Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet 979-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-long-beach-pf34-pkt-979-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Long Beach II (PF-34) - live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-04 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative, 'Long Beach II (PF-34)'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 19 March 1943 as PG-142, for the Maritime Commission, by Consolidated Steel Corp., Wilmington, Calif.; reclassified PF-34 on 15 April 1943; launched 5 May 1943 (sponsored by Mrs. Walter Boyd); acquired by the Navy and commissioned 8 September 1943, Lt. Comdr. T. R. Midtlying, USCG, in command. Shakedown off California; departed San Diego 12 January 1944 for Cairns, Australia; towed two LCSs Milne Bay to Cape Sudest; escorted Carter Hall (LSD-3) to the Manus landings 16 March 1944; invasion of Aitape 19 April; patrol and shore bombardment in the Schouten Islands/Biak area August 1944; guarded LST resupply convoy to Leyte Gulf, arriving 15 November 1944; reached Boston 25 January 1945; after overhaul sailed for Alaska 27 March; decommissioned at Cold Bay, Alaska 12 July 1945 and transferred to the Russian Navy. Returned to the United States at Yokosuka; loaned to Japan November 1953 as Shii (PF-17); name Long Beach canceled 15 February 1957 for reassignment to the nuclear guided-missile cruiser then under construction; Shii reclassified PF-297 1 September 1957; struck from the U.S. Naval Vessel Register 1 December 1961; transferred to Japan outright 28 August 1962; saw continuous JMSDF service as Shii until decommissioned and scrapped in 1967. Four battle stars for World War II service. Spec block: dp. 1,430; l. 303'11"; b. 37'6"; dr. 13'8"; s. 20.3 k.; cpl. 214; a. 3 3", 4 40mm.; cl. Tacoma T.S2-S2-AQ1.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1967
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades, Wilmington CA (1943); USCG-manned wartime crew (design complement 214); Soviet Navy crew 1945-1949; JMSDF crew 1953-1967
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, builder, service history, and disposal - not materials or asbestos content. It does not give the year of Soviet return (only 'Returned to the United States at Yokosuka'); the USCG Historian's Office page repeats the DANFS text. DANFS 'decommissioned and scrapped in 1967' conflicts with navsource.net's finer-grained disposal chronology (YAS-44 in March 1967, decommissioned 31 March 1968, returned to U.S. custody 12 July 1971) - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-long-beach-pf34-01
-
[3]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'USS Long Beach, PF-34' asset page (Other Vessels Non-CG) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG Historian's Office asset page, 'USS Long Beach, PF-34' (specifications block + history + sources)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official USCG Historian's Office record for this hull (the ship was Coast Guard-manned in U.S. service, consistent with the Tacoma-class practice): builder Consolidated Steel Corp., Wilmington, CA; propulsion '2-shaft VTE, 3 boilers'; complement 190; armament 3 x 3"/50, 4 x 40mm, 9 x 20mm, 1 Hedgehog, 8 depth charge projectors, 2 depth charge racks. Narrative reproduces the DANFS record including commissioning under LCDR T. H. Midtlying, USCG; Soviet transfer and commissioning as EK-2; JMSDF service as Shii; decommissioned and scrapped 1967. Page's stated sources: The Coast Guard At War, Transports and Escorts Vol. V; Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946; DANFS Vol. IV p. 138; Russell, Project Hula (Naval Historical Center, 1997), pp. 39-40.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1967
- Population
- USCG-manned crew (Complement 190 per USCG)
- Limitations
- Confirms builder, Coast Guard manning, and narrative; contains no asbestos or materials information. Complement (190) and boiler count ('3 boilers') differ from DANFS (cpl. 214) and navsource.net ('two 3-drum express boilers') - discrepancies carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-long-beach-pf34-02
-
[4]Richard A. Russell, Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan (The U.S. Navy in the Modern World Series No. 4), Naval Historical Center/U.S. GPO, 1997 - mirrored at HyperWar/ibiblio [other_primary]
- Locator
- Russell, Project Hula, transfer-of-frigates narrative (Escort Division 25 paragraph) and appendix transfer table (Long Beach (PF 34) / EK-2 row)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Naval Historical Center monograph on Project Hula names this hull: Escort Division 25, comprising Long Beach (PF 34) as flagship with Ogden (PF 39), San Pedro (PF 37), Glendale (PF 36), Belfast (PF 35), and Coronado (PF 38), got underway for Seattle via the Canal Zone on 28 March 1945; the division reached Cold Bay in June 1945 for Soviet crew training. Transfer table: Long Beach (PF 34) transferred to the Soviet Navy as EK-2 on 12 July 1945 (first group of ten frigates); disposition '1949-returned'. The monograph notes the Soviet Union received the class's most reliable units (those built by Consolidated) and returned 27 frigates in 1949.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-1949
- Population
- Soviet Navy crew trained at Cold Bay; USCG crew during transfer
- Limitations
- Official NHC history; documents the transfer program and this hull's role in it - no asbestos or materials content. Establishes 1949 as the Soviet return year, against navsource.net's '17 February 1950' claim - conflict carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-long-beach-pf34-03
-
[5]NavSource Online: Patrol Frigate Photo Archive, PF-34 ex-Long Beach (PF 34) page (verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource PF-34 page, 'Tacoma Class Patrol Frigate' chronology, specifications block, and commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource patrol-frigate archive record for this hull adds detail absent from DANFS: machinery 'Two 3-drum express boilers, two 5,500ihp J. Hendy Iron Works engines, two shafts'; commanding officers LCDR Thomas Robley Midtlyng, USCG (8 Sep 1943-1944) and LCDR Warren H. Stafford, USCGR (1944-12 Jul 1945); Soviet service as EK-2 (Pacific Fleet 23 July 1945; troop landings at Seisin 14 August and Maoku 20 August 1945; Guards rank awarded 26 August 1945); 'Returned to U.S. custody 17 February 1950 at Yokosuka'; loaned to Japan 30 November 1953 as Shii (PF-17); reclassified PF-297 1 September 1957; struck 1 December 1961; transferred outright 28 August 1962; reclassified Auxiliary Service Craft YAS-44 on 31 March 1967; decommissioned 31 March 1968; returned to U.S. custody 12 July 1971 and reclassified PF-34; scrapped.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1971
- Population
- USCG officers and crew; Soviet Navy crew; JMSDF crew
- Limitations
- Volunteer-edited reference archive, not an official publication - details beyond DANFS/USCG are adopted only as flagged alternatives. Its '17 February 1950' return conflicts with the NHC monograph's '1949-returned' (gaps); its 'Cold Harbor, Alaska' is a typo for Cold Bay (DANFS, USCG, Russell all read Cold Bay); its post-1967 chronology (YAS-44, 1968 decommission, 1971 U.S. custody) conflicts with DANFS's 'decommissioned and scrapped in 1967' (gaps). Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-long-beach-pf34-04
-
[6]Selikoff IJ, Lilis R, Levin G, 'Asbestotic radiological abnormalities among United States merchant marine seamen,' British Journal of Industrial Medicine 47(5):292-297 (1990), PMID 2357448 - PMC open-access occupational study citing U.S. Maritime Commission asbestos findings [other_primary]
- Locator
- Br J Ind Med 1990;47(5):292-297, abstract + discussion (USMC quotations); navsource.net PF-34 specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference for a 1943 Maritime Commission steam-powered escort: this hull was built to the MC S2-S2-AQ1 design with two 3-drum express boilers and J. Hendy Iron Works vertical triple-expansion engines (navsource.net specifications; USCG 'VTE' consistent). Peer-reviewed occupational literature on U.S. merchant marine seamen documents that American-built ships of the era carried asbestos insulation in bulkhead systems in living spaces, insulation of hot-water and steam piping, and boilers, tanks, and machinery spaces using block insulation and asbestos cement; the paper quotes U.S. Maritime Commission findings that flaking and cracking from ship motion and vibration were suspected of releasing asbestos, and that routine voyage repairs to pipes, flanges, and valves created asbestos tear-down exposures affecting crews as well as shipyard workers. Period-standard asbestos applications consistent with this plant: boiler and steam-drum insulation, steam-line lagging, valve/flange gaskets, machinery packing, and compartment fireproofing.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (build and U.S. service); literature published 1990
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades (1943); USCG-manned crew 1943-1945 (era inference)
- Limitations
- Class/era documentation, not a hull record - neither the study nor the machinery specifications name this vessel, and the study population is merchant marine seamen, not Navy/USCG frigate crews. Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven; establishes no quantity, no present-day presence (hull scrapped), and no individual exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-long-beach-pf34-05
-
[7]Los Angeles Maritime Museum online catalog, photographic print FA.2020.4043.01 (1943) [museum_official]
- Locator
- LA Maritime Museum PastPerfect catalog record FA.2020.4043.01, Description field
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Museum catalog discrepancy documented: the Los Angeles Maritime Museum catalogs a 1943 photographic print captioned 'Tacoma-class frigates USS LONG BEACH (PF-34) on its ways at Globe Shipbuilding Company, Superior, Wis.' - attributing this hull's construction to Globe Shipbuilding Co., Superior, Wisconsin (the same incorrect builder appears in the Wikipedia infobox, though the Wikipedia article text correctly reads Consolidated Steel). Three official sources - DANFS, the U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, and the NHC Project Hula monograph (which counts the ship among the reliable Consolidated-built units) - all record the builder as Consolidated Steel Corp., Wilmington, California. Builder of record carried: Consolidated Steel Corp., Wilmington, CA.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943 (photograph); catalog accessed 2026
- Limitations
- The museum caption is a cataloging record, not a build document; whether the photograph itself is misattributed or its caption merely repeats the Wikipedia infobox error is unresolved. Official sources are carried for the builder field; the Globe claim is recorded here as a documented discrepancy, not adopted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-long-beach-pf34-06
-
[8]Batch-8438 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live page; USCG Historian's Office; NHC Project Hula monograph; navsource.net; CourtListener opinion and docket indexes; Naval Vessel Register; NARA catalog; Los Angeles Maritime Museum catalog; PubMed [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-long-beach-pf34-01 through sl-uss-long-beach-pf34-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Long Beach (PF-34), EK-2, or Shii was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener base queries completed 2026-10-04: all 'USS Long Beach' hits resolve to the nuclear cruiser CGN-9 or to non-vessel references; all 'PF-34' hits are form-number collisions - see ev-08. The hull was scrapped (DANFS: decommissioned and scrapped 1967), so no surviving-hull survey or museum record is expected.
- 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 steam-powered combatant is era-consistent with standard asbestos applications. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Ship-specific asbestos documentation level carried as unknown/class_or_era accordingly.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-long-beach-pf34-07
-
[9]O'Connell v. Foster Wheeler Energy Corp., 544 F. Supp. 2d 51 (D. Mass. 2008), CourtListener opinion 1686573; MDL-875 tag-along record for Tysver v. Foster Wheeler Corp., No. 4:11-cv-02954 (N.D. Cal.), RECAP doc. 7397-3; Holbrook v. The 3M Company, No. 1:24-cv-05961 (S.D.N.Y.); United States v. Keck, 22 M.J. 755 (NMCMR 1986), CourtListener opinion 8665868 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search results 2026-10-04; O'Connell opinion fn13 and ¶¶ reciting Fore River employment 1960-61; Tysver RECAP doc 7397-3 (scanned complaint, ship list, OCR-verified 'CGB 9'); Holbrook complaint ¶ (plaintiff site allegation)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener litigation sweep disambiguation - all 'USS Long Beach' hits name other vessels or non-vessel references, NOT this hull: (1) O'Connell v. Foster Wheeler Energy Corp. (D. Mass. 2008) is asbestos litigation, but the complaint's exposure allegation is 'during the course of his employment at the Fore River Shipyard' 1960-1961 'while working on the USS Long Beach and other ships' - i.e., the nuclear cruiser CGN-9 during its construction at Fore River, Quincy MA (laid down 1957, commissioned 1961), not PF-34 (built in California, scrapped 1967). Pleading allegation recited in a published opinion resolving a government-contractor (Boyle) summary-judgment motion for a pump defendant - allegation, not a merits finding even as to CGN-9. (2) Tysver v. Foster Wheeler (N.D. Cal., MDL-875 tag-along): the scanned complaint lists decedent's shipyard work on 'USS Long Beach CGB 9' [CGN-9] at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard 1975-1992 - again the cruiser. (3) Holbrook v. 3M (S.D.N.Y. 2024) is an AFFF/PFAS groundwater-contamination case in which 'USS Long Beach' appears as a plaintiff's duty-station site - non-asbestos, and a base/site reference in any event. (4) United States v. Keck, 22 M.J. 755 (NMCMR 1986) is a court-martial appeal - other litigation, non-asbestos. Hull-number queries 'PF-34' returned only form-number collisions (opinion: Wormuth v. Lammersville USD, State of NY v. Westwood-Squibb; docket: 88 form-reference hits; asbestos-qualified variant: 7 unrelated hits).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1960-1961 (O'Connell alleged exposure); 1975-1992 (Tysver); 2008-2024 (litigation)
- Population
- O'Connell: Fore River Shipyard worker 1960-1961, mesothelioma (CGN-9 build period); Tysver: Puget Sound Naval Shipyard pipefitter 1975-1992 (CGN-9)
- Limitations
- Documents the litigation-search disambiguation, not evidence about this hull: 'USS Long Beach' is a high-collision name (CGN-9, city, Long Beach Naval Shipyard). Establishes that the indexed asbestos litigation naming a 'USS Long Beach' concerns CGN-9, not PF-34 - a negative result for this hull, not affirmative exposure evidence for either vessel. PACER docket coverage is not exhaustive; unindexed or state-court records were not searched.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-long-beach-pf34-08