Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), "Sgt. Morris E. Crain" [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Full entry text (Wayback Machine capture 2024-12-09; live NHHC URL returns 404 as of 2026-09-24 — standing link rot per prior batch reports)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS: "Sgt. Morris E. Crain (AK-244: dp. 15,210 (f.); l. 455'3\"; b. 62'; dr. 28'6\"; cpl. 53; cl. Boulder Victory; T. VC2-S-AP2)" was laid down as Mills Victory under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull V-741) on 14 February 1945 by Permanente Metals Corp., Richmond, Calif.; launched 28 March 1945; sponsored by Miss Jane McVeigh; delivered to the War Shipping Administration 21 April 1945. Renamed Sgt. Morris E. Crain, the ship served the Army Transportation Corps and was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service in February 1950 to become a United States Naval Ship. Homeported in San Francisco, she made trips to the major islands of the Pacific and carried military cargo to Korea in support of United Nations forces there. As of 1974 (the entry's reference point), she continued service as a USNS with a civil service crew, assigned to the Military Sealift Command, carrying cargo for all the services.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1945-1974
- Limitations
- Authoritative NHHC vessel-history entry; establishes identity, construction, government custody transfers, and Pacific/Korea cargo service. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page returns HTTP 404; content verified via Wayback Machine capture.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-sgt-morris-e-crain-01
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[2]Naval History and Heritage Command, DANFS, "Sgt. Morris E. Crain" (namesake/Medal of Honor section) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Opening paragraphs of the DANFS entry (namesake biography)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- DANFS Medal of Honor citation: Technical Sergeant Morris E. Crain, U.S. Army, born Bandana, Ky., entered service at Paducah. On 13 March 1945 at Haguenau, France, he led his platoon in the fight to enlarge the Moder River bridgehead, repeatedly exposing himself to enemy artillery, mortar, tank, and infantry fire to rally his men, carry ammunition, and maintain contact with the company command post; when the enemy overran adjoining positions he ordered the men defending the foremost house to withdraw while he remained to cover them with submachine-gun fire, and was killed when the house was destroyed. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Namesake biography only; establishes no ship material, condition, or exposure information. Not an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-sgt-morris-e-crain-02
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[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database — SGT. MORRIS E. CRAIN (T-AK-244), Ship History Detail 4527 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 4527 — vessel specification table, vessel name history, and milestone table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database record (Detail 4527) for SGT. MORRIS E. CRAIN (T-AK-244): Year Built 1945; Official Number 247644; Shipyard Permanente Metals Corporation; General Type Naval Auxiliary; Specific Type AP/APA/LPA; MARAD Type VC2-S-AP2; Length 455.00 ft; Beam 62.00 ft; Net Tons 4,563; Gross Tons 7,607; Fate: "Sold - Scrap". Vessel name history: MILLS VICTORY → SGT. MORRIS E. CRAIN (T-AK-244). Milestones: Entry 1975-03-11; Acquisition 1975-03-11; Disposition 1975-09-01 ("CUST 1975"); Withdrawal 1975-09-01.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1945-1975
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity/specification data and government-custody milestones. The record's "Status Cards" and "Documents" sections rendered no retrievable text in this pass (likely image-only scans), so no scrap-buyer name or exact striking date could be confirmed from this source. Draft field ("Draft, Summer: 24.00", units as entered in the database) does not match DANFS's stated draft of 28'6" — discrepancy noted in gaps, not resolved. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-sgt-morris-e-crain-03
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[4]National Park Service / National Historic Landmark nomination, SS Lane Victory [nps]
- Locator
- Nomination form, Section 7 (Description), engineering-plant paragraphs
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- NHL/NRHP nomination for a sister VC2-S-AP2 Victory hull, SS Lane Victory (MC hull V-794), documents the class-standard engineering plant: a cross-compound, double-reduction geared, impulse-reaction marine steam turbine rated 6,000 shaft horsepower (Allis-Chalmers), single screw, ~16.3 knots; steam from two sectional-header, single-pass Babcock & Wilcox boilers rated 525 psi (465 psi operating), producing 27,500 lb/hr at 750°F, oil-fired. This is the same VC2-S-AP2 design as Sgt. Morris E. Crain (built at a different Kaiser Richmond yard).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1945 design/construction
- Population
- Merchant engine-room crew (class context)
- Limitations
- This nomination describes a different, sister hull (SS Lane Victory), not Sgt. Morris E. Crain; it is cited only to document the shared VC2-S-AP2 class engineering plant. The nomination text contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement of its own — it does not establish asbestos presence on Lane Victory or on this hull. Class/design-level document only; does not establish quantity, presence, individual exposure, or causation for this vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-sgt-morris-e-crain-04
-
[5]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 World War II, the era and Maritime Commission program under which this VC2-S-AP2 Victory ship was built, and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls generally.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- 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 and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-sgt-morris-e-crain-05
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[6]Batch-9590 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS entry; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 4527; CourtListener API v4 opinion search [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-usns-sgt-morris-e-crain-01 through sl-usns-sgt-morris-e-crain-06
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming Sgt. Morris E. Crain, Mills Victory, T-AK-244, or MC hull V-741 was found in the official/authoritative sources searched — DANFS/NHHC entry contains no materials or condition information; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 4527 contains no asbestos information; CourtListener exact-name opinion search ("Sgt. Morris E. Crain") returned zero results (see search_ledger).
- 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 — a 1945 Maritime Commission-built steam vessel of this type is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials at time of scrapping (1975). Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. CourtListener docket-type search was rate-limited by the fleet-wide pacing limiter during this research pass and was not completed (see search_ledger sl-06); this negative finding rests on the opinion-type search only plus the DANFS/MARAD record review.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-sgt-morris-e-crain-06
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[7]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 178 (US Maritime Commission), RG 248 (War Shipping Administration), RG 357 (Maritime Administration) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/248.html ; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/357.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (not retrieved — requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission) may hold Permanente Metals Corp./Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 2 construction/outfitting records for MC hull V-741; RG 248 (Records of the War Shipping Administration) may hold operational files for the 1945-1950 Army Transportation Corps period; RG 357 (Records of the Maritime Administration) may hold post-1950 MSTS/MSC operational records and the 1975 disposal/scrapping file.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1945-1975 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-sgt-morris-e-crain-07