil, live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- history.uscg.mil article 2552351, spec block + narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official USCG Historian's Office page for this hull: builder Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Wilmington, California; class Tacoma; spec block (303'11" x 37'6" x 12'8" fl; 2,230 tons; propulsion '2-shaft VTE, 3 boilers'; 9,500 nm at 12 kt; 20 kt; complement 190; armament incl. note that weather-patrol frigates had the after 3-inch gun removed and a weather-balloon hangar added aft). Sponsor 'Mrs. J. L. Kaster'; commissioned 1 December 1943 under CDR R. J. Borromey, USCG. Narrative adds operational detail beyond DANFS: the 23 August 1944 two-part mission covered a six-man Alamo Scouts reconnaissance team ('Sumner Team') landed by PT boat to salvage a downed Australian Beaufighter at Pegun Island and search for the prior salvage crew (all three killed); Morotai escort 16 September with AA fire at attacking aircraft; Leyte service dated 23 October - 5 November 1944 with an engagement star; command transitions dated; decommissioned Seattle 18 July 1946; sold 14 October 1947; three battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades (1943); Coast Guard crew (1943-46)
- Limitations
- Official service-history page, ship-specific; no asbestos or material content. Internal typo 'launched on 16 July 1945' (for 1943) and spec figures (2,230 t, 12'8" draft, 3 boilers) conflict with DANFS/NavSource - variants carried in gaps. Sponsor 'Kaster' conflicts with live DANFS 'Raster' - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-el-paso-pf41-03
-
[5]The Coast Guard at War, Vol. V 'Transports and Escorts' Vol. 1 (Escorts), Part II, 'USS EL PASO (PF-41)' ship history + 'USS EUGENE (PF-40)' companion passages (Historical Section, Public Information Division, USCG Headquarters, 1 June 1949; HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG-V1-2.html, 'USS EL PASO (PF-41)' section (p. 156 transcription) and 'USS EUGENE (PF-40)' companion passages
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official 1949 USCG history gives a dedicated war history for this Coast Guard-manned hull and documents two yard periods on this hull: El Paso and Eugene 'moored at Brooklyn Navy Yard on February 15, 1945 for extensive overhaul'; 'In the summer of 1945, the El Paso returned to the New York Navy Yard for conversion to a weather ship' and 'left Staten Island on August 7, 1945, bound for more Pacific duty.' Postwar timeline: 'arrived at Seattle, Washington on June 3, 1946, and her Coast Guard crew was removed June 30, 1946.' Operational detail: built by Consolidated Steel Wilmington Yard, launched 16 July 1943, commissioned 1 December 1943; bombardment missions (Maffin Bay, Wakde, Aitape, Pagan/Fanildo fire support 23 August, Morotai screen 16 September); Leyte service 23 October - 5 November 1944 ('engagement star'); departed the Philippines 26 December 1944 with Eugene via Seeadler Harbor, Bora Bora, and Panama; CO sequence matches NavSource.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Coast Guard crew (1943-46); Brooklyn Navy Yard trades during Feb-Mar and summer 1945 availabilities
- Limitations
- Official service history - documents the hull's presence inside two named navy-yard availabilities (Brooklyn Navy Yard overhaul; New York Navy Yard weather-ship conversion) but records no work scope, materials, or asbestos content. Yard presence is not an abatement record. Transcription hosted on HyperWar/ibiblio; some dates differ from DANFS (Leyte arrival, departure date) - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-el-paso-pf41-04
-
[6]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'Rear Admiral John L. Steinmetz' biography (history.uscg.mil, live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Steinmetz biography, 'World War II' section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official USCG biography documents this hull's flagship role: in November 1943 Steinmetz 'was assigned to the Pacific war zone as commander of Patrol Frigate Division 29. His flagship was the USS El Paso (PF-41). While serving there until February 1945, his division performed convoy escort duties, maintained supply, and fired many successful missions on Japanese-held positions from New Guinea into the Philippines. Captain Steinmetz was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious operations against the enemy.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Patrol Frigate Division 29 staff and Coast Guard crew, Nov 1943 - Feb 1945
- Limitations
- Documents division-level command and the hull's flagship role; no asbestos or material content. Division operations overlap but do not duplicate the ship's own war diary - vessel-history context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-el-paso-pf41-05
-
[7]NARA Catalog: RG 24 Muster Rolls file unit 'El Paso (PF-41), 12/31/44-3/31/46' (NAID 183476183, Roll 1468); RG 38 WWII War Diaries - ~18 monthly 'USS EL PASO - War Diary' file units Feb 1944 - Nov 1945 (e.g., NAID 78337266 2/44, 78445422 4/44, 78502025 6/44, 78571250 7/44, 134373807 9/44, 78663035 10/44, 78703999 11/44, 139839827 12/44, 139834292 1/45, 140002155 4/45, 140047979 5/45, 101704918 6/45, 101757193 7/45, 77551006 8/45, 77531003 9/45, 77566410 10/45, 633454351 11/45) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search "El Paso" "PF-41" (151 file-unit results; ship-specific NAIDs itemized in citation_value)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized ship-specific primary records exist for this hull at NARA: a RG 24 muster-roll file unit covering 31 December 1944 - 31 March 1946 (crew names/ratings for the weather-ship and inactivation period) and approximately eighteen monthly RG 38 war-diary file units covering February 1944 - November 1945 (operational record incl. the Oran convoy and weather-conversion periods). All are available online in the National Archives Catalog.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Crew listed on the 1944-46 muster rolls; all hands 1944-45 in war diaries
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: catalog entries and digitized images verified to exist; page-level content not reviewed this session. War diaries and muster rolls document operations and personnel, not materials - machinery/alteration detail bearing on asbestos would more likely sit in work packages, not these series. Muster coverage located begins 31 Dec 1944; earlier muster segments for this hull not located in catalog search.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-el-paso-pf41-06
-
[8]shipbuildinghistory.com (Colton), Consolidated Steel Corp., Wilmington CA yard list (live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- consolidatedwilmington.htm table row 'W 526 El Paso'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder-yard compilation row for this hull: Consolidated Steel Wilmington yard number 526; Maritime Commission hull 1452; MARCOM type listed 'S2-S1-AQ1' (vs DANFS/NavSource 'S2-S2-AQ1' - variant carried in gaps); ordered 8 December 1942; delivered/commissioned 1 December 1943; listed 'PF 41, weather ship 1944, scrapped 1947.' Neighboring rows document the Wilmington yard's PF run (Eugene 525, Van Buren 527, Orange 528, Corpus Christi 529).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Wilmington trades (1943)
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary shipbuilding compilation (Colton), not a primary MARCOM record; its 'weather ship 1944' compresses the documented 1945 conversion and 'scrapped 1947' is asserted without a buyer or scrapping-yard record - disposition carried as secondary in the record and flagged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-el-paso-pf41-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource propulsion block (two 3-drum express boilers; two 5,500 ihp J. Hendy Iron Works engines; two shafts); USCG Historian's Office spec ('2-shaft VTE, 3 boilers'); Maritime Commission S2-S2-AQ1 design (DANFS); Tacoma-class design context [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/08041.htm specifications; history.uscg.mil article 2552351 spec block; DANFS type designation
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A MARCOM S2-S2-AQ1 patrol frigate laid down June 1943 with a reciprocating steam plant (2-shaft vertical triple-expansion engines; 3-drum boilers) sits inside the era's documented shipboard asbestos-use window; era-standard applications aboard a steam frigate of this type were boiler and engine-room insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, valve packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. No hull-specific insulation schedule or material list was located.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades (1943); Coast Guard crew (1943-46); Brooklyn Navy Yard trades (1945 availabilities); 1947 breakup yard workers (unidentified)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Class/era evidence may contextualize but cannot become a ship-specific finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-el-paso-pf41-08
-
[10]The Coast Guard at War Vol. V (yard dates for this hull) + shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json record 'brooklyn-navy-yard' (New York Naval Shipyard; asbestos products documented at yard level incl. Kaylo/Owens-Illinois litigation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG-V1-2.html El Paso/Eugene passages; shipyards.json 'brooklyn-navy-yard' (37-yard dataset)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- This hull underwent two documented availabilities at the Brooklyn Navy Yard (New York Naval Shipyard) in 1945 - a February-March overhaul and the summer weather-ship conversion - inside that yard's documented asbestos-use era (Atlas yard record tier 3, asbestos products documented at yard level). Yard-level documentation plus documented hull presence; the asbestos scope of this hull's specific availabilities is unrecorded in located sources.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Brooklyn Navy Yard trades and ship's crew, Feb-Mar and summer 1945
- Limitations
- Yard-level inference on a documented hull presence - not a hull finding: no work package, job order, or material record for this hull's 1945 availabilities was located. Yard asbestos documentation does not transfer to the hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-el-paso-pf41-09
-
[11]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 construction (1943) and service era (1943-46) as well as its 1945 yard availabilities.
- 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, standing constraint from prior batches) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-el-paso-pf41-10
-
[12]Ayers v. Islamic Republic of Iran, No. 1:01-cv-01907 (D.D.C.) - Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act terrorism judgment (CourtListener opinions 6463347, 6465412) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener opinion 6463347 (Ayers), text at 'man[ning] the radios ... USS El Paso' (Beirut-recovery declaration)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- NAME COLLISION, not qualifying litigation: the only CourtListener opinion hits for exact-name 'USS El Paso' are two Ayers v. Islamic Republic of Iran opinions - terrorism judgments under the FSIA arising from the 1983 Beirut bombing aftermath, in which a declarant described 'man[ning] the radios' aboard the USS El Paso for about two weeks. That vessel is necessarily USS El Paso (LKA-117), the amphibious cargo ship in commission 1968-1994 - this hull (PF-41) was sold in 1947. No asbestos content; not this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1983 (events); 2020-2021 (opinions)
- Population
- Servicemember declarant aboard USS El Paso (LKA-117), 1983
- Limitations
- Collision classification only. A docket-level search and the hull-number queries could not be completed this session (fleet pacing budget) - litigation status remains open, not a negative result; see search_ledger and gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-el-paso-pf41-11
-
[13]Batch-8446 search ledger (this record): live NHHC DANFS; NavSource 12/08041; USCG Historian's Office dedicated page + Steinmetz biography; The Coast Guard at War Vol. V (HyperWar) + Vol. VII Weather Patrol (media.defense.gov via firecrawl); shipbuildinghistory.com; NARA catalog (war diaries + muster roll); NVR coverage check; CourtListener (partial - paced); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-el-paso-pf41-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS El Paso (PF-41) was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: only 1 of 4 CourtListener base queries completed this session - 'USS El Paso' opinion returned 2 hits (both Ayers/LKA-117 name collision, ev-11); the docket and hull-number queries were blocked by the fleet-wide pacing budget and are logged as blocked, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm marketing content (shepardlawfirm.com dedicated PF-41 page, mesothelioma.net, mesolawcenter.com listicles) asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- 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 - and the litigation-repository search is a genuine open gap (3 of 4 queries not run). Digitized NARA war diaries and muster rolls are unreviewed page-by-page; MARCOM contract and Brooklyn Navy Yard work-package records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-el-paso-pf41-12