Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - general stores issue ships (AKS) section, per-hull rows for GRATIA AKS-11 (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 AKS section pp. 142ff (dimensions, personnel, machinery, armament/cargo, construction tables); index entry 'Gratia (ex-M.C.E. Hull 2823) - AKS11 - Auxiliary-General-Stores-Issue Ship ... 142'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries a per-hull row for GRATIA AKS-11 (ex-M.C.E. Hull 2823): 441'6" overall / 416'0" pp; beam 56'11"; 28'4" draft; 12.5 knots; 14,350 tons (dimensions table) / 14,550 (personnel-displacement table); machinery 1 Iron Fireman vertical reciprocating (3-exp.) engine, 2,500 shp, with 2 B. & W. header-type boilers at 220 psi / 450 deg F, single screw; personnel row reads 15 officers + 180 enlisted; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal (D.P.) + 1 x 3"/50 cal (D.P.); cargo 219,018 cu ft non-refrigerated; largest boom 37 t; builder Delta S.B. Co., New Orleans, La.; acquired/commissioned 20 Nov 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Authoritative wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, machinery plant, manning, builder, and acquisition/commissioning. OCR of the scanned table is columnar and partially garbled; values cross-verified against DANFS and NavSource (the personnel row's officer/enlisted split 15+180=195 matches DANFS cpl. 195). Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gratia-aks11-01
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[2]DANFS, 'Gratia (AKS-11)' entry, Naval History Division / NHHC (live NHHC URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/gratia.html returns 404 - verbatim text via the HyperWar/ibiblio DANFS transcription, transcribed by Patrick Clancey) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- HyperWar/ibiblio DANFS transcription, USS Gratia (AKS-11) entry, body text + spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC records: Gratia (AKS-11), 'an astronomical body,' was launched under Maritime Commission contract by Delta Shipbuilding Co., New Orleans, La., 21 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. John W. Boatwright; acquired by the Navy 20 November 1944 and commissioned the same day, Lt. Charles B. Gray in command. She sailed to Galveston and decommissioned to undergo conversion; recommissioned 5 May 1945, Lt. Comdr. William Jonelli in command; sailed for the Pacific as part of Service Squadron 8; operating out of Manila she carried stores and passengers to ports in the Philippines, the Admiralties, and New Guinea. Departed Manila January 1946; reached San Francisco 4 April via Japanese ports and Pearl Harbor; returned to Pearl Harbor 30 May; decommissioned there 1 July 1946 and was towed to San Francisco; stricken from the Navy Register 17 July 1947 and transferred to the Maritime Commission; NDRF Suisun Bay until fall 1964, when scrapped. Spec block: dp. 14,350; l. 441'6"; b. 56'11"; dr. 28'4"; s. 12.5 k.; cpl. 195; a. 1 5", 1 3", 8 20mm; cl. Acubens; T. EC2-S-C1.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1964
- Limitations
- Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for service history, custody chain, and disposal. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page 404s (standing link rot, cf. BATCH-01); the HyperWar/ibiblio transcription is verbatim DANFS text. The entry's 'decommissioned 3 November' for the conversion is internally impossible (predates the 20 Nov 1944 commissioning) - almost certainly a typo for 3 December or a mis-set 23 November; logged in gaps, not carried.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gratia-aks11-02
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[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - USS Gratia (AKS-11), file 09/16/1611 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 1611.htm - timeline entries, specifications block, awards/ribbons block, commanding-officer table (Joneli 5 May 1945 - 8 Apr 1946), disposal entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline corroborates DANFS and adds detail: laid down (date unknown) as SS John W. Draper, MC type EC2-S-C1, MCE hull 2823, Delta Shipbuilding Co., New Orleans; launched 21 Oct 1944; completed and acquired by the Navy 20 Nov 1944; commissioned 20 Nov 1944; decommissioned 23 Nov 1944 at Galveston, TX; recommissioned 5 May 1945, LCDR William Joneli USNR; Asiatic-Pacific Theater service; Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia) period 21 Jan - 6 Mar 1946; decommissioned 1 Jul 1946 at Pearl Harbor; class note - Acubens-class ships were held at Pearl Harbor as prospective Bikini 'C' test assets until the 1947 transfer decision; transferred to the Maritime Commission 22 Jul 1947 for NDRF Suisun Bay; sold for scrapping 23 Oct 1964 to Nicolai Joffe Corp. for $111,226.00 in a two-ship sale (PD-X-678 dated 28 Sep 1964), delivered 4 Nov 1964. Ribbon set: American Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign, WWII Victory, Navy Occupation (Asia), Philippines Liberation. Spec block adds: 5,240 t lt / 14,550 t fl; complement 24 officers + 194 enlisted; cargo 3,230 DWT / 219,018 cu ft non-refrigerated; propulsion one Iron Fireman vertical reciprocating steam engine, two header-type boilers 220 psi / 450 deg F (NavSource says Wickes; SDB says B.&W. - flagged in gaps), three turbo-drive 60kW 120V DC ship's service generators, single propeller 2,500 shp; NHHC photo NH 77390 (ship underway off San Francisco, 1945-46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1964
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with NHHC/MARAD on all custody dates except its 'Struck from the Naval Register, 1 July 1946' entry, which echoes the decommissioning date and conflicts with DANFS's 17 July 1947 and MARAD's 22 Jul 1947 custody transfer - logged in gaps, not carried. Complement block (24+194=218) conflicts with DANFS/SDB 195. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gratia-aks11-03
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[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - GRATIA (AKS-11), Ship History Detail 2005, incl. scanned vessel status card (card image /cards/2005_3732AB.jpg) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 2005 registry block, milestone table, Status Cards tab (2005_3732AB.jpg)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory registry record for this hull: Year Built 1944; Shipyard 'Delta Ship Building Company'; General Type Naval Auxiliary; Specific Type 'AK Cargo Ship' (registry's generic label - the hull is the AKS-11 stores issue ship); MARAD Type EC2-S-C1; length 441.50 ft; beam 56.80 ft; 7,176 gross / 4,380 net tons; cargo capacity 500,000 sq ft; fate 'Sold - Scrap'; milestones - Entry and Acquisition 7/22/1947 'ex-JOHN W. DRAPER,' Disposition and Withdrawal 11/4/1964. The scanned status card (2005_3732AB.jpg) records: former name John W. Draper; hull no. MCE-2823; fleet SUISUN (S-11); entered fleet 7-22-47 (1310 hrs); 491 bbls Bunker C fuel oil at entry; 'Sold Scrap on PD-X-678 dated Sep. 28, 1964 - Awarded Oct. 23, 1964 to Nicolai Joffe Corp. (GRATIA & LUNA) $111,226.00'; withdrawn from fleet 'Nov. 4, 1964; 1020 hrs PST, delivered to purchaser - Auth. Rep. of Nicolai Joffe Corp.'; and a ships-papers note 'Re storage bin installation. See SB memo 9-6-56. Filed "Gratia" SB.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1964
- Limitations
- Authoritative MARAD registry plus a scanned status card; card text legible (typed entries; OCR-aided read). The two-ship sale line 'GRATIA & LUNA' is the ship-specific disposal record. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gratia-aks11-04
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[5]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Acubens (AKS-5) Class' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from Navy registers, BuShips/SCB design records, and MARAD files) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AKS-5 class page: characteristics block, construction table (GRATIA row), disposition table, class notes (AKS conversion scope; Crossroads selection), ship notes (AKS-11 row)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-design compilation naming this hull in the class tables: GRATIA, MC design EC2-S-C1; acquired 20 Nov 44; builder Delta SB; keel 14 Sep 44; launched 21 Oct 44; commissioned (full) 5 May 45; disposition row - decommissioned 1 Jul 46, struck 17 Jul 47, disposal 22 Jul 47, fate MC/R, MARAD sale 23 Oct 64. Ship note: 'Ex merc. JOHN W. DRAPER. Ferry commission 20-23 Nov 44. Converted by Todd Galveston Dry Docks, Inc., Galveston, Tex. To buyer 4 Nov 64, scrapped by 12 Mar 65.' Class notes document that AKS conversion 'consisted primarily of the addition of two extra 'tween decks in holds 2, 3, 4, and 5 plus minor alterations in other compartments and the installation of standard Navy equipment such as radar'; Tampa Shipbuilding was lead yard and conversions were distributed among five shipyards. The class was among 30 EC2 auxiliaries selected by CNO in Nov 1945 for 'special explosive tests' (Operation Crossroads), ordered to Pearl Harbor to decommission pending the tests, deleted from the CROSSROADS target plans Feb 1946, then moved to the West Coast for disposal - the documented reason for Gratia's Pearl Harbor decommissioning and San Francisco tow.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1965
- Population
- Delta Shipbuilding construction workforce (1944); Todd Galveston conversion workforce (1944-45); wartime crew; NDRF Suisun caretakers (1947-1964); 1964-65 breaking-yard workers
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary transcription of official Navy register, design, and MARAD records, not the registers themselves; used where consistent with DANFS/SDB/MARAD. It is the sole source located for the keel date (14 Sep 44) and the conversion-yard name (Todd Galveston Dry Docks). Contains no asbestos information; conversion-scope materials content is inference.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gratia-aks11-05
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[6]Consolidated era/design inference - U.S. Maritime Commission, Instruction Manual for Operating and Maintaining 2500 H.P. Triple Expansion Marine Steam Engines, EC2-S-C1 Cargo Vessels (mirrored excerpt), applied to this hull's documented EC2-S-C1 plant (SDB 1945 v3 machinery row) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USMC EC2-S-C1 manual mirrored excerpt (engine-cylinder insulation section); SDB1945v3 machinery row (GRATIA); shipscribe AKS-5 class notes (conversion scope)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull was built as a standard MC EC2-S-C1 (Liberty) cargo hull at a Maritime Commission emergency yard and retains the type's standard steam plant (two header-type boilers, vertical triple-expansion engine, 2,500 shp, single screw - documented by the SDB machinery row for this hull). The USMC operating manual for the EC2-S-C1 plant describes cylinder insulation of magnesia under sheet-iron lagging; insulation products of this era were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber, and period steam-system gaskets, packing, and insulation felts commonly contained asbestos. The 1944-45 conversion to a general stores issue ship (added 'tween decks in holds 2-5, Navy-standard equipment) and the hull's wartime service, 17-year Suisun Bay lay-up, and 1964-65 scrapping are the documented construction/disturbance-phase windows for the type's typical asbestos applications (boiler and steam-drum insulation; steam-line lagging; valve and flange gaskets; machinery packing; accommodation insulation; brake linings).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1965
- Population
- Construction trades at Delta Shipbuilding (1944); conversion trades at Todd Galveston (1944-45); wartime crew (~195); NDRF Suisun caretakers (1947-64); breaking-yard workers (1964-65)
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant, type design, and construction era - NOT a hull record. The manual names the EC2-S-C1 type, not this vessel, and does not itself state 'asbestos' content; no survey, specification, or material schedule naming AKS-11 or MCE-2823 was located. Establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gratia-aks11-06
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[7]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 emergency construction program under which this EC2-S-C1 hull was built and converted - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- 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 or class 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-uss-gratia-aks11-07
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[8]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era and type.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- survey ~1944-45; published 1946
- Population
- WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder/conversion yard (whether Delta Shipbuilding or Todd Galveston was among surveyed or comparable contract yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gratia-aks11-08
-
[9]Batch-1118 search ledger (this record): DANFS via HyperWar/ibiblio transcription; NavSource 1611; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 2005 + status-card scan 2005_3732AB.jpg; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; shipscribe AKS-5 class page; CourtListener authenticated API sweeps; indexed-web litigation checks; NVR [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-gratia-aks11-01 through sl-uss-gratia-aks11-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, specification, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Gratia / AKS-11 / MCE hull 2823 / SS John W. Draper was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener: '"USS Gratia"' exact-phrase opinion search returned count 0; '"AKS-11"' returned one hit - United States ex rel. Hart v. McKesson Corp. (2d Cir. 2024), a pharmaceutical False Claims Act matter where the token is Anti-Kickback Statute material, a name collision; '"Gratia"' + asbestos returned six hits, all surname/'ex gratia' collisions in insurance and unrelated matters; '"John W. Draper"' returned sixteen surname-litigation hits, none vessel-related. A law-firm marketing list (freeasbestostesting.com auxiliary-ships page) names the hull without primary support - excluded as a source per the no-law-firm-sources rule and logged in the batch report. NVR returns no record (hull disposed 1964, pre-dating coverage).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2026-09-22
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 EC2-S-C1 steam auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her documented disturbance phases (Todd Galveston conversion, wartime service, 17-year Suisun lay-up, 1964-65 breaking) are undocumented as to materials scope. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gratia-aks11-09
-
[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 357 (Records of the Maritime Administration); MARAD ShipHistory documents section for this hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/178.html ; /groups/357.html ; https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/2005 (status-card scan)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Gratia Nov 1944 - Jul 1946 incl. the 20-23 Nov 1944 ferry-commission run New Orleans-Galveston (RG 24, NARA); BuShips records incl. AKS conversion specifications and Booklet of General Plans for the EC2-S-C1 hull (RG 19); USMC construction-contract records for MCE hull 2823 at Delta Shipbuilding (RG 178); MARAD/NDRF custody files covering the 1947-1964 Suisun Bay lay-up, the 9-6-56 'storage bin installation' memo referenced on the status card, and the PD-X-678 sale file - the sale file is the most promising disposal-era hazmat lead (RG 357).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1965 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-uss-gratia-aks11-10