Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet 976-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-gulfport-pf20-pkt-976-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Gulfport II (PF-20) (NHHC live page, verified 2026-10-04) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Gulfport II (PF-20)', specifications block + service narrative + disposition lines
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull (entry combines the first Gulfport, AK-5, and this hull as Gulfport II; headnote 'A city in Mississippi' - the ship was named for Gulfport, Miss.): frigate launched 21 August 1943 by the American Shipbuilding Co., Cleveland, Ohio; sponsored by Mrs. John C. Chambers; commissioned at Gulfport, Miss., 16 September 1944, Comdr. G. A. Knudsen, USCG, in command. Shakedown at Bermuda, B.W.I.; returned to Norfolk for training 2 December 1944; departed with her first convoy from Norfolk to Oran, Algeria, 18 December 1944; continued convoy-escort duty between Algeria and the United States until VE day. Scheduled for conversion to a weather ship, entered New York Navy Yard 5 July 1945; on completion assigned to the Pacific Fleet, sailing via the Panama Canal and Pearl Harbor to her new home port of Adak, Alaska, arriving 16 September 1945; performed weather duties in the Pacific area until decommissioning 28 May 1946 at Seattle. Struck from the Navy List 19 June 1946; sold to Zidell Ship Dismantling Co. for scrap 13 November 1947 at Seattle. Spec block (PF-20): displacement 1,264; length 303'11"; beam 37'6"; draft 13'8"; complement 190; armament 3 x 3-inch; class Tacoma.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- American Shipbuilding Cleveland construction trades 1943-44; Coast Guard-manned crew 1944-1946
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The spec-block figures for this hull (displacement 1,264; draft 13'8"; armament 3 x 3-inch as built) conflict with or differ from USCG/NavSource figures (displacement 2,230/1,430; draft 12'8"; post-conversion 2 x 3-inch with weather-balloon hangar) - carried in gaps. The entry gives no laid-down date or Maritime Commission hull number.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gulfport-pf20-01
-
[3]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'USS Gulfport, PF-20' asset page (published 2021-03-22; verified live 2026-10-04), with Historian's Office biography of first CO Rear Admiral George A. Knudsen [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG Historian's Office asset page (specifications + History + sources); 'Rear Admiral George A. Knudsen' biography page (WWII service paragraphs)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Coast Guard Historian's Office record for this hull: builder American Ship Building Company, Cleveland, OH; propulsion '2-shaft VTE, 3 boilers'; range 9,500 nm at 12 kt; speed 20 kt; complement 190; displacement 2,230 tons; armament 3 x 3"/50, 4 x 40mm (2x2), 9 x 20mm, 1 Hedgehog, 8 depth charge projectors, 2 depth charge racks. Confirms Coast Guard manning: CDR O. A. Knudsen, USCG, assumed command at commissioning at Gulfport, Mississippi - 'her namesake city' - on 16 September 1944. Repeats the DANFS service narrative (Bermuda shakedown; Norfolk-Oran convoy escort from 18 December 1944 until VE day; New York Navy Yard weather-ship conversion from 5 July 1945; Adak arrival 16 September 1945; decommissioned Seattle 28 May 1946; stricken 19 June 1946; sold for scrap to Zidell Ship Dismantling Co. 13 November 1947). The Historian's Office biography of Knudsen adds that he saw the frigate 'through her pre-commissioning stages at New Orleans' before assuming command in September 1944, describes the convoy duty as with 'Task Force 54' between Norfolk and Oran, and records his February-July 1945 transfer to command Escort Division 25 from USS Long Beach (PF-34). Sources cited by the Historian's Office include The Coast Guard At War, Transports and Escorts Vol. V and DANFS Vol. III p. 185.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Coast Guard-manned crew 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Official service-history records; contain no asbestos or materials information. Figures differ from the DANFS spec block for this hull (displacement 2,230 t vs 1,264; draft 12'8" vs 13'8"; boilers '3' vs NavSource's 2) - conflicts carried in gaps rather than reconciled. The bio's 'Task Force 54' designation for the Norfolk-Oran convoy duty does not match the TG 60.11 designation documented in sister-ship DANFS entries - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gulfport-pf20-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Frigate Photo Archive, Gulfport (PF 20) page (navsource.net domain verified live 2026-10-04; the former navsource.org domain is dead) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 12/08020 - chronology block, specifications block (incl. weather-balloon-hangar armament note), photo captions, CO roster, call sign
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource photographic/records record for this hull: 'ex-PG-128'; Tacoma-class patrol frigate, MC type T. S2-S2-AQ1; laid down as patrol gunboat PG-128 under a Maritime Commission contract by the American Shipbuilding Co., Cleveland, Ohio; reclassified patrol frigate PF-20 on 15 April 1943; launched 21 August 1943; delivered and commissioned USS Gulfport (PF-20) 16 September 1944 at Gulfport, MS; decommissioned 28 May 1946 at Seattle, WA; struck from the Navy Register 19 June 1946; sold for scrap 13 November 1947 to Zidell Machinery and Supply Co., Portland, Oregon. Specifications: displacement 1,430 t; length 303'11"; beam 37'6"; draft 13'8"; speed 20.3 kt; complement 190; armament two 3"/50 dual-purpose mounts ('the after 3-inch gun was removed and a weather balloon hanger was added'), two twin 40mm, nine 20mm, one Hedgehog, eight Y-gun depth-charge projectors, two depth-charge tracks; propulsion two 240-psi three-drum express boilers, two 5,500-ihp Koppers Co. vertical triple-expansion engines, two shafts. Call sign NZTH. Photo captions place her at Adak, AK in fall 1945 and - with New Bedford (PF-71) and Orlando (PF-99) - being dismantled at the Zidell yard in Portland, Oregon on 4 April 1948 (hull of Roi, CVE-103, in the background). Commanding officers all USCG/USCGR: CDR George A. Knudsen USCG (16 Sep 1944 - 11 Feb 1945), LCDR H. C. Reeves USCGR (11 Feb - 20 Sep 1945), LCDR William J. Dongian USCGR (20 Sep 1945 - 28 May 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- American Shipbuilding Cleveland construction trades 1943-44; Coast Guard-manned crew 1944-1946; Zidell dismantling workers Portland 1948
- Limitations
- Secondary archival compilation built from official photos/records - not itself a government source, though the underlying items are U.S. Navy/NARA photos. Contains no asbestos or materials content. Displacement (1,430) and armament (2 x 3"/50 post-conversion) differ from DANFS (1,264; 3 x 3") and USCG (2,230; 3 x 3"/50); boiler count (2) conflicts with USCG (3); scrapper name/location ('Zidell Machinery and Supply Co., Portland' vs 'Zidell Ship Dismantling Co., Seattle') - all carried in gaps. No laid-down date or MC hull number given.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gulfport-pf20-03
-
[5]DANFS entries for sister escorts: Mason II (DE-529), Edgar G. Chase (DE-16), and Orlando (PF-99) (NHHC live pages, verified 2026-10-04) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Mason II (TG 60.11 / UGS-64-GUS-64 / UGS-74 passages); Edgar G. Chase (UGS-64 escort list); Orlando (10-16 September 1945 Pearl Harbor-to-Adak sortie)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Sister-ship DANFS entries name this hull in the operational record: the Edgar G. Chase entry lists 'the frigate Gulfport (PF-20)' in the escort company of convoy UGS-64 (destroyers Balch DD-363, Livermore DD-429, Eberle DD-430; escorts O'Toole, Andres DE-45, John J. Powers, John M. Bermingham, Mason) bound for Oran via Gibraltar, December 1944-January 1945. The Mason entry records that on arrival at Oran, Mason, Balch, O'Toole, John J. Powers, and 'the patrol frigate Gulfport (PF-20)' formed TG 60.11 to escort the returning convoy GUS-64 (departed 6 January 1945), and that 'in company with Gulfport' Mason departed New London 8 February 1945 for Norfolk to join convoy UGS-74 (TG 60.11 escorts sailed 12 February 1945). The Orlando entry records that on 10 September 1945 'Orlando and Gulfport stood out of the channel at Pearl Harbor and set course for Adak, Andreanof Islands to moor in Sweepers Cove, Adak 16 September' - corroborating Gulfport's stated Adak arrival date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Coast Guard-manned crew 1944-1945
- Limitations
- Cross-references from sister ships' DANFS entries; they document convoy/operations participation, not materials or asbestos content. The Edgar G. Chase and Mason narratives do not state Gulfport's complete convoy list (UGS-64/GUS-64/UGS-74 documented; other runs implied by DANFS 'until VE day' are not enumerated). URLs: mason-ii.html; edgar-g-chase-de-16.html; orlando.html.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gulfport-pf20-04
-
[6]NavSource specifications block (MC type S2-S2-AQ1 steam plant, Koppers VTE engines, three-drum express boilers); no yard-level record in Atlas shipyard dataset for builder [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/08020 specifications block; shipyards.json yard_id list (American Shipbuilding absent)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference: a Maritime Commission S2-S2-AQ1 patrol frigate built in 1943-44 at American Shipbuilding Co., Cleveland, with a three-drum-boiler/triple-expansion steam plant would have carried period-standard asbestos applications - boiler and steam-line insulation/lagging, gaskets, valve and machinery packing, fireproofing, and deck/bulkhead coverings. Unlike the Kaiser Richmond yard (builder of sister Grand Forks PF-11, documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset), American Shipbuilding Co. Cleveland is not in the Atlas shipyard dataset (37 yard_ids checked) and no official asbestos documentation for that yard was located this session - the inference here rests on vessel class/era and GAO program-level documentation only.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- American Shipbuilding Cleveland construction trades 1943-44 (yard-level); crew 1944-1946 (unverified for this hull)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific finding. No hull material spec, survey, or insulation inventory for PF-20 was located; NARA RG 19 General Information Books (per-vessel material specifications) and the listed deck logs are the open archival leads and were not retrieved. Does not establish asbestos aboard this hull, quantities, locations, or any exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gulfport-pf20-05
-
[7]GAO HRD-80-2, report product page and highlights (published 1979-10-18; page verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-04) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page highlights (HRD-80-2, 26 pp.)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- GAO program-level record: a 1979 review of the Navy's handling of asbestos documenting 'the use of asbestos in Navy ships,' the cost of removing asbestos from Navy ships, and Navy policy (1975: remove/replace asbestos insulation only when damaged or requiring removal for repairs; modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas). Confirms asbestos insulation was standard aboard Navy ships of this era at program level.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1975-1979 (policy window); WWII-era construction context
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program-level)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation only - GAO fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards; the report names neither this hull nor the Tacoma class and establishes nothing about materials aboard PF-20. Full-text PDF not extracted this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gulfport-pf20-06
-
[8]NARA catalog file units for this hull: WWII War Diaries (e.g., NAID 139796238 'USS GULFPORT - War Diary, 8/29/44 to 11/30/44'; monthly units Dec 1944-Dec 1945 incl. NAIDs 139813722, 139839938, 139887759, 139961617, 101746283, 101766091, 83577016, 77541701, 77566855, 77605228; 'USS GULFPORT - War History' NAID 77646156); Muster Rolls file unit NAID 127432485 'Gulfport (PF-20), 2/28/45-4/30/46' [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search results 'USS Gulfport' / 'Gulfport (PF-20)' file units; search-within series 594258
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds cataloged operational records for this hull: monthly war-diary file units covering 29 August 1944 through December 1945 (WWII War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories series; creator Dept. of the Navy, ONI Office of Naval Records and Library), a compiled 'War History' file unit, and a muster-rolls file unit covering 28 February 1945 - 30 April 1946 (Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities). The batch directive's NARA pre-check lists Navy deck logs for Gulfport PF-20 covering 29 August 1944 - 30 June 1945 (the pre-commissioning-to-conversion window); no deck-log file units for this hull are digitized in the Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations series (594258) as of this check.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Coast Guard-manned crew 1944-1946 (documented population for potential crew-level research)
- Limitations
- Archival holdings only - records' contents were not retrieved; nothing in the catalog entries speaks to materials or asbestos. Deck-log coverage window is per the batch directive's NARA listing; the specific catalog record/NAID for the deck-log entry was not located in this session's catalog queries. The war-diary and muster-roll NAIDs are cited as verification anchors, not as digitized full text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gulfport-pf20-07
-
[9]Batch-8423 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (this hull + sister-ship entries); USCG Historian's Office (asset page + Knudsen bio); NavSource photo archive; NARA catalog; Naval Vessel Register; GAO HRD-80-2; CourtListener (partial - see ledger); secondary-web asbestos queries [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-gulfport-pf20-01 through sl-uss-gulfport-pf20-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record, or litigation artifact naming PF-20 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was scrapped in 1948, so no present-day survey or museum disclosure is expected. All four CourtListener base queries ran: 'USS Gulfport' opinion (6 hits - all name collisions; the matched 'Gulfport' is the Mississippi city, e.g., Wells v. Radiator Specialty, S.D. Miss. 2006, an asbestos/benzene case where Gulfport is counsel's location, or unrelated USS references); 'USS Gulfport' docket (176 hits - page-1 all city/venue collisions); 'PF-20' opinion (4,870 hits - non-discriminating token); 'PF-20' docket (70,778 hits - non-discriminating token). No completed query names this hull. The asbestos-qualified variants authorized by the three overflows were attempted but blocked by the fleet-wide pacing budget - logged as blocked, not 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 - a 1943-44 steam-plant frigate would be era-consistent with asbestos applications. Litigation coverage: all four base queries completed with no qualifying hit; the authorized asbestos-variant subsets remained unrun at report time (fleet pacing budget) - the negative finding is scoped accordingly. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gulfport-pf20-08