The USS Crux (AK-115) was a Crater-class cargo ship built during World War II. The ship was laid down on 27 September 1943, under a Maritime Commission contract at St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida, and launched on 16 November 1943. During World War II, the USS Crux (AK-115) was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. Products containing asbestos were widely used by the U.S. Navy from the 1930s until the 1970s. Because the danger of the mineral was concealed by the manufacturers, boilermen, enginemen, firemen, machinist mates, shipfitters, and pipefitters, were often exposed while performing repair and maintenance tasks onboard navy ships. Exposure to asbestos aboard naval vessels caused many veterans to later develop lung cancer and other serious asbestos-related conditions. The USS Crux (AK-115) was decommissioned on 31 January 1946 and transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal the same day. She was sold for scrapping, on 30 November 1961, to Union Minerals and Alloys Corp.
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