USS Guam (PG-43)

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]research packet 992-packet.md [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: USS Guam PG-43 → VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-guam-pg43-pkt-992-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, Guam I (PG-43) (construction, sponsor, commissioning, PR-3 reclassification, Yangtze service incidents, renaming, November-December 1941 events, surrender) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Guam I entry - service narrative and spec block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documented for this hull: launched 28 May 1927 by the Kiangnan Dock and Engineering Works, Shanghai, China; sponsored by Miss Louise Frances Bruce; commissioned 28 December 1927, Lt. Comdr. S. G. Moore in command. 'One of six new river gunboats built to replace old gunboats on the Yangtze'; after a year assigned to the South China patrol, 'reclassified PR-3 there on 15 June 1928.' On 4 July 1930 she took rifle fire steaming for Yochow and Chenglin to protect American missionaries - one crew member killed; she returned fire with machine guns and 3-inch guns in five runs past the city. December 1937: evacuated American civilians from Wuhu to Hankow ahead of Japanese forces; a year later station ship at Standard Vacuum Oil installations, Hankow. By 1939 'escorted' by a Japanese warship wherever she went. January 1941: renamed Wake, the former name wanted for a new battle cruiser building in the States. 25 November 1941: ordered to close the Navy installation at Hankow, distribute 80 tons of supplies among American civilians, and sail to Shanghai. On reaching the China coast 30 November she was stripped and her crew divided between gunboats Luzon and Oahu for Manila; a skeleton crew of 10 reservists under a Shanghai commercial pilot remained as a radio outlet. On 8 December 1941, after the reservist crew failed in their attempts to scuttle her, Wake was surrendered to the overwhelming Japanese force - 'the only U.S. ship to do so in the entire war.' Spec block: PG-43: dp. 350; l. 159'5"; b. 27'; dr. 5'3"; s. 14.5 k.; cpl. 59; a. 2 3", 8 .30 cal. mg.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1926-1941 (entry coverage)

   Population

   Kiangnan construction workforce (1926-27); gunboat crew (~59 per spec block; 10 reservists at capture)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Entry coverage ends at the surrender - Japanese-service and postwar chronology comes from other rows. Skeleton-crew count '10 reservists' conflicts with the 14-man figure in secondary compilations (see gaps). The DANFS narrative gives 'January 1941' for the renaming - the exact 23 January 1941 date comes from NavalCoverMuseum. Live NHHC page verified 2026-10-04.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-guam-pg43-01

3. [3]Lt. (j.g.) E. M. Ellis, USN, 'New Gunboat Construction at Shanghai,' U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, Vol. 55/9/319, September 1929 [other_primary]

   Locator

   USNI Proceedings September 1929 article body - construction program, machinery, dimensions, complement paragraphs

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Contemporary first-hand account by an officer of the supervising staff: in March 1926 contracts were let to the Kiangnan Dock and Engineering Company, Shanghai, for six new gunboats - Luzon, Oahu, Mindanao, Panay, Guam, and Tutuila - to replace Helena, Pigeon, Penguin, Elcano, Villalobos, and Pampanga. Commander Bryson Bruce and Commander L. S. Border (CC), USN, supervised from an office at the Kiangnan works. Three sizes: Luzon and Mindanao 198 ft/31-ft beam/615 tons/6-ft draft; Oahu and Panay 180 ft/28-ft beam/474 tons/5'6" draft; Guam and Tutuila 150 ft/27-ft beam/378 tons/5'3" draft. Reciprocating engines were specified because shallow draft forbade turbines; Guam's and Tutuila's engines were built in the Kiangnan machine shops to English machinery standards, while the other four boats' engines were made at the New York Navy Yard. Two Thornycroft boilers, each fitted with three Thornycroft burners and one Ray burner; contract speed 14 knots, both small boats exceeded 15 knots on trial. Design complement: three line officers, a medical officer, and forty-seven men. Armament: two 3-inch 23-caliber guns and eight Lewis machine guns in specially protected mounts. Guam commissioned 28 December 1927; Tutuila 2 March 1928.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1926-1929

   Population

   Kiangnan construction workforce (1926-28); design complement 51 officers and men

   Limitations

   Contemporary professional-journal article, not an official design record - figures are design values (e.g., 378 tons, 150 ft length, complement 51) that differ from the DANFS spec block (350 tons, 159'5", cpl. 59); both are carried and the differences are logged in gaps. No asbestos or material content - insulation materials are not discussed. Contains period language typical of 1929 writing.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-guam-pg43-02

4. [4]National Museum of the U.S. Navy (NHHC), '1941: December 8: Capture of USS Wake (PR-3)' photo exhibit page, incl. NH 96568 (SNLF celebration photo, Bund background) and 19-LC-14-36 (Dec. 1927 standardization-trial caption) [museum_official]

   Locator

   NMUSN WWII-Pacific exhibit '1941: December 8: Capture of USS Wake (PR-3)' - page text and photo captions incl. NH 96568, 19-LC-14-36

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC museum exhibit text: 'On December 8, 1941, USS Wake (PR-3), a river gunboat moored at Shanghai, China, surrendered to the Japanese... During World War II, Wake was the only U.S. Navy vessel to have been captured by the enemy intact. Renamed Tatara by the Japanese, the gunboat survived the war.' Photo NH 96568: 'Japanese special naval landing force personnel celebrate after they captured USS WAKE on the first day of World War II in the Pacific. The Shanghai "Bund" is in the background' (Naval Historical Foundation). Photo 19-LC-14-36 caption: 'USS Guam (PG 43), standardization trial 8.90 knots, off Woosung, China, December 14, 1927' - a U.S. Bureau of Ships photograph held at the National Archives.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1927; 1941-1949

   Population

   Skeleton reservist crew at capture (10 per DANFS; 14 per secondary compilations)

   Limitations

   Official museum-page confirmation of the capture and multi-flag fate; no asbestos or material content. Two internal inconsistencies in NHHC museum text are logged in gaps, not propagated: the 19-LC-14-36 caption says 'transferred to China in 1942' (the documented transfer year is 1946) and the exhibit text says 'In 1949, she was transferred to China' (1949 is the Communist-capture year; the Nationalist transfer was 1946). The exhibit text also prints 'Tai Yaun' (typo for Tai Yuan).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-guam-pg43-03

5. [5]NavalCoverMuseum (Torsk Volunteer Association/NHHC-affiliated postal history wiki), 'WAKE PR 3' - ship name and designation history, postal history, awards [museum_official]

   Locator

   WAKE PR 3 page - 'Ship Name and Designation History' table, postmark sections, awards list

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Designation timeline for this hull: shallow-draft river gunboat, keel laid 17 October 1926, launched 28 May 1927; USS GUAM PG-43 commissioned 28 December 1927; USS GUAM PR-3 reclassified River Gunboat 15 June 1928; USS WAKE PR-3 renamed 23 January 1941; surrendered to Imperial Japanese forces at Shanghai 8 December 1941; struck from Naval Register 25 March 1942; IJN TATARA renamed by the Imperial Japanese Navy, recovered by U.S. forces August 1945; TAI YUAN - transferred to Nationalist China 1946 and renamed; captured by Communist Chinese forces 1949; fate unknown. Awards listed: Yangtze Service Medal, China Service Medal, American Defense Service Medal with 'FLEET' clasp, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one battle star, World War II Victory Medal. Postal history documents the rename in postmark devices (last 'GUAM' device use 22 July 1941; first 'WAKE' day of postal service 23 July 1941).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1926-1949

   Population

   Construction workforce 1926-27; crew 1927-1941

   Limitations

   Philatelic-museum compilation - the sole located source for the 17 October 1926 keel-laying date and the 23 January 1941 rename date; both are consistent with DANFS/NavSource month-level statements but unverified against a primary registry. No asbestos or material content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-guam-pg43-04

6. [6]NavSource Online: Gunboat Photo Archive, Wake (PR 3) ex-Guam (PR 3) - designation timeline, specifications, commanding officers, photographic record [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 12/09043.htm - header designation block, specifications block, commanding-officers table, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource timeline and specifications for this hull: laid down by the Kiangnan Dock and Engineering Works, Shanghai; launched 28 May 1927; commissioned USS Guam (PG-43) 28 December 1927; reclassified River Gunboat PR-3 15 June 1928; renamed Wake January 1941; surrendered to Japanese forces at Shanghai 8 December 1941; struck from the Naval Register 25 March 1942; renamed HIJNS Tatara by Japan; recovered by U.S. forces August 1945; transferred to Nationalist China 1946 and renamed RCS Tai Yuan; captured by Communist Chinese forces 1949; fate unknown. Specifications: displacement 350 t; length 159'5"; beam 27'1"; draft 5'3" mean; speed 14.5 kts; complement 59; armament two 3-inch gun mounts and eight .30-cal. Lewis machine guns; propulsion two 950-hp triple-expansion steam engines, two shafts. Commanding-officer list includes LCDR Robert King Awtrey (30 August 1926-1928, pre-commissioning), LCDR Samuel Gunnell Moore (1928), LCDR Andrew Earl Harris (April 1940 - 25 November 1941), LCDR Columbus Darwin Smith USNR (25 November - 8 December 1941), and LT Yasumura Taiichi IJN (15 December 1941). Photo captions document the Woosung standardization trials of 14-15 December 1927 (runs at 8.00, 8.90, 12.00, and 15.62 knots), Yangtze service through the 1930s alongside Tutuila and Panay, and the 8 December 1941 SNLF capture photo (NH 96568).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1926-1949

   Population

   Kiangnan construction workforce; crew (~59); 10-14 reservists at capture

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track DANFS/NVR but the CO list and some photo captions rest on contributed material. Contains no asbestos content. Cited URL verified live at www.navsource.net 2026-10-04 (the defunct navsource.org domain was not used).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-guam-pg43-05

7. [7]CombinedFleet.com, 'IJN Gunboat TATARA: Tabular Record of Movement,' Hackett, Kingsepp & Cundall, Rev. 4 (2007-2018) [other_primary]

   Locator

   combinedfleet.com/tatara_t.htm - tabular entries 1926-1949 and Authors' Notes

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Detailed secondary chronology covering the Japanese-service and late-war periods that DANFS does not: renamed IJN TATARA 15 December 1941, attached to the Sasebo Naval District and assigned to the China Area Fleet Shanghai Base Force, Lt. Yasumura Taiichi CO; refit at the Kiangnan Engineering and Dock Works December 1941 - January 1942 (two 3-inch AA guns installed); Yangtze patrols out of Shanghai, Nanking, and Hankow through 1942-44; grounding off Nanking 11 October 1942 and Kiangnan repairs 12 October - 5 November 1942; reassigned with NARUMI to the 24th Gunboat Division, Anking Area Guard Unit, 1 October 1944; repeated attacks by USAAF B-24s/B-25s/P-51s in December 1944 near Kiukiang; battle-damage repairs and AA upgrade at Kiangnan 24 December 1944 - 2 February 1945 (several 13.2-mm Type 93 machine guns installed); based at Anking March-May 1945; received war-termination notice at Shanghai 15 August 1945; surrendered to Allied forces 9 September 1945; removed from the [Japanese] Navy List 30 September 1945; ceded to the Chinese Nationalist Party 1946 and renamed RCS TAI YUAN; captured by the People's Republic of China 1949 - 'serves into the 1960s.' Also documents the 8 December 1941 capture sequence (demolition charges rigged; SNLF boarding about 0400; crew taken POW; Smith caught ashore also made POW; HMS Peterel moored nearby refused the surrender demand and was sunk by Japanese gunfire, six of 21 crew lost), the 7-18 November 1941 withdrawal orders (FDR's 7 November order; Admiral Hart's 18 November order to ComYangPat Glassford), the 14-man skeleton crew, and Smith's 1944 escape - 'walk 700 miles across Japanese-occupied China to freedom.'

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1941-1949

   Population

   IJN crew 1941-45; Kiangnan repair workforce 1941-42, 1944-45; POW skeleton crew

   Limitations

   Volunteer secondary compilation (Hackett, Kingsepp, Cundall) built largely from Japanese-language sources - authoritative in practice for IJN movements but not a primary registry; fine-grained repair/patrol dates and the 'serves into the 1960s' fate claim are unverified against primary records. Where TROM conflicts with DANFS or NHHC (skeleton-crew 14 vs 10; Shanghai arrival 28 vs 30 November; post-1949 fate), the official source is carried and the conflict is in gaps. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-guam-pg43-06

8. [8]Era inference built on: NavSource propulsion specifications (two 950-hp triple-expansion steam engines, two shafts); USNI 1929 (two Thornycroft boilers; reciprocating engines specified; Kiangnan-built machinery); DANFS spec block (steam gunboat, 14.5 kts); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-08) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource specifications block; USNI 1929 machinery paragraphs; DANFS spec block; GAO HRD-80-2 pp. 1-3 (Navy's policy on use of asbestos)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   A coal/oil-fired steam gunboat built 1926-27 - two Thornycroft boilers feeding two triple-expansion engines at up to 375 rpm inside a 350-ton shallow-draft hull - carried the era-standard asbestos applications for a steam vessel of her period: boiler and steam-pipe lagging, machinery insulation, gaskets, and valve packing. The documented Navy asbestos-thermal-insulation era (specification change to asbestos-free materials only in 1973; elimination policy 1975; GAO HRD-80-2) spans this hull's entire 1927-1941 U.S. service life, and asbestos lagging was standard marine steam-plant insulation decades earlier. She was built at a Chinese commercial yard to English machinery standards and served four navies - no U.S. shipyard asbestos record attaches to her, and no material record survives her 1949 disappearance into Chinese service.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1926-1949

   Population

   Kiangnan construction workforce (1926-27); gunboat crew 1927-41; IJN crew 1941-45; ROC/PRC crews 1946-forward

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, builder specification, or work package located for this hull. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity; no manufacturer attribution; no statement about materials remaining aboard at any point after capture.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-guam-pg43-07

9. [9]GAO, Navy's Efforts to Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - full text retrieved this session [gao]

   Locator

   HRD-80-2 letter and Enclosure I text - 'NAVY'S POLICY ON USE OF ASBESTOS' section

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented that thermal insulation 'was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships'; that Navy product specifications for thermal insulation were changed in 1973 to specify asbestos-free materials, though purchased stock kept asbestos insulation going into ships under construction as late as May 1978; and that the Navy's elimination policy was issued October 1975. The Navy asbestos-insulation era thereby documented spans this hull's entire U.S. service life (1927-1941) and the whole multi-decade steam-ship construction practice around her.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1979 (report); documents practice across earlier decades

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull - GAO's subject was protection of Long Beach/Norfolk shipyard workers, and no ship of this type, era, or builder is addressed. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, exposure, or quantity. Full text retrieved via Firecrawl this session (gao.gov PDF fetch succeeded; earlier batches logged HTTP 403).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-guam-pg43-08

10. [10]Designation/name-collision cross-check: NHHC ship-index pages for USS Guam (CB-2) and USS Guam (LPH-9); DANFS Guam I rename narrative ('her former name was to be used for a new battle cruiser building in the States'); NavSource designation line (PG-43 -> PR-3 -> Tatara -> Tai Yuan) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NHHC alphabetical ship listing pages uss-guam--cb-2-0.html and uss-guam--lph-9-0.html; DANFS Guam I rename paragraph; NavSource header designation line

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    CORRECTION/CONSOLIDATION: this record covers one physical hull across four flags - USS Guam (PG-43, 1927-41) = USS Wake (PR-3, 1941) = IJN Tatara (1941-45) = RCS Tai Yuan (1946-49). Two distinct USS Guams are different hulls, not this ship: USS Guam (CB-2), an Alaska-class large cruiser commissioned 17 September 1944 (the rename reason documented by DANFS), and USS Guam (LPH-9), an Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ship in service 1965-1998 - NHHC's own ship index lists them separately. No Gato-class submarine named Guam exists; a 'Gato class' association for this hull found in secondary databases is erroneous - she is a shallow-draft river gunboat. Separately, the RCS Tai Yuan name of this hull collides with a different ROC ship, ex-USS Riley (DE-579), which served as ROCS Tai Yuan (DE-27).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-04

    Study period

    1927-1998 (name collision span)

    Limitations

    Corrects identity conflation, not a material claim. The CB-2 and LPH-9 pages are NHHC's official index entries confirming those names belonged to other hulls; the 'Gato class' mislabel's specific origin database is not identified - logged as a batch VERIFY note, not re-propagated.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-guam-pg43-09

11. [11]Batch-8529 search ledger (this record): DANFS live page; NHHC museum exhibit + photo pages; USNI Proceedings 1929; NavalCoverMuseum; NavSource; CombinedFleet TROM; GAO HRD-80-2 full text; CourtListener via cl-auth-search.py (6 queries); secondary web sweep [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-guam-pg43-10 through -14 (CourtListener queries and classifications)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying litigation naming USS Guam (PG-43), USS Wake (PR-3), IJN Tatara, or RCS Tai Yuan was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener (authenticated API v4, 2026-10-04): "USS Guam" opinions - 3 hits, all name collisions (two Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review courts-martial involving personnel of a later USS Guam (LPH-9 era), and Government of Guam v. United States, a territory environmental case); "USS Guam" dockets - 4 hits, all name collisions (two Government of Guam v. U.S. Department of Navy environmental dockets, a copyright case, and an Iran-terrorism default-judgment case); "PG-43" opinions - 277 hits, all page-fragment noise ('pg. 43' citation fragments), none ship-related; "PG-43" dockets - 9,735 hits, all 'pg 43' docket-description fragments, none ship-related; "PG-43" asbestos opinion variant - 7 hits, all asbestos-domain cases (Bestwall/Georgia-Pacific bankruptcy, DBMP/CertainTeed, GJ Leasing building-asbestos, school and university abatement cases) matching page fragments, none naming this hull. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case or ship-specific asbestos content.

    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 docket-level 'PG-43 asbestos' variant remained unserved at cutoff (fleet pacing contention - logged in search_ledger); the completed queries cover the name and hull identities on the opinion side, and the docket base query's 9,735 fragment hits contained no ship reference on its face. Deck logs, Kiangnan construction records, and any PRC-era material records are undigitized or unrecoverable leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-guam-pg43-10