SS United States Victory

The SS United States Victory was the fourth Victory ship built during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding program. She was launched by the California Shipbuilding Company on March 6, 1944 and completed on April 30, 1944. The ship’s United States Maritime Commission designation was VC2- S- AP3, hull number 3 (V-3). SS United States Victory served in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. The 10,500-ton Victory ships were designed to replace the earlier Liberty Ships. Liberty ships were designed to be used just for World War II. Victory ships were designed to last longer and serve the US Navy after the war. The Victory ship differed from a Liberty ship in that they were: faster, longer and wider, taller, had a thinner stack set farther toward the superstructure and had a long raised forecastle.[2]

Typical Victory Ship.
History
United States
NameSS United States Victory
NamesakeUnited States
OwnerWar Shipping Administration
OperatorWeyerhaeuser Steamship Company
BuilderCalifornia Shipbuilding Company, Los Angeles
Laid downJanuary 9, 1944
LaunchedMarch 6, 1944
CompletedApril 30, 1944
FateSold 1947
History
India
NameSS Indian Shipper 1947
NamesakeIndia
OwnerIndia Steamship Co, Calcutta.
OperatorIndia Steamship Company
Fate1971 Scrapped in Taiwan.
General characteristics
Class and typeVC2-S-AP3 Victory ship
Tonnage7612 GRT, 4,553 NRT
Displacement15,200 tons
Length455 ft (139 m)
Beam62 ft (19 m)
Draught28 ft (8.5 m)
Installed power8,500 shp (6,300 kW)
PropulsionHP & LP turbines geared to a single 20.5-foot (6.2 m) propeller, by Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Co., Essington
Speed16.5 knots
Boats & landing
craft carried		4 Lifeboats
Complement62 Merchant Marine and 28 US Naval Armed Guards
Armament
Notes[1]

SS United States Victory was christened and launched at the yards of the California Shipbuilding Corporation. Major General Parker spoke at the christening. The widow of William E. Dyess was at the Ceremony. Lieutenant Colonel Dyess was air war hero who died on December 22, 1943.[3] SS United States Victory was the fourth of a long line of Victory ships to leave the Calship building. The launching of The SS United States Victory splashed into the water of Wilmington, Los Angeles.[4][5][6]

World War II

SS United States Victory served in the Atlantic Ocean in World War II. She served as a troop ship taking troops to Europe operated by the Weyerhaeuser Steamship Company. SS United States Victory and 96 other Victory ships were converted to troop ships to bring the US soldiers home as part of Operation Magic Carpet.[7][8][9][10][11] SS United States Victory did an exchange of prisoners mission. She took German POW's to Le Havre, France and returned American prisoner troops from Bremerhaven, Germany. For the exchange she departed Aug. 17, 1945 and arrived Aug. 24, 1945. She arrived in New York on Sept. 9, 1945 and again on Sept 30. 1945, also on Oct. 22, 1945 from Bremerhaven as part of Operation Magic Carpet. On Dec. 13, 1945 she arrived with troop to Norfolk, Virginia.[12][13] She was laid for a short time in 1946 at Suisun Bay as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet, In 1947 she went into dry dock and her engine was repaired in the Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division.[14]

SS Indian Shipper

In 1947 she was sold and renamed SS Shipper, she owned and operated by the India Steamship Company of Calcutta, India. Indian Shipper was scrapped in 1971 in Taiwan.[15]

See also

References
  1. Babcock & Wilcox (April 1944). "Victory Ships". Marine Engineering and Shipping Review.
  2. National parks, Reading 2: Victory Ships
  3. The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California · Page 17, March 7, 1944
  4. /shipbuildinghistory.com, Victory ships
  5. National Parks, Victory Ships
  6. an Francisco Maritime National Historical Park , SS United States Victory Model
  7. ww2troopships.com crossings in 1945
  8. Troop Ship of World War II, April 1947, Page 356-357
  9. Our Troop Ships
  10. Milford W. Crumplar, Corporal
  11. Lud Lekson Collection
  12. SS United States Victory, At the End of World War II
  13. WW2 troopships crossings
  14. The Port of Los Angeles, By Michael D. White, page 83
  15. Mariners, The Website Of The Mariners Mailing List. Victory Ships

Sources
  • Sawyer, L.A. and W.H. Mitchell. Victory ships and tankers: The history of the ‘Victory’ type cargo ships and of the tankers built in the United States of America during World War II, Cornell Maritime Press, 1974, 0-87033-182-5.
  • United States Maritime Commission:
  • Victory Cargo Ships
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