USS John Blish (PCS-1457)

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]research packet 970-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-john-blish-pcs1457-pkt-970-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, John Blish entry - namesake biography, spec block, construction, WWII service narrative, disposal, battle stars (verbatim transcription via live losthistory.net/hazegray mirror; live NHHC page 404 on all candidate URLs 2026-10-04; corroborated by Wayback capture 2009-07-06 of former history.navy.mil/danfs/j3/john_blish.htm) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS John Blish entry (namesake biography, spec block, service narrative) via https://losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/auxil/ags10.htm and Wayback capture web.archive.org/web/20090706041024/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/j3/john_blish.htm

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documented for this hull: laid down by Ballard Marine Railway Co., Seattle, Wash., 23 May 1943; launched 6 September [1943]; sponsored by Miss Patricia McQuire; commissioned 26 February 1944. After shakedown and training sailed to the war zone spring 1944; supported Marianas operations (Guam, Tinian) through the summer; hydrographic duties in the Pacific during November [1944]. Provided hydrographic information for the fleet off Iwo Jima 19 February 1945, 'then prepared for the assault on Okinawa.' Reclassified AGS-10 20 March [1945] 'and 3 days later was named John Blish.' Participated in the invasion of Okinawa. Post-war: coastal survey ship, reclassified AGSc-10 27 July 1946; 'for the next 2 years she remained off the West Coast performing hydrographic services. Sailing to New York during 1948, John Blish decommissioned there 26 August 1949. She was sold for scrapping to Boston Metals Co., Baltimore, Md., 10 February 1950.' 'PCS-1457 received four battle stars for World War II service.' Namesake: John Blish, born Seymour, Ind., 8 September 1860; Cadet Midshipman 18 September 1875; Lt. Cmdr. 5 October 1901; retired 6 July 1905; Commander on retired list 13 April 1911; WWI assistant to Commandant, 1st Naval District, and CO Naval Air Station Squantum, Mass.; detached 29 October 1919; inventor of the 'Blish sounding tube' and, per DANFS wording, 'the Thompson submachine gun' (see ev-10 correction); died 22 December 1921. Spec block: dp. 245; l. 136'; b. 23'4"; dr. 8'7"; s. 14 k.; cpl. 58; a. 1 3", 1 40mm., 4 20mm., 2 dcp., 2 dct.; cl. PCS-1376.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1950 (entry coverage)

   Population

   Ballard construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-49)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Spec block conflicts with NavSource/shipscribe on complement (58 vs 57/59), beam (23'4" vs 24'6"/23.3'), armament - see gaps. Decommission date 26 Aug 1949 conflicts with NavSource/uboat/Wikipedia's 22 Aug 1949 - see gaps. Namesake invention phrasing overstated (see ev-10). Entry predates the strike date; that detail comes from shipscribe. Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 on all candidate URLs 2026-10-04; verbatim transcription served via the live losthistory.net/hazegray mirror (hazegray.org itself DNS-dead), corroborated by the 2009-07-06 Wayback capture of the former NHHC URL.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-john-blish-pcs1457-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Patrol Craft Sweeper Photo Archive, John Blish (AGSC 10) ex-AGS-10 ex-PCS-1457 ex-PC-1457 - designation timeline, specifications, photo captions (verified live at navsource.net 2026-10-04) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 12/071457.htm header timeline, specifications block, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource timeline for this hull: originally planned as PC-1457, reclassified PCS-1457 in April 1943; laid down 23 May 1943 at Ballard Marine Railway Co., Seattle, WA; launched 6 September 1943; commissioned USS PCS-1457, 26 February 1944; reclassified Hydrographic Survey Ship AGS-10, 20 March 1945; named John Blish 24 March 1945; reclassified Coastal Surveying Ship AGSC-10, 27 July 1946; decommissioned 22 August 1949; sold for scrap 10 February 1950 to Boston Metals Co. of Baltimore, MD. Call sign Nan-Tare-Yoke-Xray (NTYX). Specifications: displacement 245 t.(lt), 338 t.(fl); length 136'; beam 24'6"; draft 8'7"; speed 14.1 kts; complement 57; armament one 3"/50 DP mount, one 20mm mount, four depth charge projectors, one depth charge projector (hedgehog), two depth charge tracks; propulsion two 800bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines, Snow and Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts. Photo captions: USS PCS-1457 dated 21 February 1944 (credit Robert Hurst); a second PCS-1457 view (credit Ramon Jackson); and John Blish (AGS-10) c. April/May 1945 'anchored at Okinawa still wearing her old hull number' (credit LTJG Dave Conrad, LCI(M)-1012, via LTJG Phil Dampf, LCI(M)-1010).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1950

   Population

   Ballard construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-49)

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track NVR/DANFS. Omits the strike date (shipscribe supplies 27 Oct 1949). Decommission date 22 Aug 1949 conflicts with DANFS/shipscribe's 26 Aug; named date 24 Mar conflicts with shipscribe/DANFS-math's 23 Mar - see gaps. Complement 57 conflicts with DANFS's 58 and shipscribe's 59. Beam 24'6" conflicts with DANFS 23'4" and shipscribe 23.3'. Armament listing differs from DANFS (1x20mm vs DANFS's 1x40mm + 4x20mm; hedgehog present here, absent in DANFS block) - see gaps. No CO roster shown. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-john-blish-pcs1457-02

4. [4]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts), USS Derickson (AGS-6) class data file - construction, disposition, class notes, ship note for AGS-10 John Blish (verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipscribe.com/usnaux/AGS/AGS06.html - Construction table (AGS-10 row), Class Notes paragraph, Ship Notes (AGS-10 row), Disposition table, class data block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipscribe construction/disposition data naming this hull: AGS-10 JOHN BLISH - builder Ballard Marine Railway; keel 28 May 1943; launched 4 Sep 1943; commissioned 26 Feb 1944; reclassified AGS-10 20 Mar 45; decommissioned 26 Aug 49; stricken 27 Oct 49; disposal 10 Feb 50, 'Sold.' Class notes: on 20 Jun 42 VCNO directed construction of 90 wooden-hulled patrol craft (PC 1376-1465) on the 136-ft YMS design, reclassified PCS 8 Apr 43; 'On 5 Jan 44 SecNav approved the assignment of PCS-1457 to the Coast and Geodetic Survey for hydrographic duty in the Alaska and Aleutian areas. On 10 Feb 44 CNO substituted PCS-1458 for PCS-1457, which was completed as a PCS and which later became AGS-10'; the four hulls that became AGS 7-10 were commissioned Dec 1943-Mar 1944, the three sisters (incl. PCS-1457) nominated 5 Oct 44 by Commander Service Forces Pacific for conversion to small auxiliary surveying ships for Commander Amphibious Forces Pacific Fleet, 'all four appear to have been converted at Pearl Harbor between October and December 1944,' reclassified to AGS 26 Feb 45 effective 20 Mar 45, 'names were assigned on 23 Mar 45.' Ship note: 'Ex PCS-1457 20 Mar 45, ex-PC-1457 8 Apr 43. Converted by the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard Oct-Dec 44. To AGSC-10 29 Jul 46.' Class data: displacement 244 lt/340 lim; dimensions 136.0' oa / 130.0' wl x 23.3' e x 8.6' lim; armament for AGS-10: 1-40mmS + 4-20mm (1945), 1-3"/50 + 4-20mm (1946), 2>1-20mm (1949); complement 59 (1944); speed 14.1 kts; propulsion 1,000 hp, G.M. diesels, 2 screws.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1942-1950

   Population

   Ballard construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-49); Pearl Harbor Navy Yard trades during conversion (Oct-Dec 1944); Boston Metals shipbreakers (1950)

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation by Stephen S. Roberts from official records (Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels/NVR lineage), not itself a registry. Keel 28 May 43 and launch 4 Sep 43 conflict with DANFS/NavSource's 23 May / 6 Sep - see gaps. Strike date 27 Oct 49 rests on this compilation alone. Conversion note is hedged in the class text ('appear to have been converted at Pearl Harbor') though the ship note states PHNY conversion flatly. AGSC-10 date 29 Jul 46 conflicts with the 27 Jul carried by DANFS/NavSource/uboat/Wikipedia. Armament/power figures are class-level, not hull-verified. No asbestos content; the PHNY conversion is a yard-presence fact, not a work-package or materials record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-john-blish-pcs1457-03

5. [5]ShipbuildingHistory, Ballard Marine Railway construction list, Seattle WA (verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/ballard.htm - Ballard Marine Railway table, PCS 1457 and PCS 1458 rows; yard introduction

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Ballard Marine Railway construction-list row names this hull: 'PCS 1457 | US Navy | Sub Chaser | 245d | 136 | 26-Feb-44 | Later John Blish (AGS 10, then AGSC 10), scrapped 1950.' Corroborates builder, type, tonnage (245 t), delivery/commission date, and later identity; the consecutive row confirms PCS-1458 ('Later Derickson, sold 1948') was built at the same yard immediately after this hull. Yard context from the same page: Ballard Marine Railway 'was a significant small shipyard from the 19th century through WWII. It was taken over in 1946 by Pacific Fishermen' - the site at the foot of 24th Avenue NW, Seattle.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1950

   Population

   Ballard construction trades (1943-44)

   Limitations

   Builder-table secondary compilation; corroborates the DANFS/NavSource/shipscribe overlap but adds no unique fact. '26-Feb-44' is the delivery/completion column - coincides with the documented commissioning date. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-john-blish-pcs1457-04

6. [6]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS PCS-1457 (PCS-1457), Patrol craft of the PCS-1376 class - ordered date, milestone timeline, commanding officer (verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]

   Locator

   uboat.net/allies/warships/9312.html data table and Commands section

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   uboat.net record for this hull: built by Ballard Marine Railway Co. (Seattle); ordered 16 December 1942; laid down 23 May 1943; launched 6 Sep 1943; commissioned 26 Feb 1944; end of service 22 Aug 1949. History lines: reclassified hydrographic survey ship AGS-10 on 20 March 1945; named John Blish on 24 March 1945; reclassified coastal surveying ship AGSC-10 on 27 July 1946; decommissioned 22 August 1949; sold to be broken up for scrap on 10 February 1950. Commands listed: Lt. Frank August Woodke, USN (26 Feb 1944 - late 1946).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1942-1950

   Population

   Crew under Lt. Frank August Woodke, USN (1944-46)

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation; milestone dates track NavSource. The 'ordered 16 Dec 1942' date and the Woodke CO entry rest on this source alone in this record - unverified against a primary register; NavSource shows no CO roster for this hull. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-john-blish-pcs1457-05

7. [7]U.S. Navy photograph, Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-495980: 'USS John Blish (AGS-10) in the Yangtze river, China, December 1945' (file metadata verified via Wikimedia Commons API 2026-10-04; NHHC source page returned 404) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Commons file page metadata (Credit: Naval History and Heritage Command, 80-G-495980; DateTimeOriginal 1945-12); NHHC URL https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/80-G-495000/80-G-495980.html (404); blish.org/gens/AuxPages/PCS1457.html (secondary)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   An official U.S. Navy photograph (NHHC 80-G-495980, public domain) places this hull in the Yangtze River, China, in December 1945 - post-war survey presence in Chinese waters that the DANFS narrative does not cover. It documents that between the Okinawa operation (mid-1945) and the AGSC-10 coastal-survey period (from July 1946), John Blish deployed to China. A secondary genealogy narrative (blish.org, the namesake family page linked from the Wikipedia article) states 'the ship returned to San Francisco in October' and that she then performed west-coast hydrographic work - consistent with the DANFS sequence but unverified at primary level.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1945-1946

   Population

   Crew during Yangtze deployment (Dec 1945)

   Limitations

   Archival lead only: a photograph establishes presence in the Yangtze in December 1945, not the scope, duration, or work performed there; the survey program for that deployment is not public in digitized sources. The NHHC image-detail page returned 404 this session; the NH number and caption are verified via the Commons file metadata (NHHC-credited, PD-USN). The blish.org return-timing narrative is unverified secondary. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-john-blish-pcs1457-06

8. [8]Operational detail relayed via Wikipedia 'USS John Blish' article citing Pinsel, Mark I., 150 Years of Service on the Seas: A Pictorial History of the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office 1830-1980 (Department of the Navy, Oceanographic Office, 1982; HathiTrust uc1.31822010098929) at pp. 59, 64, 67, 70 [other_primary]

   Locator

   en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_John_Blish sections 'Pacific wartime operations' and references (Pinsel 1982 pp. 59, 64, 67, 70); HathiTrust babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31822010098929 (403)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Survey-operations detail for this hull's campaign work, relayed from the official Navy Oceanographic Office pictorial history via secondary literature: small PCS-type vessels on Hydrographic Office missions 'conducted pre invasion surveys, sometimes under fire, with the survey crews erecting signals for survey and later navigation, laying buoys and placing lights' (Pinsel p.59); PCS-1457 supported the Guam and Tinian landings 'with surveys before and after the invasion' (Pinsel p.64); conducted general Pacific surveys until February 1945, then 'pre invasion surveys at Iwo Jima followed by surveys as the island was being secured' (Pinsel pp.64, 67); and 'charts resulting from surveys were printed on board USS Sumner with a survey team from that ship erecting a reference navigational signal atop Mount Suribachi' (Pinsel pp.64, 67, 70).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1944-1945

   Population

   Survey crews aboard PCS-type AGS hulls during amphibious operations (1944-45)

   Limitations

   Relayed citation: the underlying text is an official DoN Oceanographic Office publication, but it was verified here only through the Wikipedia article's quotations and pinpoint citations - the HathiTrust full view returned HTTP 403 this session. The Wikipedia wording attaches the Sumner/Suribachi detail to the Iwo Jima survey phase generally; whether PCS-1457's own charts specifically went aboard Sumner is not itemized. Wikipedia itself is not carried as a record source for facts available elsewhere; this row documents operational detail no other located source states. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-john-blish-pcs1457-07

9. [9]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (wooden-hulled PCS-1376-class diesel patrol craft); shipscribe class notes (90 wooden-hulled craft on the 136-ft YMS design; PHNY conversion Oct-Dec 1944); NavSource propulsion specs (2 x GM 8-268A diesels, 2 shafts); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era documentation (see ev-09) [other_primary]

   Locator

   DANFS spec block; shipscribe class notes (wooden hull, YMS design, PHNY conversion); NavSource specifications; shipyards.json has no Ballard Marine Railway entry (see gaps)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   A wooden-hulled, diesel-powered patrol craft sweeper built in 1943 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era, and her October-December 1944 survey-ship conversion was performed at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard - a Navy yard operating inside the same era. Era-standard applications aboard a small diesel craft of this type and period were thermal insulation around the diesel engines and exhaust runs, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation. She carried no steam plant and her hull was wood - the boiler/turbine lagging and steel-hull insulation scope of larger auxiliaries does not apply; the plausible asbestos-relevant material set on this hull type is comparatively narrow.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1950

   Population

   Ballard construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-49); PHNY conversion trades (Oct-Dec 1944); Boston Metals shipbreakers (1950)

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, conversion work package, or litigation product identification located for PCS-1457/AGS-10/AGSC-10. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution. Wooden hull materially limits insulation scope relative to steel steam vessels - inference is deliberately narrow, not expansive.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-john-blish-pcs1457-08

10. [10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

    Locator

    GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, 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 construction (1943), Pearl Harbor Navy Yard conversion (1944), entire service era (1944-49), and scrapping (1950).

    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. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, re-confirmed 2026-10-04) - content via product-page description, same standing defect as Batches 01, 98, and 8322.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-john-blish-pcs1457-09

11. [11]Namesake-invention cross-check: DANFS credits John Blish with inventing 'the Thompson submachine gun'; secondary literature (Wikipedia John Bell Blish biographical article; USS John Blish ship article) credits him with the 'Blish lock,' the breech-locking principle used in the Thompson design (verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]

    Locator

    DANFS namesake paragraph (losthistory.net mirror) vs en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bell_Blish and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_John_Blish 'Ship namesake' section

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    CORRECTION: DANFS's phrasing - 'he invented the "Blish sounding tube" and the Thompson submachine gun' - overstates the namesake's invention. Commander John Bell Blish, USN, invented the Blish sounding tube and the Blish lock (the delayed-blowback locking principle employed in the Thompson submachine gun); the Thompson itself is credited to John T. Thompson. The ship was named for the naval officer and inventor of the Blish lock, not the designer of the complete weapon. Also noted: the namesake's birth date is given as 8 September 1860 by DANFS but 5 September 1860 by the biographical article - unresolved (see gaps).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-04

    Study period

    1921-present (usage)

    Limitations

    Orthographic/biographical correction only, not a material claim about the vessel; rests on secondary literature against the DANFS wording. No asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-john-blish-pcs1457-10

12. [12]Pacific Fishermen Shipyard, 'History of Pacific Fishermen Shipyard' (yard's own About page) - site continuity at this hull's builder location (verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]

    Locator

    pacificfishermen.com/about/ history paragraphs; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/ballard.htm yard introduction; apps.ecology.wa.gov/aquatics/DownloadApplicationDocument/1711 (403)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    The shipyard that built this hull still operates under successor ownership: Pacific Fishermen Shipyard 'was founded in 1946 by 400 Norwegian heritage fishermen as a co-op style shipyard on the site of the 1890's Ballard Marine Railway Co.,' remains a full-service yard on Salmon Bay at the Lake Washington Ship Canal in Ballard, and continues wooden and steel vessel work including vessels it built for the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey's successor programs. ShipbuildingHistory corroborates the 1946 takeover.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-04

    Study period

    1946-present

    Population

    Pacific Fishermen workforce (1946-present)

    Limitations

    Yard-level context only - establishes that the wartime builder's site operated continuously and remains an active shipyard; says nothing about materials used aboard this hull in 1943-44 and contains no asbestos content. A WA Dept. of Ecology dredging-permit application document for the site (confirming continuous shipyard use since 1873 as the T.W. Lake Shipyard) was located via search but returned HTTP 403 to direct fetch - recorded as an access gap in the search ledger.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-john-blish-pcs1457-11

13. [13]Batch-8375 search ledger (this record): DANFS via live losthistory.net mirror + Wayback corroboration; NavSource; shipscribe; shipbuildinghistory; uboat.net; navypedia/navalmarinearchive cross-checks; NHHC photo 80-G-495980 via Commons; Pacific Fishermen official site; NVR; HathiTrust Pinsel lead (blocked); WA Ecology permit doc (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep; CourtListener (blocked - see sl-09) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-john-blish-pcs1457-01 through -14

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, product identification, or verified litigation naming USS PCS-1457 / USS John Blish (AGS-10 / AGSC-10) was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the fleet-wide pacing budget (~58 authenticated requests/hour shared across sessions) was spent on every attempt across the session; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and, unusually, no law-firm marketing material naming this hull at all - the niche listicles name other PCS hulls but not PCS-1457.

    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 - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (paced out, not run). Deck logs, the PHNY conversion work package, and disposal papers are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-john-blish-pcs1457-12