Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]research packet 977-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-gloucester-pf22-pkt-977-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), Vol. III, p. 110, 'Gloucester II (PF-22)' - verbatim transcription (live NHHC DANFS page serves 404; hazegray.org down; transcription preserved at losthistory.net; archived NHHC capture at web.archive.org/web/20120919104714/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/g6/gloucester-ii.htm) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Vol. III p. 110, Gloucester II entry - spec block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched 12 July 1943 by Walter Butler Shipbuilding Co., Superior, Wis., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. Emily K. Ross; acquired and simultaneously commissioned 10 December 1943. After shakedown, employed training frigate crews at Galveston, Texas; attached to Escort Division 38 on 16 June 1944; ordered to the Alaskan Sea Frontier for transfer to Russia under lend-lease. Leased to Russia 4 September 1945 and renamed EK-26; served as a patrol vessel in the Far East. Returned to the United States at Yokosuka 31 October 1949; recommissioned 11 October 1950. Sailed 27 November 1950 for Korea; patrol and antisubmarine duties at Wonsan, Pusan, Inchon, and Kusan through 21 January 1951; combat 18 June 1951 blasting gun emplacements at Wonsan; on 11 November 1951 off Kojo took a direct hit in a duel with shore batteries that killed 1 man and wounded 11; repairs in Japan; arrived Yokosuka 5 September 1952 and decommissioned there 15 September 1952. Loaned to Japan 1 October 1953; struck from the Navy List 1 December 1961; transferred to Japan March 1962, serving as Tsuge (PF-292). Spec block: dp. 1430; l. 304'; b. 37'6"; dr. 15'; s. 20 k.; cpl. 190; 3 3", 4 40mm., 9 20mm., 8 dcp., 1 dcp. (h.h.); class Tacoma.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1962
- Population
- Walter Butler Shipbuilding construction trades 1943; USCG wartime crew (complement 190); USN Korean War crew 1950-52
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. DANFS does not state a laid-down date and does not state the 1945 decommissioning date (only the 4 September 1945 lease). Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404 and hazegray.org is unreachable; text verified verbatim against the archived NHHC capture.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gloucester-pf22-01
-
[3]Richard A. Russell, 'Project HULA: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan' (Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy, Washington, 1997; ISBN 0-945274-35-1) - official NHC monograph based on NARA and Russian naval archives [other_primary]
- Locator
- Project HULA pp. 34-35 (narrative: 4 September transfers, 17 September departure) and pp. 38-39 (appendix table: Gloucester (PF 22) / EK-26)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHC history names this hull: Soviet crews accepted two frigates 2 September 1945 and four more on 4 September 1945 (pp. 34-35); the four frigates transferred 4 September remained at Cold Bay for additional training and shakedown until 17 September, when they departed for Petropavlovsk. Appendix (pp. 38-39) lists Gloucester (PF 22) -> EK-26 among the 28 Tacoma-class frigates transferred under Project HULA; in October-November 1949 the Soviet navy returned 27 of the frigates (Gloucester returned 31 October 1949 per DANFS/NavSource). 149 ships were transferred to the Soviet navy at Cold Bay in 142 days.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-1949
- Population
- Soviet Navy crews trained at Cold Bay 1945; USCG/Navy transfer personnel (Navy Detachment 3294)
- Limitations
- Documents the transfer mechanics and Soviet designator for this hull; does not address materials, asbestos content, or crew health. The printed appendix table reads '9 Sep.' for this hull's transfer date - contradicted by the same book's narrative (4 September) and corrected in ev-07.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gloucester-pf22-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Frigate Photo Archive, 'Gloucester (PF 22)' - chronology, specifications, commanding officer listing [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource PF-22 page - chronology block, specifications block, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: MC type T. S2-S2-AQ1; laid down as Patrol Gunboat PG-130 under a Maritime Commission contract by Walter Butler Shipbuilding Co., Superior, Wisconsin; reclassified Patrol Frigate PF-22 on 15 April 1943; launched 12 July 1943; commissioned 10 December 1943; decommissioned 3 September 1945; transferred 4 September 1945 under Lend-Lease to the Soviet Union at Cold Harbor [Cold Bay], Alaska, reclassified EK-26; returned to U.S. custody 31 October 1949 at Yokosuka and laid up in Pacific Reserve Fleet, Yokosuka; recommissioned 11 October 1950; decommissioned 15 September 1952; transferred on loan to Japan 1 October 1953 as Tsuge (PF-292); struck from the Navy Register 1 December 1961; permanent custody transferred to Japan March 1962; JMSDF decommissioned 31 March 1968; returned to U.S. custody 31 March 1969; fate unknown. Specifications: 1,430 t; 303'11" x 37'6" x 13'8"; 20.3 kts; complement 190; propulsion two 240-psi 3-drum express boilers, two 5,500-ihp vertical triple-expansion J. Hendy Iron Works engines, two shafts. Commanding officer listed as LT J. C. Dickinson, USCGR - consistent with the USCG-manned status of the class in U.S. WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Population
- USCG wartime crew; USN Korean-era crew; Soviet crew 1945-49; JMSDF crew 1953-68
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained archival compilation, not a government source; its chronology agrees with DANFS where they overlap and extends coverage (reclassification date, PG-130 origin, USCG command, JMSDF return dates, machinery specifications) where DANFS is silent. 'Cold Harbor' is a transcription error for Cold Bay. Documents no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gloucester-pf22-03
-
[5]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 year (1943) and U.S. service eras (1943-45, 1950-52).
- 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, confirmed prior batch sessions) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gloucester-pf22-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (two 240-psi 3-drum express boilers; two 5,500-ihp vertical triple-expansion J. Hendy engines; MC type S2-S2-AQ1 built to merchant standards); DANFS spec block (Tacoma class); GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation (see ev-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; DANFS spec block; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A Maritime Commission-contract patrol frigate built at a Great Lakes yard in 1943 to the S2-S2-AQ1 merchant-standard design, with a twin-boiler steam plant driving two vertical triple-expansion engines, sits squarely inside the era in which naval and merchant steam vessels carried asbestos insulation throughout the engineering spaces. Era-standard applications for a vessel of this type and period: boiler and steam-drum insulation; steam-line lagging between firerooms and engine room; valve and flange gaskets; machinery packing; fireproofing; and deck coverings. The confined fireroom/engine-room volume of a 303-foot frigate concentrates any such materials.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Population
- Walter Butler construction trades 1943; USCG/USN crews 1943-45 and 1950-52; Soviet and JMSDF crews; whoever performed final disposal (location undocumented)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or abatement record located for PF-22. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Soviet-era (1945-49) and JMSDF-era (1953-68) material condition entirely undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gloucester-pf22-05
-
[7]National Archives, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' index - Gloucester (PF-22) absent from index [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov deck-log index, ship-name panel listing - 'Gloucester' returns no panel (index scanned 2026-10-04)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's online deck-log index lists no digitized deck logs for Gloucester (PF-22) - the hull name does not appear in the index at all, unlike sister hulls (e.g., Bayonne (PF-21), digitized 1951-52). Her 1943-45 and 1950-52 deck logs remain paper-only in RG 24 at NARA - the primary lead for ship-level availability, repair, and yard-period events.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1952
- Population
- USCG/USN crews 1943-45, 1950-52; yard trades during logged availabilities
- Limitations
- Index-level finding only: absence from the online index means no digital logs, not no logs - the RG 24 paper series almost certainly holds them. No log content was extracted; deck logs would document availabilities and port periods but rarely name materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gloucester-pf22-06
-
[8]Cross-source date/name check: DANFS Vol. III p. 110 vs Russell, Project HULA (NHC 1997) narrative pp. 34-35 and appendix p. 39 vs NavSource 12/08022.htm chronology vs secondary compilations (Wikipedia infobox, NavalCoverMuseum, shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Russell appendix p. 39 (printed '9 Sep.') vs narrative pp. 34-35 ('four more on 4 September'; 'the four frigates transferred on 4 September'); DANFS narrative; NavSource chronology
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTIONS to circulating data for this hull: (1) Soviet-transfer date - the printed appendix table in the NHC monograph reads '9 Sep.' for Gloucester (PF 22) with ditto marks for the three sisters below; the SAME monograph's narrative states twice that the last four frigates transferred on 4 September 1945, and DANFS ('leased to Russia 4 September 1945') and NavSource ('transferred 4 September 1945') both confirm 4 September - the appendix '9 Sep.' is a documented internal typo, 1945-09-04 carried. (2) Wikipedia infobox 'reclassified PF-34' - every authoritative source carries PF-22; PF-34 was Long Beach's number; not carried. (3) shipbuildinghistory prints 'to Japan 1853 as Tsuge' - a 1953 typo. (4) JMSDF pennant - secondary sources give PF-12 redesignated PF-292 on 1 September 1957; DANFS and NavSource carry only PF-292; the discrepancy is flagged in gaps, not adjudicated.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Corrects circulating errors, not a materials claim. The Project HULA appendix typo is worth flagging because the same PDF circulates as the authoritative transfer table; any downstream record citing '9 Sep.' traces to it. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gloucester-pf22-07
-
[9]Batch-8425 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription (losthistory.net + archived NHHC capture); NHC Project HULA monograph; NavSource PF-22; NARA deck-log index; NVR; GAO product page; shipyards.json; USCG Historian (blocked); CourtListener (blocked - fleet pacing budget saturated, no results returned); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-gloucester-pf22-01 through sl-uss-gloucester-pf22-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos documentation located in any repository searched this session: no ACM survey or inventory, no abatement or shipbreaking contract, no hazmat disclosure, no official exposure finding, and no qualifying asbestos litigation naming USS Gloucester (PF-22) surfaced in the open-web sweep. Litigation scope is INCOMPLETE: the four required CourtListener base queries (exact-name opinion, exact-name docket, hull-number opinion, hull-number docket) were attempted repeatedly through the authenticated helper but never executed - the fleet pacing budget stayed saturated for the full session and every call returned 'pacing spent'. Litigation absence is therefore unverified, not established.
- 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 - the hull's foreign service (Soviet 1945-49, JMSDF 1953-68) leaves long undocumented material windows, and any disposal-path abatement is unrecorded in public sources. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gloucester-pf22-08