The SS Antoine Saugrain was a Liberty Ship that served the US Navy during the Second World War. This vessel was laid down in 1943 and launched the same year in August. The builder of this vessel was the Permanente Metals Corporation. This ship’s fate was impressive as it faced several torpedo planes on the 5th of December 1944 and ended up sinking due to the damage it incurred in this conflict. The SS Antoine Saugrain was attacked by 12 kamikaze torpedo planes. A part of the crewmen were injured in the incident. Two days later, the ship sank as it was approaching the Surigao Strait located near Leyte Gulf. 450 crewmen were on board by the time the ship started sinking. They all abandoned the vessel and had no choice but to swim for a couple of hours before they were saved by the Coronado and San Pedro ships.
Unfortunately, the SS Antoine Saugrain was laden with asbestos-containing materials, like all U.S. Navy ships from her time. Although the Navy issued a policy against using asbestos in ships in 1975, many veterans had already been exposed to the cancer-causing material by that point, such as the SS Antoine Saugrain's crewmen.
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