diff --git a/pkg/noun/allocate.h b/pkg/noun/allocate.h
index 9ddeb8e5bf..7cd20649ad 100644
--- a/pkg/noun/allocate.h
+++ b/pkg/noun/allocate.h
@@ -175,9 +175,11 @@
           u3_noun day;                        //  doss, only in u3H (moveme)
         } pro;
 
-        struct {                              //  transient/persistent memoization
-          u3p(u3h_root) har_p;                //  (map (pair term noun) noun)
-          u3p(u3h_root) per_p;                //  (map (pair term noun) noun)
+        struct {                              //  memoization caches
+          u3p(u3h_root) har_p;                //  transient
+          u3p(u3h_root) per_p;                //  persistent
+          u3p(u3h_root) fod_p;                //  ford
+          u3p(u3h_root) sam_p;                //  ames
         } cax;
       } u3a_road;
       typedef u3a_road u3_road;
diff --git a/pkg/noun/manage.c b/pkg/noun/manage.c
index 1456b153ba..77adde9236 100644
--- a/pkg/noun/manage.c
+++ b/pkg/noun/manage.c
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 /// @file
 
-#include "manage.h"
+#include "pkg/noun/manage.h"
+#include "pkg/noun/v2/manage.h"
+#include "pkg/noun/v3/manage.h"
 
 #include <ctype.h>
 #include <errno.h>
@@ -597,7 +599,8 @@ _find_home(void)
 
   switch ( ver_w ) {
     case 1: u3m_v2_migrate();
-    case 2: break;
+    case 2: u3m_v3_migrate();
+    case 3: break;
     default: {
       fprintf(stderr, "loom: checkpoint version mismatch: "
                       "have %u, need %u\r\n",
diff --git a/pkg/noun/v3/allocate.h b/pkg/noun/v3/allocate.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cee111de20
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/noun/v3/allocate.h
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#ifndef U3_ALLOCATE_V3_H
+#define U3_ALLOCATE_V3_H
+
+#include "pkg/noun/allocate.h"
+
+#include "pkg/noun/v3/manage.h"
+#include "options.h"
+
+  /**  Aliases.
+  **/
+#     define u3R_v3              u3a_Road
+#     define u3a_v3_balign       u3a_balign
+#     define u3a_v3_road         u3a_road
+#     define u3a_v3_walign       u3a_walign
+
+  /**  Data structures.
+  **/
+
+  /**  Globals.
+  **/
+
+  /**  Functions.
+  **/
+    /**  Allocation.
+    **/
+      /* Reference and arena control.
+      */
+
+#endif /* ifndef U3_ALLOCATE_V3_H */
diff --git a/pkg/noun/v3/hashtable.h b/pkg/noun/v3/hashtable.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7ad854b91c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/noun/v3/hashtable.h
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#ifndef U3_HASHTABLE_V3_H
+#define U3_HASHTABLE_V3_H
+
+#define u3h_v3_new_cache     u3h_new_cache
+
+#include "pkg/noun/hashtable.h"
+
+#endif /* U3_HASHTABLE_V3_H */
diff --git a/pkg/noun/v3/manage.c b/pkg/noun/v3/manage.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f1877c3bdb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/noun/v3/manage.c
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+/// @file
+
+#include "pkg/noun/v3/manage.h"
+
+#include "pkg/noun/v3/allocate.h"
+#include "pkg/noun/v3/hashtable.h"
+#include "pkg/noun/version.h"
+#include "pkg/noun/v2/vortex.h"
+#include "pkg/noun/v3/vortex.h"
+
+/* u3m_v3_migrate: perform loom migration if necessary.
+*/
+void
+u3m_v3_migrate()
+{
+  fprintf(stderr, "loom: memoization migration running...\r\n");
+
+
+  c3_w ver_w = *(u3_Loom + u3C.wor_i - 1);  //  XX
+  c3_w *mem_w = u3_Loom + u3a_v3_walign;
+  c3_w  len_w = u3C.wor_i - u3a_v3_walign;
+  c3_w  suz_w = c3_wiseof(u3v_v2_home);
+  //  XX check this later
+  c3_w *mut_w = c3_align(mem_w + len_w - suz_w, u3a_v3_balign, C3_ALGLO);
+
+  //  old road
+  u3v_v2_home* hum_u = (u3v_v2_home*)mut_w;
+  u3a_v2_road* rud_u = &hum_u->rod_u;
+  size_t ruz_t = sizeof(u3a_v2_road);
+
+  //  new home, new road
+  u3v_v3_home hom_u = {0};
+  u3a_v3_road rod_u = {0};
+
+  //  copy members, one-by-one, from old road to new road
+  rod_u.par_p = rud_u->par_p;
+  rod_u.kid_p = rud_u->kid_p;
+  rod_u.nex_p = rud_u->nex_p;
+
+  rod_u.cap_p = rud_u->cap_p;
+  rod_u.hat_p = rud_u->hat_p;
+  rod_u.mat_p = rud_u->mat_p;
+  rod_u.rut_p = rud_u->rut_p;
+  rod_u.ear_p = rud_u->ear_p;
+
+  //  no need to zero-out fut_w
+
+  //  no need to do anything with esc
+
+  rod_u.how.fag_w = rud_u->how.fag_w;
+
+  //  XX destination buffer is size 196; is that because of padding?
+  memcpy(rod_u.all.fre_p, rud_u->all.fre_p, sizeof(rud_u->all.fre_p));
+  rod_u.all.cel_p = rud_u->all.cel_p;
+  rod_u.all.fre_w = rud_u->all.fre_w;
+  rod_u.all.max_w = rud_u->all.max_w;
+
+  rod_u.jed.hot_p = rud_u->jed.hot_p;
+  rod_u.jed.war_p = rud_u->jed.war_p;
+  rod_u.jed.cod_p = rud_u->jed.cod_p;
+  rod_u.jed.han_p = rud_u->jed.han_p;
+  rod_u.jed.bas_p = rud_u->jed.bas_p;
+
+  rod_u.byc.har_p = rud_u->byc.har_p;
+
+  rod_u.ski.gul = rud_u->ski.gul;
+
+  rod_u.bug.tax = rud_u->bug.tax;
+  rod_u.bug.mer = rud_u->bug.mer;
+
+  rod_u.pro.nox_d = rud_u->pro.nox_d;
+  rod_u.pro.cel_d = rud_u->pro.cel_d;
+  rod_u.pro.don   = rud_u->pro.don;
+  rod_u.pro.trace = rud_u->pro.trace;
+  rod_u.pro.day   = rud_u->pro.day;
+
+  rod_u.cax.har_p = rud_u->cax.har_p;
+
+  //  prepare the new home
+  hom_u.arv_u = hum_u->arv_u;
+  hom_u.rod_u = rod_u;
+  hom_u.ver_w = U3V_VER3;
+
+  //  place the new home over the old one
+  c3_w  siz_w = c3_wiseof(u3v_home);
+  c3_w *mat_w = c3_align(mem_w + len_w - siz_w, u3a_v3_balign, C3_ALGLO);
+  memcpy(mat_w, &hom_u, sizeof(u3v_home));
+
+  //  set globals
+  u3H_v3 = (void*)mat_w;
+  u3R_v3 = &u3H_v3->rod_u;
+
+  //  initialize persistent cache
+  u3R_v3->cax.per_p = u3h_v3_new_cache(u3C.per_w);
+
+  u3H_v3->ver_w = U3V_VER3;
+
+  fprintf(stderr, "loom: memoization migration done\r\n");
+}
diff --git a/pkg/noun/v3/manage.h b/pkg/noun/v3/manage.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..792bfb92b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/noun/v3/manage.h
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+/// @file
+
+#ifndef U3_MANAGE_V3_H
+#define U3_MANAGE_V3_H
+
+    /** System management.
+    **/
+      /* u3m_v3_migrate: perform pointer compression loom migration if necessary.
+         ver_w - target version
+      */
+        void
+        u3m_v3_migrate();
+
+#endif /* ifndef U3_MANAGE_V3_H */
diff --git a/pkg/noun/v3/vortex.c b/pkg/noun/v3/vortex.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7f2a9e6569
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/noun/v3/vortex.c
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+/// @file
+
+#include "pkg/noun/v3/vortex.h"
+
+u3v_v3_home* u3v_v3_Home;
diff --git a/pkg/noun/v3/vortex.h b/pkg/noun/v3/vortex.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fdc2382f7f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/noun/v3/vortex.h
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+/// @file
+
+#ifndef U3_VORTEX_V3_H
+#define U3_VORTEX_V3_H
+
+#include "pkg/noun/vortex.h"
+
+#include "pkg/noun/v3/allocate.h"
+#include "pkg/noun/version.h"
+
+  /**  Aliases.
+  **/
+#     define     u3v_v3_arvo  u3v_arvo
+
+  /**  Data structures.
+  **/
+    /* u3v_v3_home: all internal (within image) state.
+    **       NB: version must be last for discriminability in north road
+    */
+      typedef struct _u3v_v3_home {
+        u3a_v3_road    rod_u;                //  storage state
+        u3v_v3_arvo    arv_u;                //  arvo state
+        u3v_version    ver_w;                //  version number
+      } u3v_v3_home;
+
+  /**  Globals.
+  **/
+      /// Arvo internal state.
+      extern u3v_v3_home* u3v_v3_Home;
+#       define u3H_v3  u3v_v3_Home
+#       define u3A_v3  (&(u3v_v3_Home->arv_u))
+
+  /**  Functions.
+  **/
+    /* u3v_v3_rewrite_compact(): rewrite arvo kernel for compaction.
+    */
+      void
+      u3v_v3_rewrite_compact();
+
+#endif /* ifndef U3_VORTEX_V3_H */
diff --git a/pkg/noun/version.h b/pkg/noun/version.h
index f64d0a398e..bc81c83f5a 100644
--- a/pkg/noun/version.h
+++ b/pkg/noun/version.h
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@ typedef c3_w       u3v_version;
 
 #define U3V_VER1   1
 #define U3V_VER2   2
-#define U3V_VERLAT U3V_VER2
+#define U3V_VER3   3
+#define U3V_VERLAT U3V_VER3
 
 /* EVENTS
  */