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36-676: SS American Victory is a Victory ship which saw service during the final months of World War II in the Pacific Theater of Operations , the Korean War from 1951–1954, and the Vietnam War from 1966–1969. Built in June 1945, she carried ammunition and other cargo from Los Angeles to Southeast Asia, then ferried cargo, equipment and troops back to the U.S. after the war ended. She survived two typhoons and one hurricane. American Victory spent part of

72-475: A Clemson -class destroyer , a Fletcher -class destroyer, and a German Type VII U-boat . There are also numerous vintage Merchant Marine recruiting posters, and a collection of Victory and Liberty ship's plaques, all of them sunk or scrapped. There is also a mock-up of the ships wheelhouse, and a lifeboat and Maritime Signal Flag exhibit. See also, similar role:- Empire ship , Fort ship , Park ship , Ocean ship . Victory ship The Victory ship

108-551: A 5-inch (127 mm)/38 caliber stern gun for use against submarines and surface ships, and a bow-mounted 3-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber gun and eight 20 mm cannon for use against aircraft. These were manned by United States Navy Armed Guard personnel. The VC2-S-AP5 Haskell -class attack transports were armed with the 5-inch stern gun, one quad 40 mm Bofors cannon , four dual 40 mm Bofors cannon, and ten single 20 mm cannon. The Haskell s were operated and crewed exclusively by U.S. Navy personnel. The Victory ship

144-520: A United States Merchant Marine ship, was operated for WSA under a general agency agreement by Hammond Shipping Co. Ltd. She loaded United States Army cargo at Fort Mason then took on cargo at Los Angeles and other west coast ports before steaming to Manila in the Philippines . She was in Manila when the war ended. She took her remaining cargo to Shanghai , China , and spent the next two months sailing

180-550: A force to complete a specific mission , or the general sense of the needs (excluding manpower) of a functioning army. An important category of materiel is commonly referred to as ordnance , especially concerning mounted guns ( artillery ) and the shells they consume. Along with fuel, and munitions in general, the steady supply of ordnance is an ongoing logistical challenge in active combat zones. Materiel management consists of continuing actions relating to planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, controlling, and evaluating

216-791: A further 132 vessels, although three were completed in 1946 for the Alcoa Steamship Company, making a total built in the United States of 534, made up of: Of the wartime construction, 414 were of the standard cargo variant and 117 were attack transports. Because the Atlantic battle had been won by the time the first of the Victory ships appeared none were sunk by U-boats. Three were sunk by Japanese kamikaze attack in April 1945. Many Victory ships were converted to troopships to bring US soldiers home at

252-474: A museum ship and memorial on 16 September 1999. Following extensive overhaul with the ship brought to fully operational status in 2003, she is now on display and included on the National Register of Historic Places . Guided and self-guided tours of the ship are available, though some areas are off-limits for safety reasons, such as the lower areas of the engine room (which is visible from a catwalk). Most of

288-467: Is planned for 2023. The U.S. Coast Guard performs a safety inspection of the ship twice per year, she would not be open to the public without passing. Of the 534 Victory ships completed, only three are open to the public: American Victory at Tampa, SS  Lane Victory at Los Angeles, and SS  Red Oak Victory at Richmond, California . The ship has many notable exhibits in the No.3 cargo hold, which

324-852: The American Victory Mariners Memorial & Museum Ship in Tampa , Florida's Channel District . Named after the American University in Washington, D.C. , the ship was built at the California Shipbuilding Yard (Calship) in Los Angeles, California , launched after just 55 days, "fitted out" for another month, and was then delivered to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) on 20 June 1945. American Victory ,

360-659: The Black Sea had already iced up. Not waiting for the Soviet icebreaker Turgenev to clear the ice, Captain, A. D. Cushman, knowing American Victory decided to use her as an icebreaker, backed up and rammed the ice so both her and other ships could depart the Black Sea. She was then laid up in the Hudson River Reserve Fleet until she was again chartered by commercial shipping lines, United States Navigation Company , during

396-575: The Bureau of Indian Affairs as North Star III . AP3 types South Bend Victory and Tuskegee Victory were converted in 1957–58 to ocean hydrographic surveying ships USNS Bowditch and Dutton , respectively. Dutton aided in locating the lost hydrogen bomb following the 1966 Palomares B-52 crash . Starting in 1959, several were removed from the reserve fleet and refitted for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration . One such ship

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432-514: The Korean War and a 100 Victory ships served in the Vietnam War . Many were sold and became commercial cargo ships and a few commercial passenger ships . Some were laid up in the United States Navy reserve fleets and then scrapped or reused. Many saw postwar conversion and various uses for years afterward. The single VC2-M-AP4 Diesel-powered MV Emory Victory operated in Alaskan waters for

468-706: The Liberty ship design), it was changed to VC2-S-AP1 before the name "Victory Ship" was officially adopted on 28 April 1943. The ships were built under the Emergency Shipbuilding program . The design was an enhancement of the Liberty ship, which had been successfully produced in extraordinary numbers. Victory ships were slightly larger than Liberty ships, 14 feet (4.3 m) longer at 455 feet (139 m), 6 feet (1.8 m) wider at 62 ft (19 m), and drawing one foot more at 28 feet (8.5 m) loaded. Displacement

504-613: The South China Sea and Bay of Bengal . In November 1945, American Victory sailed to Calcutta and Port Said , Egypt and numerous other ports, loaded with military cargo to be returned to the United States. She arrived in New York in January 1946, and unloaded her cargo, having completed her first cruise. At the end of the war she ferried more cargo, equipment and troops stateside. From 29 June 1946 until November 1947, American Victory

540-516: The 1960s two Victory ships were reactivated and converted to technical research ships by the U.S. Navy with the hull type AGTR. SS  Iran Victory became USS  Belmont and SS Simmons Victory became USS  Liberty . Liberty was attacked and severely damaged by Israeli forces in June 1967 and subsequently decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register . Belmont was decommissioned and stricken in 1970. Baton Rouge Victory

576-820: The Korean War, from 1951 until January 1954, when she entered the Sabine River Reserve Fleet in Texas . In 1963, plans were made to convert American Victory and 14 other ships in her class to "forward depot " vessels, to be loaded with materiel and stationed near potential flashpoints to provide American forces with pre-positioned supplies. This scheme was cancelled in February 1966, after only three conversions had been carried out. Had American Victory been converted, she would have been renamed USNS Carthage and assigned hull classification symbol AG 185. American Victory

612-693: The application of resources to ensure the effective and economical support of military forces. It includes provisioning, cataloging, requirements determination, acquisition, distribution, maintenance, and disposal. The terms "materiel management", "materiel control", "inventory control", "inventory management", and "supply management" are synonymous. Military materiel is often shipped to and used in severe climates without controlled warehouses or fixed material handling equipment . Packaging and labeling often need to meet stringent technical specifications to help ensure proper delivery and final use. Some military procurement allows for commercial packaging rather than

648-569: The efforts needed to reactivate mothballed Victory ships. In June, after US$ 2.5 million had been spent to bring her up to fully operational condition, she sailed for just 26 hours before returning to the Naval Reserve Fleet. One of several World War II Victory ships due to be scrapped in the late 1990s, American Victory was rescued by preservation efforts which began in October 1998. She arrived at Tampa, Florida, under tow to begin her new life as

684-454: The electricians' quarters and radio room. American Victory is generally historic form, with her 3-inch (76 mm) bow-mounted deck gun in a reconstructed gun tub, as well as the 5-inch (130 mm) stern gun plus an additional 3-inch gun next to it. American Victory is a fully operational, seaworthy vessel. With considerable preparation, she can cruise in Tampa Bay, and the next cruise

720-652: The end of World War II as part of Operation Magic Carpet . A total of 97 Victory ships were converted to carry up to 1,600 soldiers. To convert the ships the cargo holds were converted to bunk beds and hammocks stacked three high for hot bunking . Mess halls and exercise places were also added. Some examples of Victory troopship are: SS  Aiken Victory , SS  Chanute Victory , SS  Cody Victory , SS  Colby Victory , SS  Cranston Victory , SS  Gustavus Victory , SS  Hagerstown Victory , SS  Maritime Victory , and SS  U.S.S.R. Victory . Some 184 Victory ships served in

756-488: The first acts of the United States War Shipping Administration upon its formation in February 1942 was to commission the design of what came to be known as the Victory class. Initially designated EC2-S-AP1, where EC2 = Emergency Cargo, type 2 (Load Waterline Length between 400 and 450 feet (120 and 140 m)), S = steam propulsion with AP1 = one aft propeller (EC2-S-C1 had been the designation of

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792-487: The period between 1946 and 1966 chartered to commercial carriers and the other part in two stints in U.S. reserve fleets. From 1966 to 1969 she delivered cargo to Southeast Asia in the Vietnam War , then three decades again in reserve. In April 1999, she was turned over to a preservation organization to serve as a museum ship . Today she is the main feature of the American Victory Ship & Museum , also known as

828-438: The remainder given miscellaneous names. The AP5 type attack transports were named after United States counties , without "Victory" in their name, with the exception of USS  Marvin H. McIntyre , which was named after President Roosevelt's late personal secretary. Although initial deliveries were slow—only 15 had been delivered by May 1944—by the end of the war 531 had been constructed. The Commission cancelled orders for

864-403: The ship's spaces are open, such as officer, crew, and gunners quarters, galley and crew mess, three forward holds, wheelhouse and chartroom, radio room, hospital, and food cold storage, have been restored and are decorated in original period memorabilia. American Victory has been upgraded with modern VHF radio and radar (visible on the bridge deck) and other modern electronics have been added to

900-653: Was SS  Kingsport Victory , which was renamed USNS  Kingsport and converted into the world's first satellite communications ship. Another was the former Haiti Victory , which recovered the first man-made object to return from orbit, the nose cone of Discoverer 13 , on 11 August 1960. USS  Sherburne was converted in 1969–1970 to the range instrumentation ship USNS  Range Sentinel for downrange tracking of ballistic missile tests. Four Victory ships became fleet ballistic missile cargo ships transporting torpedoes, Poseidon missiles , packaged petroleum, and spare parts to deployed submarine tenders : In

936-418: Was SS  United Victory launched at Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation on 12 January 1944 and completed on 28 February 1944, making her maiden voyage a month later. American vessels frequently had a name incorporating the word "Victory". After United Victory , the next 34 vessels were named after allied countries , the following 218 after American cities, the next 150 after educational institutions and

972-491: Was a class of cargo ship produced in large numbers by American shipyards during World War II to replace losses caused by German submarines. They were a more modern design compared to the earlier Liberty ship , were slightly larger and had more powerful steam turbine engines, giving higher speed to allow participation in high-speed convoys and make them more difficult targets for German U-boats . A total of 531 Victory ships were built in between 1944 and 1946. One of

1008-487: Was achieved through more modern, efficient engines. Rather than the Libertys' 2,500 horsepower (1,900 kW) triple expansion steam engines , Victory ships were designed to use either Lentz type reciprocating steam engines (one ship only, oil fired), Diesel engines (one ship) or steam turbines (the rest, all oil fired) (variously putting out between 6,000 and 8,500 hp (4,500 and 6,300 kW)). Another improvement

1044-651: Was bareboat chartered by American Export Lines . The ship carried foodstuffs and machinery exported from the United States to Europe, Russia , and the Near East under the Marshall Plan , the Post-War reconstruction of the European Continent. Some of her Ports of call were: Trieste , Italy , Constanza , Romania , Piraeus , Greece , and Antwerp , Belgium . Departing Odesa , Ukraine , for Boston, in January 1947,

1080-521: Was converted to a museum exhibit area and receptionist desk. It includes an original submarine propeller from the German submarine  U-352 , sunk in May 1942, by the U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC  Icarus , and recovered in 1979. It includes photos of the shipwreck, a mannequin of a Kriegsmarine sailor in uniform, and a diagram of German submarine  U-505 . She also has numerous ship models, including

1116-419: Was designed to be able to be assembled by the smallest capacity crane at these shipyards. Three are preserved as museum ships : See also, similar role:- Empire ship , Fort ship , Park ship , Ocean ship . See also, similar role:- Empire ship , Fort ship , Park ship , Ocean ship . Materiel In a military context, the term materiel refers either to the specific needs (excluding manpower) of

SS American Victory - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-437: Was electrically powered auxiliary equipment, rather than steam-driven machinery. To prevent the hull cracks that many Liberty ships developed—making some break in half—the spacing between frames was widened from 30 inches (760 mm) to 36 inches (910 mm), making the ships less stiff and more able to flex. Like Liberty ships, the hull was welded rather than riveted. The VC2-S-AP2, VC2-S-AP3, and VC2-M-AP4 were armed with

1188-538: Was noted for good proportion of cubic between holds for a cargo ship of its day. A Victory ship's cargo hold one, two and five hatches are single rigged with a capacity of 70,400, 76,700, and 69,500 bale cubic feet respectively. Victory ships hold three and four hatches are double rigged with a capacity of 136,100 and 100,300 bale cubic feet respectively. Victory ships have built-in mast , booms and derrick cranes and can load and unload their own cargo without dock side cranes or gantry if needed. The first vessel

1224-719: Was removed from the Sabine River Reserve Fleet in 1966, and chartered to the Hudson Waterways Corporation which used her to ferry military equipment to American forces in South Vietnam . She was deactivated again in October 1969, and placed in the James River Reserve Fleet in Lees Hall , Virginia, where she remained until 1985. American Victory was then renovated as part of a program to determine

1260-790: Was sunk in the Mekong delta by a Viet Cong mine in August 1966 and temporarily blocked the channel to Saigon . According to the War Production Board minutes in 1943, the Victory Ship had a relative cost of $ 238 per deadweight ton (10,500 deadweight tonnage ) for $ 2,522,800, equivalent to $ 35,500,000 in 2023. Most Victory ships were constructed in six West Coast and one Baltimore emergency shipyards that were set up in World War II to build Liberty, Victory, and other ships. The Victory ship

1296-407: Was up just under 1,000 tons, to 15,200. With a raised forecastle and a more sophisticated hull shape to help achieve the higher speed, they had a quite different appearance from Liberty ships. To make them less vulnerable to U-boat attacks, Victory ships made 15 to 17 knots (28 to 31 km/h), 4 to 6 knots (7.4 to 11.1 km/h) faster than the Libertys, and had longer range. The extra speed

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