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Victory ship of WWII

SS American Victory is a Victory ship which saw brief service in the Pacific Theater of Operations during the final months of World War II, 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 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. American Victory, a United States Merchant Marine ship, was operated for WSA under a general agency agreement by Hammond Shipping Co. Ltd. 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 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 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 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 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 the electricians' quarters and radio room. American Victory is generally historic form, with her bow mounted deck gun in a reconstructed gun tub, as well as the 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 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, at Los Angeles, and at Richmond, California.

The ship has many notable exhibits in the No.3 cargo hold, which was converted to a museum exhibit area and receptionist desk. It includes an original submarine propeller from the U 352 was launched in ., sunk in May 1942, by the U. S. Coast Guard cutter , and recovered in 1979. It includes photos of the shipwreck, a mannequin of a Kriegsmarine sailor in uniform, and a diagram of U 505 was launched in She also has numerous ship models, including a , a , 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.