USS NORRIS (DD-859)

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

1. [1]DANFS, Norris II (DD-859) (builder, dates, service narrative through 1970; verbatim transcription via Wayback capture of hazegray DANFS mirror - live NHHC page not located) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (Wayback capture of hazegray mirror, 2022-09-10)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: laid down 29 August 1944 by Bethlehem Steel Corp., San Pedro, Calif.; sponsored by Mrs. Benjamin Norris, widow of Major Norris, by proxy Mrs. Charles Browning; commissioned 9 June 1945, Comdr. T. A. Nisemann in command. Shakedown off California; three months with Pre-Commissioning Training Center, Treasure Island; Hawaii duty; Hong Kong 7 February 1946; anti-smuggling/privateering patrol off Chinese and Korean coasts; San Diego 22 February 1947; China coast again 8 January-16 July 1948. Mare Island Naval Shipyard overhaul with extensive ASW alterations; joined Atlantic Fleet at Newport, R.I., in October (year unstated in the narrative). Reclassified DDE-859 4 March 1950; sailed 5 July 1950 for Mediterranean deployment, ordered through Suez to the 7th Fleet for Korea; gunfire support during the Hungnam evacuation early December 1950; rescued 21 South Koreans from a drifting junk. Returned Newport early March 1951; Boston overhaul; sailed 19 April 1952 for first Mediterranean deployment; 6th Fleet to 27 June; Operation Main Brace North Sea 26 August-12 October 1952; further Mediterranean cruises 1953-54 (transcription partially garbled); Hunter-Killer Force from 28 June 1954 for 15 months; collided with submarine USS Bergall (SS-320) on a fleet exercise in late 1954 (hazegray transcription prints 1 November; Wikipedia prints 31 October - see gaps). Escorted 6th Fleet replacements to Gibraltar 2 May-4 June 1955; North Atlantic patrol during the November 1956 Suez crisis; Destroyer Squadron 24 South America cruise January-March 1957 (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay); Mediterranean August-December 1957 incl. Red Sea; TF Bravo experimental ASW group; 6th Fleet June-August 1960. FRAM II conversion at Philadelphia March-December 1961; reclassified DD-859 7 August 1962; Cuban quarantine October 1962; Mediterranean 6 February-7 July 1963; experimental wire-guided torpedo installed by Boston Naval Shipyard August 1963, then about a year of testing; Mediterranean 1 October 1964-18 January 1965 and 19 August-7 December 1965; Polaris support as missile tracking ship 1-15 April 1966; Gemini X primary recovery force 12-23 July 1966; Vietnam gunline with DesRon 20 from 10 November 1966 (Vung Tau 21 November; four months) returning via Suez to Newport 25 April 1967 completing a circumnavigation; Mediterranean 29 April 1968 and 9 May-December 1969; 2nd/6th Fleet rotation into 1970. Two battle stars for Korean service. Specifications block: 2,425 t.; 391' l.; 41' b.; 21' d.; 31.5 k.; cpl. 288; 6 5", 14 40mm, 20 20mm, 10 21" tt., 2 dct., 6 dcp., 1 dcp. (hh.), DASH; cl. Gearing.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1944-1970

   Population

   Bethlehem San Pedro construction trades 1944-45; crew 1945-1970 (design complement 288)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents service history and design specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The narrative ends with the 1970 rotation - decommissioning (Dec 1970), striking (1974), and the Turkish transfer are not covered. Some dates are unstated or garbled in transcription (Newport arrival year; the 1953-54 cruise strings; the Bergall collision date) - carried in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-norris-dd859-01

2. [2]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Photo Index DD-859/DDE-859 USS Norris (operational and building data; secondary compilation) - consistent with Wikipedia/hullnumber/helis indexes [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource DD-859 index 'Operational and Building Data' table + Kocatepe photo caption (Wayback capture 2024-05-25)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Secondary vessel index record for this hull (Wayback capture): built by Bethlehem Steel, San Pedro, CA (yard no. 9028); laid down 29 August 1944; launched 25 February 1945; commissioned 9 June 1945; completed FRAM upgrade October 1961; decommissioned 4 December 1970; stricken 1 February 1974; to Turkey 7 July 1974, renamed TCG Kocatepe (D 354); stricken and sold for scrap to Hurdasan Anonim Sirketi, June 1994. As-built block: 3,460 t full; 390'6" x 40'10" x 14'4"; 60,000 shp, Allis-Chalmers turbines, 2 screws; 36.8 kt; crew 336; callsign NBFE. Photo caption confirms the Kocatepe succession: 'The original Kocatepe, the former USS Harwood (DD-861), was sunk in error in 1974... she was replaced by the USS Norris (DD-859) with the same Turkish hull number.'

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1944-1994

   Population

   n/a

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation, not a primary document: decommissioning/stricken/transfer dates, the 1994 scrapping, turbine maker, and crew figure rest on consistent indexes, not on a pulled primary record. Transfer date conflicts across sources (7 July per NavSource vs 1 July per Wikipedia/ussnorris) - carried in gaps. FRAM completion month conflicts with DANFS (October vs December 1961) - carried in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-norris-dd859-02

3. [3]Destroyer History Foundation, 'Bethlehem Steel Corporation, San Pedro, CA' builder page (Sumner-Gearing class series) [other_primary]

   Locator

   destroyerhistory.org/destroyers/bethsp/ - San Pedro yard history paragraph

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Builder-yard record for this hull: Bethlehem's San Pedro (Terminal Island, Berth 240) yard - founded as Southwest Shipbuilding 1917, leased by Bethlehem 1921, purchased 1925 - was a repair yard converted with Maritime Administration funds for WWII destroyer construction, building 26 destroyers including four Gearing-class ships (Fred T. Berry DD-858, Norris DD-859, McCaffery DD-860, Harwood DD-861). 'Minimum time to commissioning was set with the last ship completed before VJ day, Norris at 253 days.'

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1940-1945

   Population

   Bethlehem San Pedro yard workforce (peak ~6,000)

   Limitations

   Foundation-maintained secondary source. The 253-day figure does not reconcile with the keel-to-commission interval implied by the carried dates (29 Aug 1944 - 9 Jun 1945 = ~284 days); the measured interval is not specified - flagged in gaps rather than silently reconciled. Yard-level documentation contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-norris-dd859-03

4. [4]USS Norris Association site reproducing letter of U.S. Ambassador Marc Grossman to Senator Paul Sarbanes, 28 March 1995 (fate determination for ex-USS Norris) [other_primary]

   Locator

   ussnorris.com/kocatepe - reproduced Ambassador Grossman letter (28 Mar 1995) + association note

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Official-correspondence reproduction for this hull's Turkish phase: 'In 1974, the USS Norris was transferred to the Turkish Navy as "spare parts," to be used by the Turkish Navy to provide replacements for the other ships of her class which were transferred at the same time. Shortly thereafter, the Turkish Navy, realizing the excellent material condition of the Norris, returned the Norris to service... renamed the TCG Kocatepe, was decommissioned (June 1994) and was sold by the Government of Turkey to HAS (Hurdasan Anonim Sirketi), a subsidiary private company of the state-operated MKEK (Makina Kimya Endustri Kurumu), for scrap.' The association page also records Turkish commissioning on 24 July 1975 as Kocatepe (D-354) after the 21 July 1974 friendly-fire loss of the first Kocatepe (ex-USS Harwood DD-861).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1974-1995

   Population

   Turkish Navy crew 1975-1994; scrapping workers 1994

   Limitations

   Veterans-association reproduction of official correspondence, not the document itself - the letter text is quoted verbatim from the site and is internally consistent with NavSource and helis.com indexes. Establishes disposition pathway (parts hulk -> reactivation -> 1994 scrapping), not materials or asbestos content. Turkish-service asbestos handling is undocumented.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-norris-dd859-04

5. [5]CourtListener API v4 sweep, 2026-09-28 (authenticated; opinion type=o and RECAP docket type=r indexes) [court_record]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-norris-dd859-05 through -08

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located. Queries and results: "USS Norris" - 0 opinions, 0 RECAP dockets; "DD-859" - 0 opinions; "DD-859" dockets - 7 hits, all name collisions with no vessel reference (Michael Jason Williams, Bankr. E.D. Ky. 24-60490 - document-number/form reference; United States v. Ortega, E.D. Cal. 2:12-cr-00198, two docket records - 'DD-001518' IRS levy-form reference; Crook v. Waffle House, N.D. Ala. 1:17-cv-00460 - removal exhibit; Gallagher Benefit Services v. De La Torre, N.D. Cal. 3:07-cv-05495 - appendix; In re: Seroquel Products Liability Litigation, M.D. Fla. 6:06-md-01769 - pharmaceutical MDL exhibit; Madoff SIPA liquidation, Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 08-01789 - account-document exhibit). 'Norris' unqualified is a high-collision surname; no vessel-attributable hit located.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   2026-09-28 (index coverage to date)

   Population

   n/a

   Limitations

   Absence of a located docketed case does not prove no claim was ever filed: state-court complaints, settled MDL-875 claims, and vessel lists in unindexed filings would not surface in these indexes. Sweep covers CourtListener opinion and RECAP docket indexes only, queried by exact name and hull number. Name-variant queries ("U.S.S. Norris", "DDE-859", "aboard the Norris") could not be completed this session - fleet-wide pacing budget exhausted by concurrent batches; logged as blocked in the search ledger, not as a negative.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-norris-dd859-05

6. [6]Consolidated era inference - DANFS specifications block (Gearing class, 2,425 t, 31.5 k) + NavSource machinery data (60,000 shp, Allis-Chalmers turbines) + Atlas shipyard dataset bethlehem-shipbuilding / philadelphia-naval-shipyard records + destroyerhistory.org Gearing-class FRAM documentation [other_primary]

   Locator

   DANFS specifications block and yard-period lines; shipyards.json records 'bethlehem-shipbuilding', 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard', 'mare-island-naval-shipyard', 'boston-naval-shipyard'; destroyerhistory.org/sumner-gearingclass/gearingclass/

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: a Gearing-class destroyer built 1944-45 at Bethlehem Steel, San Pedro, with a four-boiler superheated steam plant and 60,000-shp geared turbines would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings - boiler casing and fireroom insulation, steam-line lagging, turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets/packing, and accommodation insulation. Documented yard periods for this hull - the 1948-49 Mare Island Naval Shipyard ASW overhaul, the 1951 Boston overhaul, the March-December 1961 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard FRAM II conversion, and the August 1963 Boston Naval Shipyard torpedo-system installation - are machinery-disturbance events under era practice; builder and FRAM yard are yard-level documented in the Atlas dataset (bethlehem-shipbuilding tier 3; philadelphia-naval-shipyard tier 3 incl. OSHA 1989 asbestos-standard citations).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Population

   Bethlehem San Pedro construction trades 1944-45; crew 1945-1970; Mare Island, Boston, and Philadelphia Naval Shipyard trades at the documented yard periods

   Limitations

   Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no hull-specific survey, contract, or work package establishes asbestos content aboard this ship. The ship-specific findings are the negative litigation sweep (ev-05) and the documented service record (ev-01, ev-02); this row adds context, not a ship-specific finding. FRAM II scope for this hull is not documented beyond the DANFS event line.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-norris-dd859-06

7. [7]Goodrich v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., Omnibus Opinion and Order, ECF No. 171, E.D. Va. No. 4:17-cv-00009 (Sept. 28, 2018) [court_record]

   Locator

   Omnibus opinion pp. 12, 19, 31 (per class-profile review of ECF 171 OCR)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   A published federal omnibus opinion recites class-level material evidence covering this hull's design family: an engineering drawing 'for the insulation and lagging of forced draft blower turbines for the class of destroyers (DD 692, USS Allen M. Sumner class)' specifying 'amosite felts and asbestos cloths,' and an expert report's 'partial tally of the weight of the asbestos-containing thermal insulation and lagging products in the fire ... and engine rooms of a ship belonging to the USS Allen M. Sumner (DD 692) and USS Gearing (DD 710) classes of destroyers' of 30.3 tons. DD-859 is a Gearing-class member, so the recited class evidence brackets its design family.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1940s design era; opinion filed 2018-09-28

   Population

   Destroyer fire/engine-room crews (class context); litigation expert materials

   Limitations

   Litigation-record recital, not an adjudicated classwide finding: the drawing covers the Sumner DD-692 design group whose machinery the Gearing lengthening retained, and the 30.3-ton figure is an expert partial tally for fire/engine rooms - not a whole-ship inventory and not specific to this hull. The opinion treated some related exposure conclusions as speculative; underlying exhibits (drawing, expert report) not retrieved from RECAP. Establishes no materials aboard, and no exposure to any person aboard, this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-norris-dd859-07

8. [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 to automated fetch)

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy from 1975 removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or when required for repairs, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place for decades unless a yard period disturbed it. Context for this hull's 1961 FRAM II modernization and pre-1970 service era.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1979

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers; Navy asbestos program review

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation, not hull- or class-specific. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch); content via product-page description. Supports era context only - establishes nothing about materials aboard this ship.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-norris-dd859-08

9. [9]New York Times, 'Turks Admit They Sank Own Vessel Off Cyprus' (July 25, 1974) + NavSource DD-861 index + USS Norris Association Kocatepe page [reputable_press]

   Locator

   NYT 1974-07-25 archive item; NavSource DD-859 caption; ussnorris.com/kocatepe

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity correction, commonly conflated: the TCG Kocatepe (D-354) bombed and sunk in error by Turkish aircraft off Cyprus on 21 July 1974 - contemporaneous NYT: the vessel 'was formerly the American destroyer Harwood... transferred to the Turkish Navy in December, 1971' - was ex-USS Harwood (DD-861), a San Pedro-built Gearing sister, NOT this hull. Ex-USS Norris (DD-859), transferred to Turkey in early July 1974 as a spare-parts hulk, was reactivated to replace her and took the same name and pennant, serving 1975-1994. Any account describing 'Norris/Kocatepe' as sunk in 1974 is a name-succession collision, not this hull's fate.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1971-1994

   Population

   n/a

   Limitations

   Correction row: distinguishes this hull from the sunken first Kocatepe. Casualty figures for the sinking vary by source (54 per most secondary accounts; association page says 80) - not adjudicated here and not material to this hull's record. The July 1974 overlap (Norris transferred 1 or 7 July; first Kocatepe sunk 21 July) is resolved by the parts-hulk sequence in the Ambassador letter - Norris was not yet commissioned as Kocatepe at the time of the sinking.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-norris-dd859-09

10. [10]Batch-3823 search ledger (this record): NHHC live DANFS (404); hazegray DANFS mirror via Wayback; NavSource/Wikipedia/helis/ussnorris secondary indexes; destroyerhistory.org builder page; NVR (no pre-1987 disposal records); CourtListener v4 opinion + RECAP sweeps (partially blocked by fleet pacing); GAO product page [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-norris-dd859-01 through -12

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Norris (DD-859/DDE-859) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Ship-specific asbestos documentation for this hull is unknown.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    2026-09-28

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era construction and a documented FRAM yard period make era-consistent insulation likely but ship-unproven. Does not establish that asbestos is or was present; establishes or defeats no claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-norris-dd859-10