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The Victory ship was a
class Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
of
cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's List of seas, seas and Ocean, oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. ...
produced in large numbers by American
shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...
s during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. They were a more modern design compared to the earlier
Liberty ship Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Although British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost cons ...
, 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-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...
s. A total of 531 Victory ships were built in between 1944 and 1946.


VC2 design

One of the first acts of the United States
War Shipping Administration The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the United States needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime C ...
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 ), S = steam propulsion with AP1 = one aft propeller (EC2-S-C1 had been the designation of the
Liberty ship Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Although British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost cons ...
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, longer at , wider at , and drawing one foot more at loaded. Displacement was up just under 1,000 tons, to 15,200. With a raised
forecastle The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck (ship), deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is t ...
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 U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...
attacks, Victory ships made , faster than the Libertys, and had longer range. The extra speed was achieved through more modern, efficient engines. Rather than the Libertys' triple expansion steam engines, Victory ships were designed to use either Lentz type reciprocating steam engines (one ship only, oil fired),
Diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...
s (one ship) or
steam turbines A steam turbine or steam turbine engine is a machine or heat engine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work utilising a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Par ...
(the rest, all oil fired) (variously putting out between ). Another improvement 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 to , 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 a /38 caliber stern gun for use against submarines and surface ships, and a bow-mounted /50 caliber gun and eight 20 mm cannon for use against aircraft. These were manned by
United States Navy Armed Guard The United States Navy Armed Guard was a force of United States Navy gunners and related personnel established during World War II to protect U.S. merchant shipping from enemy attack.World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard and World War II U.S. Merc ...
personnel. The VC2-S-AP5 s 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 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 A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its Guy-wire, guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower ...
cranes and can load and unload their own cargo without
dock The word dock () in American English refers to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore). In British English, the term is not used the same way as in American Engl ...
side cranes or
gantry A gantry is an overhead bridge-like structure supporting equipment such as a crane, signals, or cameras. Devices and structures *Gantry (medical), cylindrical scanner assembly used for medical 3D-imaging or treatment *Gantry (transport), an over ...
if needed.


Construction

The first vessel was 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 institution An educational institution is a place where people of different ages gain an education, including preschools, childcare, primary-elementary schools, secondary-high schools, and universities. They provide a large variety of learning environments a ...
s and 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 , which was named after
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
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 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
troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable to land troops directly on shore, typic ...
s to bring US soldiers home at 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 bed A bunk bed or set of bunks is a type of bed in which one bed frame (a bunk) is stacked on top of another bed, allowing two or more sleeping-places to occupy the floor space usually required by just one. Bunks are commonly seen on ships, in th ...
s and
hammock A hammock, from Spanish , borrowed from Taíno language, Taíno and Arawak language, Arawak , is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two or more points, used for swing (seat), swinging, sleeping, or Human relaxation, res ...
s stacked three high for hot bunking. Mess halls and
exercise Exercise or workout is physical activity that enhances or maintains fitness and overall health. It is performed for various reasons, including weight loss or maintenance, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardio ...
places were also added. Some examples of Victory troopship are: , , , , , , , , and . Some 184 Victory ships served in the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
and a 100 Victory ships served in the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. Many were sold and became commercial cargo ships and a few commercial
passenger ship A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freig ...
s. 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 the
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...
as ''North Star III''. AP3 types ''South Bend Victory'' and ''Tuskegee Victory'' were converted in 1957–58 to ocean hydrographic surveying ships USNS and , respectively. ''Dutton'' aided in locating the lost
hydrogen bomb A thermonuclear weapon, fusion weapon or hydrogen bomb (H-bomb) is a second-generation nuclear weapon design. Its greater sophistication affords it vastly greater destructive power than first-generation nuclear bombs, a more compact size, a lo ...
following the
1966 Palomares B-52 crash The Palomares incident occurred on 17 January 1966, when a United States Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress#Variants, B-52G bomber collided with a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, KC-135 tanker during Aerial refueling, mid-air refueling at over th ...
.Melson, Lewis B., CAPT USN "Contact 261" ''United States Naval Institute Proceedings'' June 1967 Starting in 1959, several were removed from the
reserve fleet A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully Ship decommissioning, decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothba ...
and refitted for the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the United States's civil space program, aeronautics research and space research. Established in 1958, it su ...
. One such ship was , which was renamed 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. was converted in 1969–1970 to the range instrumentation ship 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 tender A submarine tender, in British English a submarine depot ship, is a type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines. Development Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally cannot carry large amounts of foo ...
s: * , built as * , built as * , built as * , built as In the 1960s two Victory ships were reactivated and converted to technical research ships by the U.S. Navy with the hull type AGTR. became and SS ''Simmons Victory'' became . ''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'' was sunk in the
Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of and a drainage area of , discharging of wat ...
delta by a
Viet Cong The Viet Cong (VC) was an epithet and umbrella term to refer to the communist-driven armed movement and united front organization in South Vietnam. It was formally organized as and led by the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, and ...
mine in August 1966 and temporarily blocked the channel to
Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
.


Cost

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 Deadweight tonnage (also known as deadweight; abbreviated to DWT, D.W.T., d.w.t., or dwt) or tons deadweight (DWT) is a measure of how much weight a ship can carry. It is the sum of the weights of cargo, fuel, fresh water Fresh water or ...
) for $2,522,800, .


Shipyards

Most Victory ships were constructed in six West Coast and one
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emergency shipyards that were set up in World War II to build Liberty, Victory, and other ships. The Victory ship was designed to be able to be assembled by the smallest capacity crane at these shipyards.


Ships in class

*
United States Merchant Marine The United States Merchant Marine is an organization composed of United States civilian sailor, mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of ...
, 414 SS Victory cargo ships.
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, some used in the Korean War and Vietnam War. ** 97 Victory ships temporarily converted to World War II troopship. ** One ship with engineering spaces converted to unmanned operation and used with a reduced Navy crew as a temporary
minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...
in 1945 and 1946.Pratt Victory photo, mine Hunter
/ref> ** Seagoing cowboys ships, 1946 to 1947 temporary conversion of 46 Merchant Marine Victory ships to transport relief livestock. * US Navy conversions ** ''Haskell''-class attack transports (APA), 117 built. ** ''Boulder Victory''-class cargo ships (AK), 20 built. ** ''Greenville Victory''-class cargo ships (AK), 9 Victory ships under US Navy ownership for Korean War. ** ''Lt. James E. Robinson''-class aircraft transports (AKV), 1950 conversion of two ships: USNS ''Lt. James E. Robinson'' and ** ''Denebola''-class stores ships (AF), 3 Victory ships that came under US Navy ownership in 1952: , and . A fourth ship, USNS ''Asterion'', would be converted to this class in 1961. ** ''Bowditch''-class survey ships (AGS), 1957 conversion of 3 ships: , , . ** ''Phoenix''-class auxiliary ships (AG), 1960 3 US Navy Forward Floating Depots: , and , at
Subic Bay Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Subi ...
,
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. ** ''Watertown''-class missile range instrumentation ships (T-AGM), 1960 conversion of 3 ships: , and ** ''Longview''-class missile range instrumentation ships (T-AGM), 1960 conversion of 3 ships: , and ** ''Kingsport'' telemetry ship (AG), 1961 conversion of one ship, USNS ''Kingsport''. ** ''Belmont''-class technical research ships (AGTR), 1963 conversion of 2 ships for Sigint: and ** ''Norwalk class'' ballistic missile submarine support cargo ships (AK), four converted in 1963: T-AK-279, T-AK-280, T-AK-281, T-AK-282 ** ''Range Sentinel'' telemetry ship (AGM), 1971 conversion of one ship: USS ''Sherburne''


Survivors

Three are preserved as
museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...
s: * (Tampa, Florida) * (Los Angeles, California) * (Richmond, California)


See also

*
Empire ships An Empire ship is a merchant ship that was given a name beginning with "Empire" in the service of the Government of the United Kingdom during and after World War II. Most were used by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT), which owned them and co ...
*
Liberty ship Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Although British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost cons ...
* List of Victory ships * Port Chicago disaster * T2 tanker * Type C1 ship *
Type C2 ship Type C2 ships were designed by the United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) in 1937–38. They were all-purpose cargo ships with five holds, and U.S. shipyards built 328 of them from 1939 to 1945. Compared to ships built before 1939, the C2s we ...
* Type C3 ship * U.S. Merchant Marine Academy * Murmansk Run *
World War II United States Merchant Navy World War II United States Merchant Navy was the largest civilian Navy in the world, which operated during World War II. With the United States fighting a world war in all the world oceans, the demand for cargo and fuel was very high. Cargo and ...
* Away All Boats about Victory Attack transport * USMS North Star III


Notes


References


SS ''American Victory'' Web site

SS ''Lane Victory'' Web site




* Lane, Frederic, ''Ships for Victory: A History of Shipbuilding under the U.S. Maritime Commission in World War II''. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001. * 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''. Cambridge, Maryland: Cornell Maritime Press, 1974 * Heal, S. C., ''A Great Fleet of Ships: The Canadian Forts and Parks''. Vanwell, 1993


External links



– a lesson on Liberty ships and Victory ships from the National Park Service's Teaching with Historic Places
"Victory Ship Makes 15 knots, Outstrips Liberty"
''Popular Mechanics'', December 1943 {{DEFAULTSORT:Victory Ship World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Ship types