USNS Sgt. Morris E. Crain

History
United States
Name	Mills Victory Sgt. Morris E. Crain
Namesake	Mills College Morris E. Crain awarded the Medal of Honor
Ordered	as type (VC2-S-AP2) hull, MCV hull 741
Builder	Permanente Metals Corporation, Richmond, California
Laid down	14 February 1945, as SS Mills Victory
Launched	28 March 1945
Sponsored by	Miss Jane McVeigh
Acquired	21 April 1945
Commissioned	8 June 1946, as USAT Sgt. Morris E. Crain
Decommissioned	1 March 1950
In service	1 March 1950, as USNS Sgt. Morris E. Crain (T-AK-244)
Out of service	11 March 1975
Stricken	1 April 1975
Identification	Hull symbol:T-AK-244
Honours and awards	National Defense Service Medal
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 17 July 1975, to General Metals of Tacoma, WA.
General characteristics [1]
Class and type	Boulder Victory-class cargo ship
Displacement	4,480 long tons (4,550 t) (standard) 15,580 long tons (15,830 t) (full load)
Length	455 ft (139 m)
Beam	62 ft (19 m)
Draft	29 ft 2 in (8.89 m)
Installed power	8,500 shp (6,300 kW)
Propulsion	1 × Westinghouse turbine 2 × Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers, 525psi 750° double Westinghouse Main Reduction Gears 1 × shaft
Speed	15.5 kn (17.8 mph; 28.7 km/h)
Complement	53 officers and enlisted
Armament	none

USNS Sgt. Morris E. Crain (T-AK-244) was a Boulder Victory-class cargo ship built at the end of World War II and served in the war prior to its demilitarization as a commercial cargo vessel. From post-war to 1950 she served the U.S. Army as a transport named USAT Morris E. Crain. In 1950 she was acquired by the U.S. Navy and assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service. In 1975 she ended her career and was placed into reserve.

Victory ship built in California

Sgt. Morris E. Crain was laid down as Mills Victory under a U.S. Maritime Commission contract (MC hull V 741) on 14 February 1945 by Permanente Metals Corporation, Richmond, California; launched on 28 March 1945; sponsored by Miss Jane McVeigh; and delivered to the War Shipping Administration on 21 April 1945.

U.S. Army service

Renamed the Sgt. Morris E. Crain by the U.S. Army, the ship served the Army Transportation Corps until 1950 when it was transferred to the U.S. Navy.

Service with the MSTS

She was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service in February 1950 to become a United States Naval Ship. Home ported in San Francisco, California, Sgt. Morris E. Crain made trips to the major islands of the Pacific Ocean and carried military cargo to Korea in support of United Nations forces there.

As of 1974, Sgt. Morris E. Crain continued her service as a United States Naval Ship with a civil service crew. Assigned to the Military Sealift Command, Sgt. Morris E. Crain carried cargo for all the services.

Decommissioning

She was decommissioned at an unknown date and struck from the Navy List on 1 April 1975. She was returned to the U.S. Maritime Commission on 17 July 1975. Her subsequent fate is not recorded.

Honors and awards

• National Defense Service Medal

References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - USAT Sgt. Morris E. Crain - T-AK-244 Sgt. Morris E. Crain

This page was last edited on 6 April 2023, at 13:10