Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 864-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-morris-pc1179-pkt-864-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Morris VIII (PC-1179) - NHHC live page (published 11 Aug 2015); parallel print transcription DANFS Vol. IV pp. 437-439 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS Morris VIII page, 'VIII' service narrative and spec block; print transcription https://losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/patrol/pc1179.htm (Vol. IV pp. 437-439)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: namesake entry for Robert Morris (born Liverpool 20 January 1734, financier of the Revolution, Superintendent of Finance 1781, Agent of Marine, signer of the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Senator 1789-1795, died Philadelphia 8 May 1806); the ship is filed as the eighth Morris. PC-1179 laid down by the Leathern D. Smith Shipbuilding Co., Sturgeon Bay, Wis., 20 September 1943; launched 6 November 1943; commissioned '22 January 1943' at New Orleans (year as printed - must be 1944, see limitations). Late April 1944, after submarine chaser training off the southern Florida coast, joined the Surface Escort Group, Eastern Sea Frontier, for a 3-month tour; transferred to the Pacific, joined the 3d Fleet's amphibious group end of August, assigned TG 33.4; attached to the 7th Fleet for the Leyte invasion; arrived in the Dulag landing area 20 October with TG 'B' as a landing craft control vessel for assault units blue and orange of the southern attack force; then similar services during the Luzon landings. Detached late January 1945, joined TG 52.4 minecraft, trained for Operation 'Iceberg' (Okinawa); assigned to Sweep Unit 7, entered Okinawan waters 22 March and for 9 days exploded surface mines with machinegun fire while sweepers cleared minefields between Kerama Retto and the Hagushi beaches for 'L-day' 1 April; by that date the minecraft groups had swept more than 2,500 square miles, discovered 6 minefields and destroyed at least 194 mines; by 21 June (Okinawa secure) those groups had accounted for more than 15 percent of all naval casualties during the operation. Continued with the 3d Fleet's minesweepers through the end of the war; on return to the U.S. commenced inactivation, reported to the 19th Fleet 8 April 1946; decommissioned 13 May 1946 and berthed in the Columbia River for the next 15 years; renamed Morris (PC-1179) 15 February 1956; struck from the Navy list 1 July 1960; sold 10 May 1961. Spec block: dp. 280; l. 173'8"; b. 23'; dr. 10'10"; cpl. 65; s. 22 k.; a. 2 3", 1 40mm.; cl. PC-461.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1961
- Population
- Leathem D. Smith construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-1946); reserve-fleet caretakers (1946-1960)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Live-page defects carried verbatim: 'commissioned 22 January 1943' predates her September 1943 laying down and November 1943 launch (year must be 1944 per NavSource and uboat.net), and 'Leathern' is a misspelling of Leathem. The print transcription additionally misreads '8 April 1948' for the live text's 8 April 1946, '184 mines' for the live text's 194, '1 July 19430' for 1960, and '1784' for Robert Morris's 1734 birth year - the live NHHC text is the cleaner source and is carried; transcription defects logged in the search ledger. NHHC live page retrieved via browser-rendered fetch (plain curl returns 404 - UA-filtered, not link-rot).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morris-pc1179-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, Morris (PC-1179) ex-PC-1179 - timeline, specifications, commanding officers, photo captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/011179.htm header block, specifications block, commanding-officers list, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: 'The eighth Morris' laid down 20 September 1943 as PC-1179 at Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Co., Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin; launched 6 November 1943; commissioned USS PC-1179, 22 January 1944 at New Orleans, LA; decommissioned 13 May 1946 and laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group, Astoria, OR; a note records that the Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists a plan for decommissioning and placing in reserve as January 1947; named Morris 15 February 1956; struck from the Navy Register 1 July 1960; sold for scrap 10 May 1961 to Zidell Shipbreakers of Portland, OR for $17,038.88. Call sign NPSN. Specifications: displacement 280 t. (lt), 450 t. (fl); length 173'8"; beam 23'; draft 10'10"; speed 20.2 kts.; complement 65; armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, one 40mm mount, three 20mm guns, two rocket launchers, four depth charge projectors, two depth charge tracks; propulsion two 1,440 bhp Fairbanks Morse 38D8 1/8 diesel engines (Serial No. 833299 and 833300), 'Westinhouse' [sic] single reduction gear, two shafts. CO list: LT W. S. Jeffries, USNR (1945). Photo captions document a launching view (courtesy Bob Daly/PC-1181) and a Library of Congress portrait of namesake Robert Morris (cph 3a07081).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1961
- Population
- Leathem D. Smith construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-46); Zidell Shipbreakers scrapping workers (1961)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track DANFS/uboat.net but its spec block conflicts with DANFS on armament (one 3"/50 + three 20mm + rocket launchers vs DANFS '2 3", 1 40mm.'), speed (20.2 vs 22 kts), and displacement (280 lt/450 fl vs 280); engine serials are the only machinery detail at hull level. Contains no asbestos content. 'Sold for scrap' wording with buyer and price vs DANFS's bare 'sold' is NavSource's detail; the NVR-1949 administrative note post-dates the 1946 decommissioning and is carried verbatim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morris-pc1179-02
-
[4]ShipbuildingHistory (T. Colton-style yard compilation), 'Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay WI' - corporate lineage and consolidated hull table with the Leathem D. Smith wartime rows [other_primary]
- Locator
- Bay Shipbuilding yard-history paragraph and hull table, PC-1179 row (hull 305) and neighboring subchaser rows
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder documentation for this hull: Christy Corp., one of the two yards merged into Bay Shipbuilding in 1967, 'had formerly been Leathem D. Smith Towing & Wrecking Co., Leathem D. Smith Dock Co. and Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co.'; the combined yard is now Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (2008). The consolidated hull table lists PC-1179 as yard hull no. 305 under 'Built by Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding': U.S. Navy Sub Chaser, 284 GT, 174 ft, delivered 22 January 1944, 'Named Morris 1956, scrapped 1961.' The same table shows the yard's wartime Navy subchaser output - PC-496 (lost off Bizerte 1943), PC-550/551 (to Free France), PC-588-591, PC-821-825, PC-1171 through PC-1180 (yard hulls 297-306), PC-1225-1230, PC-1260-1263 - plus N3-S-A1 cargo ships and patrol frigates PF-64/65.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-44 (this hull's construction); yard lineage 19th century-2008
- Population
- Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding construction and repair trades (Sturgeon Bay, WWII)
- Limitations
- Secondary shipbuilding-history compilation, not a primary registry or contract record; 'delivered' coincides with the commissioning date. Establishes the builder's identity, corporate lineage, and wartime output - no material or asbestos content. Yard is not in the Atlas shipyards.json dataset (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morris-pc1179-03
-
[5]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS PC-1179 (PC-1179) entry 8707 - order date and wartime commanding-officer list [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net warship entry 8707, data table and 'Commands listed' section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Secondary reference data for this hull: ordered 27 October 1942 (a construction milestone not given by DANFS or NavSource); commissioned 22 January 1944 - corroborating the year against DANFS's misprinted '1943'; end of service 13 May 1946; stricken 1 July 1960; sold to be broken up for scrap 10 May 1961. Wartime CO list: Lt. H. J. Manchester, Jr., USNR (22 Jan 1944 - mid/late 1944); Lt. W. S. Jeffries, USNR (mid/late 1944 - mid/late 1945, consistent with NavSource's 1945 entry); K. J. Clark, USNR (mid/late 1945 - ). Builder spelled 'Leatham D. Smith Shipbuilding Co.' in the data table.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Wartime crew under COs Manchester, Jeffries, Clark (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Volunteer secondary reference (uboat.net warship database); the order date and CO assignments are not corroborated by a primary source located this session - carried as partial verification. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morris-pc1179-04
-
[6]All Hands (Bureau of Naval Personnel official magazine), April 1956 issue, 'Cities Go on Patrol' - scanned issue mirrored at quietwarriors.wordpress.com [other_primary]
- Locator
- All Hands April 1956 issue, 'Cities Go on Patrol' article and name table (PC-1179-Morris row)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Navy's contemporaneous account of the February 1956 naming wave: 'Patrol vessels, which previously were known only by hull numbers will now be recognized by individual names, after cities of the United States. The names assigned to 141 submarine chasers, escorts and rescue escorts are listed below. They were chosen from cities with a population between 2500 and 10,000.' The published table lists PC-1179-Morris among the 141 (alongside PC-1170-Kelso, PC-1176-Minden, PC-1177-Guymon, PC-1178-Kewaunee, PC-1180-Woodstock and the rest). This frames the 'Morris' of this hull's 1956 name as a U.S. city - conflicting with DANFS's filing under the Robert Morris namesake line (eighth Morris).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1956
- Population
- Reserve-fleet caretakers at time of naming (1956)
- Limitations
- Official Navy periodical accessed via a third-party scan mirror, not a Navy-hosted copy; the article establishes the city-naming policy and this hull's inclusion in it but does not say which Morris (Morris, Illinois - county seat of Grundy County, within the stated population band - and several smaller Morrises all qualify). The conflict with DANFS's Robert Morris filing is unresolved and carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morris-pc1179-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block and NavSource propulsion data (twin Fairbanks-Morse 38D8 1/8 diesels - no steam plant); PC-461-class documentation from the Patrol Craft Sailors Association (ww2pcsa.org class specs: 173'8" steel hull, twin 2,000 bhp diesel, cpl 65) and HyperWar 'US Navy Sub Chasers, 1940-1945' transcription (ibiblio.org); GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation (see ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications; ww2pcsa.org/patrol-craft.html class table; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-sc.html
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steel-hulled patrol craft built September-November 1943 at a Sturgeon Bay commercial yard sits squarely inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel-driven patrol craft of this type and period were machinery and exhaust-system insulation/lagging, pipe insulation, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation, concentrated in the confined engineering spaces typical of a 173-foot hull. As a twin-diesel vessel she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1961
- Population
- Leathem D. Smith construction trades (1943-44); engine-room and maintenance crew (1944-46); Zidell scrapping workers (1961)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or contract document was located for PC-1179. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morris-pc1179-06
-
[8]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 entire construction (1943) and service era (1944-1946), reserve-fleet lay-up (1946-1960), and disposal (1961).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- 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 blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-03) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morris-pc1179-07
-
[9]KLCC (Oregon Public Broadcasting), Cassandra Profita, 'Portland's Toxic Graveyard For World War II Ships' (1 Dec 2016); with ITRC Case Study No. 5, Zidell Waterfront Property (sediment-cap remediation record) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- KLCC article body (shipbreaking history, practices, DEQ cleanup sections); ITRC Case Study No. 5 PDF, https://sd-1.itrcweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Case-Study-5.pdf
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Scrapping-phase environment documented for this hull's buyer: NavSource records the 10 May 1961 sale 'to Zidell Shipbreakers of Portland, OR for $17,038.88.' KLCC documents the receiving operation: Zidell leased the old Commercial Iron Works shipyard on Portland's South Waterfront from 1946 and built what was once the nation's largest shipbreaking operation; scrapyard workers burned insulation off copper wires in open pits beside the Willamette and set fire to oil dregs before cutting ships apart, leaving the site covered in ship scraps laced with lead, asbestos and PCBs - 'the insulation on the ships, the wiring, the linoleum on the floors and even the paint was full of contaminants.' The company stopped dismantling ships in the late 1970s; Oregon DEQ flagged the property in 1986 and Zidell entered the voluntary cleanup program in 1994 (30 acres of land, half a mile of riverbank). ITRC's case study describes the Zidell site as a 30-acre former ship-dismantling and barge-construction parcel upstream of the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, remediated for PCBs, metals, and PAHs under a ROD cap/dredge remedy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1946-1994+
- Population
- Zidell Shipbreakers workforce and South Waterfront site (1946-late 1970s; this hull 1961)
- Limitations
- Operator/site-level context only - documents the facility and era practices of the firm that bought this hull, not the dismantling of PC-1179 itself; no record ties specific contamination to this hull. The asbestos detail is the press account; the ITRC remediation record names PCBs/metals/PAHs, not asbestos. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morris-pc1179-08
-
[10]Archival leads: NARA RG 24 deck logs for PC-1179 (1944-1946, Atlantic/Pacific combat era); Leathem D. Smith hull-305 construction records (yard lineage records at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding or Wisconsin archives); any Zidell purchase/dismantling contract records for the 10 May 1961 sale; Library of Congress namesake portrait cph 3a07081 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource photo captions (launching photo; LOC namesake portrait); NavSource sale-price entry; shipbuilding-history yard lineage paragraph
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Undigitized primary records exist for this hull by inference from holdings patterns: RG 24 deck logs (patrol craft of this era are cataloged at NARA but not digitized), the builder's hull-305 construction file (the successor yard is still operating as Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding), and any scrapping-contract or dismantling records generated by the documented Zidell sale (yard's own archives; the Zidell Companies remain active). The Library of Congress holds the namesake portrait shown on the NavSource page (cph 3a07081). No availability, overhaul, or repair record for this hull was located at any naval shipyard.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1961
- Population
- Crew (1944-46); yard trades at scrapping (1961)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: deck-log, construction-file, and contract existence is inferred from standard holdings, the documented sale, and NavSource captions, not verified against the NARA catalog (JS-rendered, retired v1 API returns the SPA shell). No yard-work record located for this hull anywhere.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morris-pc1179-09
-
[11]Batch-7676 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live page + hazegray print transcription; NavSource; shipbuilding-history Bay yard table; uboat.net; PCSA class page; All Hands April 1956 scan; KLCC/ITRC Zidell records; NVR; NARA catalog; GAO product page; CourtListener (blocked); two secondary web/firecrawl litigation and asbestos sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-morris-pc1179-01 through sl-uss-morris-pc1179-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum documentation, or verified litigation naming PC-1179 / USS Morris was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried - authenticated helper returned daily-quota-exceeded (~10,706 s wait, ~3 h) and per batch pacing rules the repository is logged blocked, not negative; hull litigation status is an open gap. Secondary sweeps surfaced one law-firm marketing listicle naming 'USS PC-1179' (banned source class - excluded, not treated as evidence) and otherwise only name collisions: 'USS Morris' asbestos hits name the destroyers DD-417 and DD-271, and bare 'PC-1179' collides with a Stutz automobile paint code.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 2026-10-03
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943 steel patrol craft is era-consistent with retained asbestos materials, and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (quota-blocked, not run). Deck logs, BuShips work packages, and any scrapping-contract records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morris-pc1179-10