Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]DANFS, 'Grommet Reefer' (T-AF-53) entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (live page 404s at all URL variants on 2026-09-19; entry text verified verbatim via Wayback capture 20240525222558 of the /content/history/nhhc/ variant, cross-checked word-for-word against the hazegray transcription mirror) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry grommet-reefer-i.html - spec block and three narrative paragraphs (Wayback capture 20240525222558; mirror https://losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/auxil/af53.htm verified word-for-word)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records: 'A former name retained.' Spec block: '(T-AF-53: dp. 3,277; l. 338'8"; b. 50'; dr. 21'; s. 10.5 k.; a. none; T. C1-M-AV1)'. Laid down under Maritime Commission contract by Walter Butler Shipbuilders, Inc., Riverside Yard, Duluth, Minn., 1 January 1944; launched as Kenneth E. Gruennert 29 July 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Walter A. Blodsoe; delivered to WSA 9 December 1944 for use as a merchant cargo ship; pre-1950 owned by WSA and the Maritime Commission and operated - as Kenneth E. Gruennert and later as Grommet Reefer - by several merchant lines including Grace Lines, Inc., and Alaska Transportation Co. Transferred to the Navy by the Maritime Commission 1 March 1950 and assigned to MSTS; civilian-crewed; operated in the Pacific out of West Coast ports to the Marshalls, Marianas, and other Western Pacific bases for more than a year; San Francisco 25 March 1951; departed for East Coast 4 April, New York 25 April. Departed New York 29 June for the Mediterranean (North Africa and Italy ports), returned 13 August; Bremerhaven cargo run; sailed 22 October for a two-month Mediterranean deployment; January-April 1952 three round-trip voyages to Western Europe; next two months supplied American bases in Labrador and Greenland; resumed Mediterranean duty September, returned to New York 10 November; departed for North Africa 15 November; departed Casablanca 10 December for Leghorn, Italy. 'Loaded with Army cargo, she went aground on a reef during a storm off Leghorn 15 December 1952. She broke in half the next day, and her stern section sank without loss of life. The bow section and cargo were salvaged, and the bow was transferred to the Maritime Administration 23 July 1953.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1944-1953
- Population
- WSA merchant crews (1944/45-48); Army transport crews (1948-50); MSTS civilian mariners (1950-52)
- Limitations
- Official Navy ship history. Delivery date conflicts with the primary custody record: DANFS 'delivered to WSA 9 December 1944' vs MARAD status card 'Basis to W.S.A. 5-31-45 2:00PM CWT @ New Orleans' - logged in gaps (consistent with a Dec-1944 builder completion at Duluth followed by New Orleans delivery in May 1945, but not adjudicated). 'Stern section sank' reads loosely against the AP wirephoto caption ('stern remains afloat and watertight') and shipscribe's account of the stern impaled on a rock pinnacle and salved later - flagged, not adjudicated. No stricken date given (register compilation supplies 20 Oct 1953 - flagged). Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information; establishes no asbestos fact.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-grommet-reefer-01
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[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - GROMMET REEFER, Ship History Detail 5935, including two digitized vessel status-card scans (2UD_01.png, 5935_AF.jpg) read directly [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 5935 - vessel header, plus status-card scans /cards/2UD_01.png (vessel status card) and /cards/5935_AF.jpg (MA sale card) read directly
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory header: Year Built 1944; Official No. 246509; Shipyard 'Walter Butler Shipbuilders'; type C1-M-AV1 Refrigerated; length 323.75 ft, beam 50.10 ft, net 2,123, gross 3,805, immersion (summer) 8,370; fate 'Sold - Scrap'. The digitized status card (2UD_01) records: former name 'Kenneth E. Gruennert'; Hull No. 2243; built by Walter Butler SB Inc., Duluth, Minn.; completed 5-31-45 (New Orleans); 'Basis to W.S.A. 5-31-45 2:00PM CWT @ New Orleans, Owned'. Operator chain on the card: Grace Lines, Inc. (GAA, New Orleans, La., 5-31-45 2:00PM CWT); Alaska SS Co (GAA, Seattle, Wash., 11-13-46 12M PST); Matson Navigation Co (MC/BB, Seattle, 1-10-47 12Mid PST); Alaska Transp. Co. (GAA, Seattle, 4-25-47 Mid PST; MC/BB, Seattle, 7-27-47 Mid PST - 'Redelivered from old contract #60476 and delivered under new contract #61334'); War Department (LBB, Seattle, Wash., 9-23-48 12Noon PDST); 'NAVY DEP'T. (1 CUSTODY) AS IS WHERE IS, 3-1-50 12:01AM LOCAL TIME'; 'Constructive total loss, 3-18-53'; 'SOLD TO: RAOUL TUROLA, LEGHORN, ITALY (FOR SCRAP), 7-23-53 9:00z'. The sale card (5935_AF) records: 'GROMMET REEFER (ex-KENNETH E. GRUENNERT), Off. No. 246,509, R1-M-AV3'; sale file 'PDX-NO-512, OPENED 4/27/53'; 'Sold to Raoul Turola for scrapping of hull - $100,000.00. Contract MA-609 dated June 4, 1953 date of award'; dimensions 323.9' x 50.1' x 26.5'; gross 3,805, DWT 5,010, displacement 8,370; acquisition note: 'Del'd Dept.-Army 9/23/48 - bareboat charter basis. 3-1-50 redel'd by Army - simul del'd Dept-Navy - loan basis, without reimbursement, pursuant to provisions of Public Law 434, 81st Congress'; '2-24-53 NSA 931A adjudged vessel CTL and suggested disposal of vessel for scrapping. Concurrence by Dept-Navy 3/18/53'; LOCATION: 'Regina Reef off coast of Leghorn, Italy.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1944-1953
- Population
- Merchant crews under successive GAA/MC operators (1945-48); Army transport crew (1948-50); MSTS civilian mariners (1950-52)
- Limitations
- Authoritative custody record - the digitized status cards are primary MARAD documents read directly (live fetch worked 2026-09-19). Card handwriting partially legible; a marginal builder-hull number (#33?) and a contract-date annotation (#61334 dated '7-18-48', probably 1947) are not fully resolved. 'Basis to W.S.A. 5-31-45' conflicts with DANFS's 9 December 1944 delivery - carried both, logged in gaps. Type fields flip C1-M-AV1 (status card) vs R1-M-AV3 (sale card) - consistent with the 1945 reefer conversion. 'SOLD ... (FOR SCRAP)' is the custody disposition; the physical breaking of the hull is not documented in the file. The milestones table on the web page is empty - all custody detail is from the card scans. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-grommet-reefer-02
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[3]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive - USNS Grommet Reefer (T-AF-53) page 0653.htm (retrieved via Wayback capture 20240524151420; direct fetch failed, as in sister batches) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page 0653.htm - class history bullet list, 'Specifications' block, ribbon display, and photo captions (Wayback capture 20240524151420)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline: laid down 1 January 1944 as MV Kenneth E. Gruennert, a Maritime Commission type C1-M-AV1 hull under MC contract (MC hull 2243) at Walter Butler Shipbuilders, Inc., Riverside Yard, Duluth, MN; launched 29 July 1944; delivered to the War Shipping Administration 9 December 1944; acquired by the Navy 1 March 1950 and placed in service by MSTS as USNS Grommet Reefer (T-AF-53); ran aground off Leghorn, Italy, 15 December 1952 and broke in half, stern sunk, cargo and bow salvaged; struck from the Naval Register (date unknown); final disposition - bow section transferred to MARAD 23 July 1953. Spec block: displacement 2,382 t. (lt) / 6,240 t. (fl); length 338'8"; beam 50'; draft 21'; speed 10.5 kts; complement 40 civilian mariners; armament none; propulsion diesel, single propeller, 1,700 shp. Photo captions document the wreck: an AP Wirephoto caption describes the ship 'spilt in two, rests on rocks 300 yards off Leghorn, Italy, with 37 cold and weary seamen still aboard the stern section ... after three others were removed by breeches buoy,' the bow section breaking up, the stern 'afloat and watertight,' and cargo of '17776 tons of perishable food including Christmas turkeys for GIs in Italy and Austria'; a Naval Aviation News (February 1953, p. 23) caption describes the 15 December gale grounding, breakup on 16 December, and Piasecki HUP Retriever helicopters from USS Leyte (CVA-32), USS Midway (CVA-41), and USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) rescuing 'the remaining 15 crew (of 39),' with a HU-2 'Fleet Angels' HUP lifting a crewman off the stern.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1944-1953
- Population
- MSTS civilian mariners (1950-52); wreck-site rescuers (Italian shore crews, HU-2 detachments)
- Limitations
- Private archival compilation, not an official record - used for the timeline, spec block, and the quoted AP and Naval Aviation News captions. 'Stern sunk' is summary phrasing - the AP caption on the same page describes the stern 'afloat and watertight' and shipscribe describes the stern salved later; flagged in gaps. Crew figures conflict internally (spec '40' vs the NAN caption's 'of 39'; AP tally 37+3=40). The '17776 tons' cargo figure is printed verbatim and is probably garbled. Ribbon display (National Defense Service Medal) is plausible for Korea-era MSTS service but unverified against a service record. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-grommet-reefer-03
-
[4]Shipscribe USN auxiliaries compilation, GROMMET REEFER (T-AF 53, R1-M-AV3) class page - construction/disposal tables, ship note, and class narrative (built from Naval Vessel Register and MARAD data; Stephen S. Roberts, compiled 23 Jul 2021) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AF53.html - class spec block, Construction table row 53, Disposition table row 53, class notes, ship note for MC 2243
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Register-based compilation: design 'MC R1-M-AV3 (refrigerated) ex C1-M-AV1'; 3,277 lt / 8,360 fl; 339' oa, 320' wl x 50' x 21'; accommodations 11 officers + 28 enlisted; diesel, 1 screw, 1,700 HP. Construction/disposal tables: acquired 1 Mar 1950; Walter Butler SB, Duluth; keel 1 Jan 1944; launch 29 Jul 1944; in service 1 Mar 1950; struck 20 Oct 1953; disposal 15 Dec 1952; fate 'Lost'; MA sale 23 Jul 1953. Ship note (MC 2243, FY 1950 Acq): 'Launched as KENNETH E GRUENNERT of the C1-M-AV1 type, completed 9 Dec 1944, renamed GROMMET REEFER 1945 and redesignated R1-M-AV3. Delivered to commercial operator at New Orleans 31 May 1945. To Army 23 Sep 1948. To MSTS 1 Mar 1950. Grounded and broke in half at Leghorn, Italy, on 15 Dec 1952. Early in 1953 her bow with some cargo was salved, followed later by the stern. Declared a constructive total loss 18 Mar 1953, sold 4 Jun 1953, and transferred to the MA and sale completed 23 Jul 1953.' Class narrative: in mid-1943 the Joint Chiefs asked the Maritime Commission for a coastal cargo type for the Pacific island campaign; over 200 C1-M-AV1/R1-M-AV3 ships were built; post-war the Army acquired them for its permanent fleet - five R1-M-AV3 reefers (BOWLINE REEFER, STAR REEFER, WALL AND CROWN, FLEMISH BEND, PIER BEND) under bareboat charter, with GROMMET REEFER (built C1-M-AV1, converted to a reefer in 1945) acquired a month later, also bareboat; by 28 Feb 1950 the Army held 12 ships of the types including two refrigerated (AF 53 and the reacquired AF 44); AF 53's Navy name/classification/hull number were approved 21 Feb 1950, she was acquired 23 Feb 1950 effective 1 Mar 1950, assigned 'Active, In service' in MSTS 24 Feb 1950, and shifted from the Northern Pacific to the Atlantic in February 1952. Stranding narrative: anchored off Leghorn 13 December 1952 with a cargo of Christmas items for American forces in Italy and Austria; a heavy gale 15 December caused her to drag her anchors, ground on rocks, and break in half; the crew reached the stern section, impaled on a rock pinnacle about 200 yards offshore; all were brought ashore in a series of rescues culminating in lifts by Navy helicopters from two approaching aircraft carriers. A Sealift Magazine (April 1968, p. 23) retrospective reports the cargo as 'Christmas turkeys and all the trimmings' and that 'the shore was strewn with turkeys, sausages, and choice meats.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1944-1953; class context 1943-1950
- Population
- Army transport crews (1948-50); MSTS civilian mariners (1950-52)
- Limitations
- Scholarly secondary compilation from register data - used for the R1-M-AV3 redesignation, acquisition dates (21/23/24 Feb 1950 approvals), the Atlantic shift, the stranding/salvage sequence, and the strike date. 'Struck 20 Oct 1953' is register-derived but DANFS and NavSource list the strike date as unknown - carried with the caveat, flagged in gaps. 'Stern ... salved' conflicts with DANFS 'stern section sank' - flagged. Accommodations 11+28=39 conflicts NavSource '40'. The Sealift Magazine retrospective is quoted at second hand (via this compilation). Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-grommet-reefer-04
-
[5]Congressional Medal of Honor Society, recipient record - Kenneth E. Gruennert (Sergeant, Company L, 127th Infantry, 32d Infantry Division, U.S. Army) [other_primary]
- Locator
- cmohs.org recipient page - MoH action date/place, unit, posthumous award
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The hull was launched under the name Kenneth E. Gruennert on 29 July 1944 (DANFS, NavSource, and the MARAD card's 'ex-KENNETH E. GRUENNERT' annotation) - named for Sgt. Kenneth E. Gruennert of Helenville, Wisconsin, Company L, 127th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for actions on 24 December 1942 near Buna, New Guinea (single-handed attacks on two pillboxes; killed by sniper fire). Consistent with the Army's practice of naming its transport/reefer ships for Medal of Honor recipients, the ship carried his name until the 1945 reefer conversion and rename to Grommet Reefer.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Limitations
- Namesake context only - CMOHS documents the soldier, not the ship; the ship-name linkage rests on the launch name as documented by DANFS, NavSource, and the MARAD card, and on the documented Army naming practice for its permanent-fleet cargo ships. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-grommet-reefer-05
-
[6]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and Maritime Commission program under which this C1-M-AV1 hull was built (1944) and converted to a refrigerated R1-M-AV3 (1945) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel, does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, and does not establish quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-grommet-reefer-06
-
[7]Fleischer, W.E., Drinker, P., et al., 'A Health Survey of Pipe Covering Operations in Constructing Naval Vessels,' Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 28(1):9-16 (1946) - U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial hygiene survey [other_primary]
- Locator
- J. Ind. Hyg. Toxicol. 28(1):9-16 (1946), PMID 21016030
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- A U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial hygiene survey of WWII shipyard pipe-covering operations documented amosite asbestos pipe covering and boiler-block insulation being cut and fitted at contract shipyards - the documented product environment at USMC contract yards of the era, the program under which Walter Butler Shipbuilders produced this hull (MC hull 2243, Duluth, 1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (survey era); published 1946
- Population
- Construction trades at WWII USMC contract yards, including Walter Butler workers on this hull's 1944 build
- Limitations
- Yard/era-level documentation - the survey covered contract yards as a group and names neither Walter Butler (Duluth) nor this hull; it establishes the documented product environment for construction-period yard workers, not asbestos presence on this vessel. The boiler-block products documented are less directly relevant to this diesel-propelled hull than to steamships, though the yard-supplied materials environment applies to outfitting generally. No hull-level proof.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-grommet-reefer-07
-
[8]Batch-415 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS canonical URL (live 404) verified verbatim via Wayback capture 20240525222558 + hazegray mirror; NavSource 0653 via Wayback capture 20240524151420; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 5935 + two status-card scans read directly; shipscribe AF53 register compilation; CMOHS namesake record; NVR AF-53 (no record - pre-1987 disposal); class-profile worktrees (no C1-M/R1-M profile); shipyards.json (no Walter Butler entry); indexed-web litigation sweeps; CourtListener (blocked) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-usns-grommet-reefer-01 through sl-usns-grommet-reefer-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull under any designation (Kenneth E. Gruennert, Grommet Reefer, USAT/USNS, AF-53, T-AF-53, MC 2243, Official No. 246509) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The only asbestos-adjacent web hit is a law-firm marketing page that lists the ship's name in a generic auxiliary-ship directory - non-qualifying and non-citable per batch rules; it contains no hull-specific documentation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2026-09-19
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 USMC-contract refrigerated cargo ship is era-consistent with asbestos-containing outfit materials, though the diesel plant removes the boiler/steam-line pathway that drives steamship inference. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. CourtListener was unreachable at research time (API HTTP 429, same-day throttle; HTML search HTTP 403, 2026-09-19) - the systematic docket/name sweep could not be run and remains an open item; negative litigation coverage rests on indexed-web checking only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-grommet-reefer-08
-
[9]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) and RG 248 (War Shipping Administration); Navy deck logs (MSTS era); MARAD PDX-512/MA-609 sale file; Army transport records; Navy stranding-investigation records [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov record-group guides (RG 178, RG 248); NARA deck-log guidance; MARAD ShipHistory documents tab (empty for this hull - file may exist undigitized)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 178 (USMC Construction Division) may hold the MC hull 2243 contract/outfitting records for Walter Butler, including the undocumented 1945 reefer-conversion scope behind the R1-M-AV3 redesignation; RG 248 (War Shipping Administration) holds vessel files covering the GAA/MC-BB operator chain on the status card (Grace Lines, Alaska SS Co, Matson Navigation Co, Alaska Transportation Co., contracts #60476/#61334); Army transport records cover the 1948-50 War Department bareboat-charter period (Seattle delivery 9-23-48, LBB); MSTS-era deck logs (1950-52) would carry the final Casablanca-Leghorn voyage and are at NARA; the Navy's stranding investigation/board-of-inquiry file for the 15 December 1952 grounding would document the loss formally; the MARAD PDX-512/MA-609 sale file would settle what the Turola purchase physically covered (whole wreck vs bow section).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1944-1953 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-grommet-reefer-09