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Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive

Ship's patches courtesy of Mike Smolinski (see note below)

USS McMorris (DE-1036)

Flag Hoist/Radio Call Sign:
N - E - R - M
Tactical Voice Radio Call: "Gray Warrior"

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row: Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation w/ star - National Defense Service Medal
Second Row: Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal w/ star - Vietnam Service Medal w/ 4 stars - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

Class: Claud Jones (As Built)      FY / SCB No.: 56-57/131
Displacement: 1314 tons (std), 1916 tons (full)    Dimensions: 312' (oa), 301" (wl) x 38' x 12' 11"
Armament: 2-3"/50 Mk 33 (1x2), 2 Mk 11 Hedgehog, 6-324mm US Mk 32 (3x2) tubes / Mk 46 torpedos
Machinery: 4 Fairbanks-Morse 38ND8 Diesels, 9,037 shp, 1 shaft
Speed: 22 Knots    Range: 7,000 nm @ 12 knots    Crew: 159 (12 officers)

Operational and Building Data
Laid down by Avondale Marine, Avondale LA on 5 November 1958
Launched 26 May 1959, Commissioned 4 March 1960
Decommissioned 16 December 1974, Stricken 16 December 1974

Fate: To Indonesia 16 December 1974, renamed KRI Ngurah Rai (D-3),
hull number changed to D-344 in 1982
still in service as of 1999

Size	Image Description	Contributed By And/Or Copyright
69k	Charles Horatio McMorris (31 August 1890 - 11 February 1954) was born at Wetumpka AL and was appointed midshipman in 1908 and commissioned ensign in June 1912. On 11 to 12 October 1942, as commanding officer of *San Francisco, he took part in the Battle of Cape Esperance, which deflated the Japanese belief in their night fighting superiority. During the Battle, he "...fought his ship valiantly, maneuvering with the expertness of able seaman and striking at the enemy with determined and effective gunfire despite the difficulties of night combat. As captain of the flagship, he rendered valuable service to the Task Force [TF 64] Commander and contributed materially to the success of our forces." He was awarded the Navy Cross for the above cited actions. In December 1942, he assumed command of Crusier Destroyer Force 8, operating in the northern Pacific. On 26 March 1943, in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands, he used that force to prevent Japanese reinforcement of garrisons on Kiska and Attu. For his able handling of the force in the victory, he received the Distinguished Service Medal. Later, as Chief of Staff of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas, he was awarded a Gold Star in lieu of a second Distinguished Service Medal for supervising "...the preparation and execution of strategic and tactical plans for Naval Operations...in the Gilberts, Marshalls, Marianas, Western Caroline Islands, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa..." Retiring as a vice admiral on 1 September 1952, he died 11 February 1954 at Valparaiso, Chile. (For a more complete biography of Adm. McMorris, Click Here) USS McMorris* DE-1036 was the first ship named in his honor.	Navsource
154k	undated photo, © Morper Ship Pictures	Nick Tiberio
52k	taken from USS Ponchatoula (AO-148) in Tonkin Gulf during a 1966 - 1967 cruise	Barry Litchfield USS Ponchatoula 1966 - 1967
60k	September 1967	-
61k	1973: Sydney Harbor	Steve Crate (EM2)

Memorabilia
Decommissioning Booklet Courtesy of Robert M. Cieri

View the USS McMorris (DE-1036), DANFS history entry
located on the US Naval Historical Center website.

Crew Contact And Reunion Information

Next Reunion:
16 - 19 October 2008 at Seattle, Washington
Hilton Garden Inn, Renton WA

Contact Name: Skip Reynolds, Reunion Coordinator
Address: 1020 Pross Road, Lansdale PA 19446
Phone: (215) 855-3916
E-mail: Skip Reynolds

None

Note About Contacts

Contact information is compiled from various sources over a period of time and may, or may not, be correct. Every effort has been
made to list the newest contact. However, our entry is only as good as the latest information that's been sent to us. We list only
a contact for the ship if one has been sent to us. We do NOT have crew lists or rosters available. Please see the Frequently Asked
Questions section on Navsource's Main Page for that information.

Additional Resources

USS McMorris Website
Destroyer Escort Sailors Association
USS McMorris Page on Military.Com

Note:

The McMorris patch as an FF above seems to be an error. The patch was purchased from a New Jersey embroidery company in the late '70's,
but... McMorris was never an FF. She was decommissioned in December 1974, and the DE reclassification took place in June of 1975. Can anyone offer an explanation?

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This Page Is Created And Maintained by Mike Smolinski
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Page Last Updated 19 January 2008