USS Groton (PF-29)

Evidence

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

1. [1]research packet 978-packet.md [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-groton-pf29-pkt-978-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, Groton I (PF-29) - live NHHC page [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Groton I (PF-29) entry, spec block + service narrative (live page verified 2026-10-04; NHHC serves HTTP 404 to default/bot user-agents, 200 to browser user-agents)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: formerly PG-137, launched under Maritime Commission contract by Walter Butler Shipbuilding Co., Inc., Superior, Wis., 14 September 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Percy Palmer; commissioned 5 September 1944, Lt. P. L. Chase, USCGR, in command. Shakedown training off Bermuda; reported for Atlantic duty 30 October 1944; departed 2 November for Argentia, Newfoundland, arriving 5 November; sailed 6 November for her North Atlantic weather station, sending reports to allied weather stations and guiding wartime traffic to Europe; based at Argentia until sailing for Boston 7 February 1945; back on station 10 days later; weather picket duty until 15 November 1945, then returned to Boston for transfer to the Coast Guard; simultaneously decommissioned and commissioned in the Coast Guard 13 March 1946; USCG weather duty off Argentia until decommissioning 25 September [1946] at New Orleans; moved to Lake Charles, La., in November; returned to New Orleans January 1947; turned over to the State Department for disposal and sold to the Government of Colombia 26 March 1947, serving as Almirante Padilla. Spec block: dp. 1,264; l. 303'11"; b. 37'6"; dr. 13'8"; s. 20k.; cpl. 190; a. 3 3"; cl. Tacoma.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1947

   Population

   Walter Butler Shipbuilding construction trades (1943-44, Superior WI); USCG commissioning crew and USCG-manned Navy crew (1944-46); USCG crew under loan (1946)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific service history and specifications only - DANFS contains no materials or asbestos content. Does not give a laid-down date (15 July 1943 carried from NavSource/uboat.net), a commissioning location, or a U.S. Navy strike date. 'Decommissioning 25 September' at New Orleans conflicts with NavSource/uboat.net '29 September 1946' - carried in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-groton-pf29-01

3. [3]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, USS Groton, PF-29 asset page (24 Mar 2021) - live page [other_primary]

   Locator

   USCG Historian's Office asset page, spec block + History + Sources (live, verified 2026-10-04)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   USCG Historian's Office record for this hull: launched under Maritime Commission contract by Walter Butler Shipbuilding Co., Inc., Superior, Wisconsin, 14 September 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Percy Palmer; commissioned 5 September 1944 with Lieutenant P. L. Chase, USCGR, in command - a U.S. Coast Guard-manned Navy frigate. Spec block: 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, 2 x 40mm (2x2), 9 x 20mm, Hedgehog, 8 depth-charge projectors, 2 racks - with the class-fit note that 'for those frigates fitted out for weather patrol duty, the after 3-inch gun was removed and a weather balloon hanger was added aft.' Service summary tracks DANFS: shakedown off Bermuda, Argentia-based North Atlantic weather picket November 1944 - November 1945, simultaneous decommissioning/commissioning into the Coast Guard 13 March 1946, USCG weather duty off Argentia, decommissioning 25 September 1946 at New Orleans, Lake Charles lay-up, sale to Colombia 26 March 1947 as Almirante Padilla. Page sources: The Coast Guard At War, Transports and Escorts, Vol. V, No. 1; Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946; DANFS Vol. III, p. 164.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1947

   Population

   USCG crew (commissioning and loan-service crews); construction trades, Walter Butler Superior (1943-44)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific history/specification record only - no asbestos or materials content. Boiler count reads '3 boilers' where NavSource and the class spec read two 3-drum express boilers - carried in gaps. Displacement 2,230 t (likely loaded figure) vs DANFS 1,264 t and NavSource 1,430 t - variants noted. Draft 12'8" vs DANFS/NavSource 13'8" - variant noted. The weather-patrol fit note (after 3" removed, weather balloon hangar added) is a class-fit statement; this hull spent her entire U.S. career on weather-picket duty, but the source does not name Groton specifically for that fit.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-groton-pf29-02

4. [4]NavSource Online: Frigate Photo Archive, USCGC Groton (PF 29) ex-USS Groton (PF 29) ex-PG-137 - designation timeline, specifications, commanding officers, photo archive [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 12/08029.htm header block (ex-PG-137), timeline, specifications, commanding-officer table, photo captions incl. 16 Jan 1952 Han Estuary image

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource designation record for this hull (page header 'ex-PG-137', call sign Nan-Zebra-Victor-Oboe): originally authorized as Patrol Gunboat PG-137; reclassified Patrol Frigate PF-29, 15 April 1943; laid down 15 July 1943 under a Maritime Commission contract by Walter Butler Shipbuilding Co., Superior, Wisconsin; launched 14 September 1943; commissioned USS Groton (PF-29) 5 September 1944; decommissioned 13 March 1946 at Boston, MA, transferred to the Coast Guard and recommissioned the same day as USCGC Groton (PF 29); decommissioned 29 September 1946 at New Orleans, LA, returned to Navy custody and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Lake Charles, LA; transferred to the State Department, Foreign Liquidation Commission, 26 March 1947 for disposal; sold to Colombia and renamed ARC Almirante Padilla (F 11); 'Fate unknown.' Specifications: 1,430 t.; 303'11"; 37'6"; 13'8"; 20.3 kts.; complement 214; two 3"/50 DP mounts, two twin 40mm, nine 20mm, Hedgehog, eight Y-gun DC projectors, two DC tracks; propulsion 'Two 3-drum express boilers, two 5,500ihp Valley Iron Works vertical triple expansion steam engines, two shafts.' Commanding officers listed: CDR John Nelson Zeller, USCG (5 Sep 1944 - Sep 1944); LT Philip L. Chase, USCGR (Sep 1944); LCDR John Lenci, USCG (24 Jun 1946). Photo archive documents this hull underway off Charleston c. October 1944 (NARA photo 80-G-181225) and at Argentia, Newfoundland, c. 1 July - 21 October 1945, and as ARC Almirante Padilla in the Han Estuary, South Korea, alongside USS Jason (ARH-1) on 16 January 1952 (U.S. Navy photo).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1965

   Population

   USCG-manned U.S. Navy crew (1944-46); USCG crew (1946); Colombian Navy crew (1947-c.1965)

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestones generally track DANFS. Contains no asbestos content. Entries conflicting with documented records: USCG decommissioning '29 September 1946' (DANFS/USCG read 25 September); complement '214' (DANFS/USCG read 190); 'fate unknown' (secondary sources read stricken 1965); pennant 'F 11' vs shipbuildinghistory 'FG 11' - all carried in gaps. Armament reads two 3"/50 where DANFS/USCG read three - consistent with the documented weather-patrol fit removing the after gun, but unverified for this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-groton-pf29-03

5. [5]Briscoe, Charles H., 'Across the Pacific to War: The Colombian Navy in Korea, 1951-1955,' Veritas (Journal of Army Special Operations History), Vol. 2, No. 4, 2006 (U.S. Army Special Operations Command history publication) - live page [other_primary]

   Locator

   Veritas v2n4 article text (Colombian Navy section): purchase identity sentence, Cartagena departure, San Diego arrival, Long Beach Naval Yard repair contract, Sasebo/TF 95.13 assignment, Wonsan service, 12 Feb 1952 relief

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   U.S. Army official history-journal account documenting this hull's Colombian service as the frigate Almirante Padilla ('a 1944 U.S. Tacoma-class patrol frigate (former USS Groton-renamed Almirante Padilla) purchased in 1947'): dispatch authorized by Colombian Executive Decree No. 3230 (25 Oct 1950); departed Cartagena 1 November 1950 with a crew of 190 (ten officers, 180 seamen) for San Diego Naval Base combat refitting, arriving 13 November 1950; on arrival 'the fundamental systems of propulsion, communications, armament, and fire control were inadequate' and Lt Cdr Reyes Canal 'contracted repair work at the Long Beach Naval Yard to begin on 12 December 1950' - an overhaul making the frigate seaworthy, with new guns and fire-control systems still required; departed 28 February 1951 for four weeks' training at Pearl Harbor; arrived Sasebo 5 May 1951 and assigned to the Patrol and Escort Group of Task Force 95.13 in the Yellow Sea; west-coast patrols with HMS Ceylon, HMS Kenya, HCMS Sioux, and USS Glendale; shifted 14 June 1951 to the east-coast siege of Wonsan, dropping off and retrieving Special Mission Group agents and raiding parties (Yo-do forward base); Yokosuka refit circa October 1951; November 1951 - January 1952 Wonsan bombardment, contact-mine destruction, downed-pilot rescues, Yang-do support; relieved by the newly arrived Colombian frigate Capitan Tono (ex-USS Bisbee PF-46) and departed 12 February 1952 via Pearl Harbor, arriving Bocachica, Colombia, 20 March 1952.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1950-1952

   Population

   Colombian Navy crew of 190 (1950-52); Long Beach Naval Yard overhaul trades (Dec 1950 - early 1951); Pearl Harbor and Yokosuka maintenance/refit personnel (1951)

   Limitations

   Documents this hull's Colombian-era operations and a ship-specific Long Beach Naval Yard overhaul (Dec 1950 - early 1951) - not materials or asbestos content. The yard event is documented; any asbestos disturbance during that work is inference only (see ev-07). A U.S. Army official history-journal source citing Colombian records and interviews; not a Colombian official record itself.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-groton-pf29-04

6. [6]Republic of Korea Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, 'Background of Participation and Activity of each Forces' - Colombia section (official ROK government page) - live page [other_primary]

   Locator

   MPVA English page, Colombia section, 'Activity of the Navy' paragraphs

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official Republic of Korea government record of Colombian Korean War participation naming this hull's Colombian identity: Colombia informed the UN on 18 September 1950 of its dispatch of the frigate Almirante Padilla; the Padilla departed San Diego in mid-April 1951; 'the frigate, Almirante Padilla, was assigned to the Yellow sea blockading fleet led by the British Navy on May 11, 1951' and 'began coastal patrol operation between Cho Island and Suk Island in the Yellow Sea from May 14th'; after attaching to the East Sea blockading fleet she performed supply-ship protection, coastal patrol, and naval gunfire support, hitting an enemy shore-artillery unit with her guns at the end of October 1951; on 12 February 1952 the Capitan Tono took over the Almirante Padilla's mission. Confirms the ex-Groton hull's Korean War combat service under the Colombian flag.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1950-1952

   Population

   Colombian Navy crew (1951-52)

   Limitations

   Official ROK commemorative-history record; documents operations, not materials. 'Mid-April 1951' San Diego departure is looser than the U.S. Army account's 28 February 1951 Pearl Harbor transit departure (MPVA appears to date departure from San Diego after the refit window) - variant noted; operational dates (11/14 May 1951 Yellow Sea start; 12 Feb 1952 relief) align with the Veritas account. Describes her gun as '75mm' where U.S. sources document 3"/50 (76.2mm) - cosmetic rounding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-groton-pf29-05

7. [7]Designation/disposal cross-check: NavSource 12/08029.htm timeline vs DANFS Groton I (PF-29) entry vs USCG Historian asset page vs uboat.net ship page vs shipbuildinghistory PF table vs Wikipedia (secondary) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 12/08029.htm; DANFS Groton I; USCG Historian spec block; uboat.net ship/2241; shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net PF table row PF-29; Wikipedia USS Groton (PF-29) infobox

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   CORRECTIONS/CONFLICTS in circulating secondary data for this hull: (1) Final USCG decommissioning - DANFS and USCG Historian read 25 September 1946; NavSource and uboat.net read 29 September 1946; the DANFS/USCG figure is carried with the variant noted. (2) Complement - DANFS, USCG Historian, and Wikipedia read 190 (Colombian-era crew also 190 per Veritas); NavSource reads 214; 190 carried. (3) Colombian pennant - NavSource reads 'F 11'; shipbuildinghistory and Wikipedia read 'FG 11'; both variants noted, F 11 carried as primary-display. (4) Colombian-era disposition - NavSource reads 'fate unknown'; shipbuildinghistory and Wikipedia read stricken 1965; stricken 1965 carried with 'fate unknown' variant noted. (5) Propulsion - Wikipedia infobox reads 'turbines'; NavSource documents two Valley Iron Works vertical triple-expansion engines and USCG Historian reads '2-shaft VTE'; VTE carried (same documented Wikipedia infobox error as on other Tacoma-class pages). (6) Boilers - USCG Historian reads '3 boilers'; NavSource and the class spec read two 3-drum express boilers; two carried. (7) Armament - DANFS/USCG spec three 3"/50; NavSource reads two - consistent with the documented weather-patrol fit (after gun removed), unverified for this hull.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1965

   Limitations

   Corrects secondary-source conflicts against the weight of documented records, not a materials claim. Several resolved values still rest on secondary data (laid-down date 15 Jul 1943; Colombian stricken 1965). No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-groton-pf29-06

8. [8]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (Tacoma class, Maritime Commission design); NavSource specifications (two 3-drum express boilers; two 5,500-ihp Valley Iron Works vertical triple-expansion engines, two shafts; MC type T. S2-S2-AQ1); USCG Historian spec (2-shaft VTE); Tacoma-class program context (MC-contract steam escort built 1943-44 at Walter Butler, Superior WI); documented Dec 1950 - Feb 1951 overhaul of this hull at the Long Beach Naval Yard (Veritas, ev-04); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-use window (see ev-08) [other_primary]

   Locator

   DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications block; USCG Historian spec block; Veritas v2n4 (Long Beach Naval Yard repair contract); Tacoma-class program context

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   A 1943-44 steam-driven escort built to the Maritime Commission S2-S2-AQ1 design sits inside the documented Navy-wide asbestos-insulation era. Era-standard asbestos applications aboard a steam vessel of this type and period were: boiler and steam-drum insulation; steam-line lagging between machinery spaces; valve and flange gaskets; machinery packing; accommodation fireproofing; and deck coverings. The reciprocating triple-expansion plant concentrates the asbestos-relevant systems in the boiler/engine rooms and steam runs. This hull additionally underwent a documented combat overhaul at the Long Beach Naval Yard beginning 12 December 1950 (propulsion, communications, armament, and fire-control work per Veritas) - period yard work of a kind that disturbed machinery-space insulation, placing yard trades and the embarked Colombian crew in contact with era-standard materials during that availability.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1965

   Population

   Walter Butler Superior construction trades (1943-44); USCG-manned crew (1944-46); Long Beach Naval Yard overhaul trades (Dec 1950 - early 1951); Colombian Navy crew (1947-c.1965) during maintenance and equipment disturbance

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or abatement record located for PF-29. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The Long Beach yard event is documented (ev-04) but its asbestos scope is inference - the source does not mention insulation or asbestos. Does not establish that asbestos is or was present aboard, nor any individual exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-groton-pf29-07

9. [9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page HRD-80-2 (live, verified 2026-10-04; full-text PDF 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 (1943-44) and U.S. service era (1944-46). GAO's fieldwork reviewed asbestos use, removal costs, and worker-protection efforts at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards; the Navy's 1975 policy removed/replaced only damaged insulation, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1979 (report); policy window through early 1970s

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers (program review); asbestos exposure policy population

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull - PF-29 is not named, and the report addresses U.S. Navy programs, not her Colombian service period. Of the two fieldwork yards, Long Beach Naval Shipyard is relevant to this hull only through the documented Dec 1950 Colombian-contracted overhaul (ev-04) - GAO's 1979 fieldwork does not describe that event. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov PDF blocked to automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-04) - content via live product-page description.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-groton-pf29-08

10. [10]Batch-8432 search ledger (this record): DANFS (live NHHC); USCG Historian's Office; NavSource PF archive; NARA deck-log index; GAO HRD-80-2 product page; NVR coverage check; U.S. Army Veritas monograph; ROK MPVA; Colombian naval museum; secondary web litigation sweep; CourtListener (see ledger sl-07) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-groton-pf29-01 through sl-uss-groton-pf29-09

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, government health evaluation, or docketed case naming USS Groton (PF-29 / PG-137 / USCGC Groton / Almirante Padilla) was found in the public sources searched. The only 'asbestos aboard' material on the open web is law-firm marketing listicles asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. Her hull left U.S. custody in 1947, before the modern asbestos-litigation era, which plausibly reduces the litigation surface, but that is context, not a finding. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the fleet-paced helper reported the shared request budget momentarily spent on each of four spaced attempts across the session; logged as blocked in the search ledger, not as a negative result.

    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 - this hull was a steam-powered 1943 escort built inside the documented Navy asbestos-insulation era, so era inference stands on its own. The litigation repository search is a genuine open gap where blocked (not run to completion). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-groton-pf29-09