Evidence
4 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-4).
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[1]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, "Sgt. Jonah E. Kelley" (official page, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/sgt-jonah-e-kelley.html; entry published 2015-09-09) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Full entry text, retrieved via Wayback Machine capture of the official NHHC page (live page returned HTTP 404 across multiple checks on 2026-09-24; site-wide www.history.navy.mil outage observed that date, consistent with the standing NHHC link-rot issue logged in BATCH-01-REPORT.md)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- DANFS, Sgt. Jonah E. Kelley: built as Link Splice under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 2489), laid down 1945-01-29 by Southeastern Shipbuilding Corp., Savannah, Ga.; launched 1945-03-17; sponsored by Mrs. L. W. Grothaus; delivered to the War Shipping Administration for operation by the Moore-McCormack Line on 1945-08-28. Returned to WSA and transferred to the Army 1946-06-20 for use as a coastal cargo ship; renamed Sgt. Jonah E. Kelley 1947-10-31, served Army Transportation Service as an XAKc until spring 1948, then carried passengers and cargo. Following MSTS's October 1949 establishment, the converted C1-M-AV1 was transferred to the Navy for MSTS use, placed in service as USNS Sgt. Jonah E. Kelley (T-APC-116), and assigned to North Atlantic operations carrying passengers and limited cargo from east coast ports (primarily New York) to Argentia and St. John's, Newfoundland; passenger service ended November 1959, replaced by cargo runs on the same route for about 10 more years. Replaced by USNS Mirfak in November 1969, returned to New York for the last time on the 24th, placed out of service, shifted to Norfolk, and transferred to the Maritime Administration on 1969-12-22 for James River Reserve Fleet berthing "where she remains into the fall of 1974." Classification data: APC-116, dp. 6,090 tons (f.), l. 338'9", b. 50'4", dr. 17'7", s. 11.5 k., cpl. 48, trp. 101, class Jonah E. Kelley, type C1-M-AV1. Namesake: Staff Sgt. Jonah E. Kelley, Co. E, 311th Infantry, 78th Infantry Division, killed in action leading house-to-house fighting in Kesternich, Germany, 1945-01-31; posthumous Medal of Honor.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1945-1974 (entry text); DANFS entry itself dated/published 2015-09-09, describing status as of "fall of 1974"
- Limitations
- Establishes identity, construction, ownership/operator chain, and service history in narrative and Navy-classification form. Contains no mention of asbestos, insulation, lagging, gaskets, or hazardous materials of any kind - does not establish or exclude asbestos presence aboard this hull. Live official URL was unreachable at every access attempt on 2026-09-24 (whole www.history.navy.mil domain returned 404, and history.navy.mil apex timed out); the archived capture used here mirrors the same official government page verbatim, not a third-party transcription.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-sgt-jonah-e-kelley-01
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[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, National Vessel Documentation / Vessel History record, LINK SPLICE, record ID 9174 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MARAD ShipHistory Detail page, record ID 9174
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD vessel-history record for LINK SPLICE / SGT. JONAH E. KELLY (T-APC-116): Official No. 247825; built 1945 by Southeastern Shipbuilding Corporation; MARAD type C1-M-AV1; length 320.00 ft, beam 50.00 ft; gross tons 3,805, net tons 2,123; summer draft 17.50 ft; general classification "General Cargo (Break Bulk)"; disposition "Sold - NTU."
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1945 (build); disposition date not given by this record
- Limitations
- Confirms identity/build data and disposition status ("Sold - NTU") but gives no disposition date and no historical-narrative, mission, hazmat, or survey content. Length/beam figures (320 ft x 50 ft) differ from DANFS's 338'9" x 50'4" - not reconciled here (see gaps); may reflect a different length convention (e.g., length between perpendiculars vs. overall) rather than a factual conflict, but this record does not say which. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-sgt-jonah-e-kelley-02
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[3]United States Merchant Marine (usmm.org), "United States Maritime Commission built C1 and C1-M Type Ships," citing America to United States: The History of the Long-Range Merchant Shipbuilding Programme of the United States Maritime Commission, 1937-1952 [other_primary]
- Locator
- C1-M Type section and vessel-name index entry "Link Splice, C1-M-AV1"
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Maritime Commission shipbuilding-history compilation lists Link Splice as a C1-M-AV1 type vessel. The C1-M-AV1 type was a diesel-propelled coastal-run design (as distinct from the C1-A/C1-B steam- or diesel-geared types); the compilation's specification table lists 1,750 shp for the C1-M type versus 4,000 shp for C1-A/C1-B, sourced to "America to United States: The History of the Long-Range Merchant Shipbuilding Programme of the United States Maritime Commission, 1937-1952."
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1937-1952 (Maritime Commission program); 1945 (this hull)
- Population
- Shipyard construction trades, Southeastern Shipbuilding Corp. (1945, class context)
- Limitations
- Class/type-level shipbuilding-program data only; confirms this hull's design type and diesel propulsion but does not name this vessel individually beyond the type roster, and does not mention asbestos, insulation, lagging, gaskets, or packing in any form. Does not support any asbestos finding - included only to establish that this is a motor (diesel) vessel, not a steam vessel, which changes the era-typical asbestos-relevant equipment profile relative to the Tier 0 steam-ship exemplars. This is a secondary maritime-history compilation (not an NHHC/NARA/MARAD original), used here as class-level background per the batch's exemplar precedent (cf. ss-jeremiah-obrien.atlas.json ev-01), not as ship-specific evidence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-sgt-jonah-e-kelley-03
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[4]Batch-9588 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; MARAD vessel-history database; NARA federal-record-group finding aids (RG 32, RG 178, RG 248, RG 19); CourtListener case-name and hull-number search; general web search for shipyard/vessel-type asbestos documentation [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-usns-sgt-jonah-e-kelley-01 through sl-usns-sgt-jonah-e-kelley-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific or class-specific asbestos record located: no Maritime Commission or Navy technical manual describing insulation/lagging materials for the C1-M-AV1 type, no GAO or federal-register survey, and no museum or preservation hazmat disclosure (the ship was scrapped and has no preserved/museum status). CourtListener opinion-index searches for the exact name "Jonah E. Kelley" and the hull number "T-APC-116" (via the required fleet-authenticated helper) each returned 0 results - no opinion names this vessel. A planned RECAP/docket-index search by name and hull number could not be completed due to fleet-wide CourtListener pacing throttling (see search_ledger); this remains an open task, not folded into this negative finding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard this hull or its class - it means no qualifying documentation was found in the sources searched. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present, and does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Because the vessel was scrapped by the early-to-mid 1970s and left no preserved hull, no survey/abatement-style record is likely to ever exist for this ship the way one might for a preserved museum vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-sgt-jonah-e-kelley-04