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-key-west-pf17-pkt-976-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Key West II (PF-17), Robert J. Cressman, 28 July 2022 (live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-04) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 23 June 1943 at Lorain, Ohio, by the American Shipbuilding Co., under a Maritime Commission contract (M.C. Hull 1483); launched 29 December 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Vernon Lowe, sister of Lt. Harold Felton, the first resident of Key West reported missing in World War II; commissioned at Houston 7 November 1944, Lt. Cmdr. B. Papanek, USCGR, in command. Stood out of Galveston Bay 17 November 1944 for training and escort duty out of Bermuda; sailed for Norfolk 22 December; departed Hampton Roads 18 January 1945 escorting a convoy to Oran, Algeria, returned Boston 28 February. Two cruises out of Casco Bay, Maine, over the next four months; returned New York 14 June 1945; at Brooklyn until 5 July, then sailed for Boston for conversion to a weather ship. Departed Boston 31 July 1945, transited the Canal, arrived Pearl Harbor 23 August; weather station patrol vicinity of Guam from 10 September, operating out of Apra Harbor reporting meteorological data and standing by to aid ships in distress, until arriving San Francisco 14 March 1946. Departed 9 April for three weeks on plane-guard station off the North California coast; arrived Seattle 1 May; decommissioned at Bremerton, Wash., 14 June 1946; sold 18 April 1947 to Cascade Enterprises, Oakland, Calif., and scrapped. Spec block: displacement 1,430; length 303'11"; beam 37'6"; draft 13'8"; speed 20.3 knots; complement 190; armament 3 3-inch, 4 40mm, 9 20mm, 1 Hedgehog, 8 depth charge projectors, 2 depth charge tracks; class Tacoma; type S2-S2-AQ1.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- American Ship Building Lorain construction trades (1943); USCG crew (complement 190, 1944-46); yard trades at the unnamed Boston conversion yard (1945) and Bremerton inactivation (1946)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. States 'conversion to a weather ship' at Boston without naming the performing yard or detailing the refit (the USCG Historian's Office supplies the gun-removal/hangar detail). Does not state a stricken date or the PG-125 reclassification date (NavSource supplies 15 April 1943).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-key-west-pf17-01
-
[3]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office asset page, 'USS Key West, PF-17' (published 22 March 2021; sources listed: The Coast Guard At War Vol. V, No. 1, p. 142; Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946; DANFS Vol. III, p. 638) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG Historian's Office article 2545883, specifications and history sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- USCG Historian's Office record for this Coast Guard-manned hull: built by American Ship Building Company, Lorain, OH; launched 29 December 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Vernon Lowe; commissioned at Houston 7 November 1944 with LCDR Bertheld Papanek, USCGR, in command - confirming USCG manning. Propulsion listed as 2-shaft VTE (vertical triple-expansion) with 3 boilers; range 9,500 nm at 12 knots. Ship-specific modification documented: the Boston weather-ship conversion 'included the removal of her after 3-inch gun and the addition of a weather balloon hanger.' Service narrative tracks DANFS: Bermuda training/escort, Oran convoy, Casco Bay cruises, Boston conversion, Guam weather patrol out of Apra Harbor, San Francisco plane-guard duty, decommissioned Bremerton 14 June 1946, sold 18 April 1947 to Cascade Enterprises and scrapped.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- USCG crew 1944-46
- Limitations
- Specification conflicts with DANFS/NavSource carried in gaps: displacement 2,230 tons (vs DANFS/NavSource 1,430 - full vs light convention); draft 12'8" fl (vs 13'8"); boiler count 3 (vs NavSource two 3-drum express boilers). Names no Boston conversion yard. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-key-west-pf17-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Frigate Photo Archive, Key West (PF 17) ex-PG-125 - designation timeline, specifications, disposal, USCG crew photo captions (verified live 2026-10-04; navsource.net domain - navsource.org is dead) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/08017.htm header block, specifications block, disposal notes, crew photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: originally designated patrol gunboat PG-125; reclassified patrol frigate PF-17 on 15 April 1943; laid down 23 June 1943 under Maritime Commission contract by the American Shipbuilding Co., Lorain, Ohio; launched 29 December 1943; commissioned USS Key West (PF-17) 7 November 1944 at Houston, TX; decommissioned 14 June 1946 at Bremerton, WA; sold for scrap 18 April 1947 to Cascade Enterprises of Oakland, CA - with the note 'Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists sale date as May 1947.' Specifications: MC type T. S2-S2-AQ1; displacement 1,430 t; 303'11" x 37'6" x 13'8"; 20.3 kts; complement 190; armament two 3"/50 DP mounts, two twin 40mm, nine 20mm, one Hedgehog, eight Y-gun depth charge projectors, two depth charge tracks; propulsion two 3-drum express boilers, two 5,500 ihp vertical triple-expansion steam engines (NavSource text reads 'steam turbines' - a wording error, the class plant was reciprocating VTE), two shafts. Photo record includes the NHHC launch series (NH 52052/NH 52054: ready for launching and afloat after launching at the Lorain yard, 29 December 1943) and crew photo captions independently corroborating USCG manning (ratings identified as USCG, including in the Azores and at El Kibar, Algiers, c. 1945).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1949
- Population
- USCG crew 1944-46; shipbreakers 1947 (Cascade Enterprises, Oakland)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation - dates track DANFS but spec details conflict (two 3"/50 mounts vs DANFS/USCG three; two boilers vs USCG three - carried in gaps; the armament difference plausibly reflects the post-conversion fit after the after 3-inch gun was removed). The 'May 1947' NVR sale-date note conflicts with the 18 April 1947 date DANFS and USCG carry - documented, not reconciled. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-key-west-pf17-03
-
[5]Era inference built on: DANFS/USCG/NavSource specifications (MC type S2-S2-AQ1 steam frigate, VTE plant); Atlas shipyards.json records - puget-sound-naval-shipyard (tier 1: thermal insulation, gaskets, electrical systems, deck tiles, fireproofing materials, asbestos refractory materials), boston-naval-shipyard (tier 3: John Crane gaskets and sealing materials) - builder yard American Ship Building Co., Lorain, absent from the dataset; NARA RG 19/RG 24 archival leads [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS/NavSource specifications; shipyards.json records for puget-sound-naval-shipyard and boston-naval-shipyard
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a Maritime Commission S2-S2-AQ1 patrol frigate built 1943-44 at American Ship Building Co., Lorain, Ohio, with a multi-boiler, two-engine vertical triple-expansion steam plant would have carried period-standard asbestos boiler insulation, steam-line and machinery lagging, valve/flange gaskets, pump and valve packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. Documented yard periods sit inside yards carrying asbestos documentation in the Atlas dataset: the July 1945 Boston weather-ship conversion (unnamed venue; Boston Naval Shipyard, tier 3, is the probable site) and the May-June 1946 Bremerton inactivation (Puget Sound Naval Shipyard home port, tier 1).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- American Ship Building Lorain construction trades (1943-44); USCG crew (1944-46); Boston conversion-yard trades (1945, venue unconfirmed); Bremerton/PSNS trades (1946, work scope undocumented)
- Limitations
- Class/era and yard-level inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or abatement record located for PF-17. Names era-standard applications and documented yard-level product profiles, not confirmed installed materials aboard this hull. No quantity. Yard asbestos profiles are yard records, not vessel records; whether Boston Naval Shipyard performed the conversion and whether PSNS trades worked aboard (vs. crew-only decommissioning) are both undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-key-west-pf17-04
-
[6]Fleischer WE, Viles FJ Jr, et al., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28:9-16 (January 1946), PMID 21016030 (USMC-commissioned survey; citation verified via NLM eutils 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record PMID 21016030; citation via NLM eutils
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Contemporaneous U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of pipe-covering operations in naval-vessel construction during WWII - the same Maritime Commission contract program (PF-17 is MC hull 1483, type S2-S2-AQ1) under which this hull was built in 1943-44. The survey documents amosite pipe covering and boiler block insulation work in confined engine-room and boiler spaces at Navy contract yards, measuring dust counts during cutting and fitting operations - the construction-era exposure environment for pipe coverers and nearby trades on vessels of this type and period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (survey publication 1946)
- Population
- Pipe coverers, insulators, and adjacent trades at WWII Navy contract yards
- Limitations
- Era/industry survey, not a hull record - PF-17 is not named, and the survey does not establish that this hull carried asbestos or that any individual aboard was exposed. Cited only as evidence of what operations and materials existed, not of their safety evaluation: a 2026 New Solutions critique (PMID 42307414) calls for the paper's retraction.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-key-west-pf17-05
-
[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- 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 construction (1943-44) and brief service era (1944-46).
- 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. gao.gov blocked automated fetch (HTTP 403) 2026-10-04; content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-key-west-pf17-06
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 search results for "USS Key West" and "PF-17" (opinion and RECAP docket indexes, 2026-10-04) - all classified hits are name collisions, none qualifying asbestos litigation naming PF-17 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search, type=o and type=r, queries per search_ledger sl-uss-key-west-pf17-10 through sl-uss-key-west-pf17-14
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying litigation located in CourtListener. Base queries (authenticated helper, --limit 20): "USS Key West" opinion 87 hits - all 20 first-page results name collisions (USS-POSCO/USX corporate parties, Key West FL as place, other vessels, incidental mentions); "USS Key West" docket 4,554 hits - all 20 first-page results token-level collisions (Key Automotive, 'v. West', USS-POSCO); "PF-17" opinion 4,649 hits - all 20 first-page results OCR/form-number collisions; "PF-17" docket 68,340 hits - all 20 first-page results bankruptcy/form-number collisions. Asbestos-qualified phrase variants (all bases overflowed): "USS Key West"+asbestos opinion 0, docket 0; "PF-17"+asbestos opinion 0, docket 15 - all 15 reviewed are 'PF-17' form/exhibit/document-number matches inside asbestos-adjacent dockets (MDL-875 umbrella, W.R. Grace bankruptcy, Williams v. Lockheed Martin asbestos PI), none naming this hull. No hit named this hull or tied it to asbestos.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 2026-10-04
- Limitations
- Classification is first-page review of high-collision token matches on a high-volume name - the collision population dominates but tail pages were not exhaustively reviewed; the asbestos-qualified phrase variants are the stronger negative test and returned 0 for the name and 0/collisions-only for the hull number. Absence of a located docket does not prove no claim was ever filed; RECAP coverage is incomplete for older matters and this hull was scrapped in 1947, decades before the asbestos-litigation era.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-key-west-pf17-07
-
[9]Batch-8420 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live page; USCG Historian's Office asset page; NavSource (navsource.net); NVR detail-page check; NARA catalog check; Atlas shipyards.json yard records; CourtListener API v4 base queries [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-key-west-pf17-01 through sl-uss-key-west-pf17-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Key West (PF-17 / PG-125 / MC hull 1483) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). 'USS Key West' is a high-collision name in litigation indexes - the city of Key West, Florida; the submarine USS Key West (SSN-722); and corporate names (USS-POSCO, USX) account for all opinion-index hits located.
- 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 frigate is era-consistent with asbestos insulation. Does not establish that asbestos is or was present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Undigitized leads: NARA RG 24 deck logs and RG 19 records, Maritime Commission construction records for MC hull 1483, American Ship Building Lorain yard records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-key-west-pf17-08