 VC2-S-AP2 typeVictory ship | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | SSOshkosh Victory |
| Namesake | Oshkosh, Wisconsin |
| Owner | War Shipping Administration |
| Operator | Mississippi Shipping Company |
| Builder | California Shipbuilding (Calship) |
| Cost | $2,619,724 |
| Laid down | June 6, 1945 |
| Launched | August 9, 1945,Los Angeles,California |
| Acquired | September 10, 1945 |
| In service | 1945 |
| Homeport | San Pedro,California |
| Identification | IMO number: 5266128 |
| Fate | Scrapped 1992 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | VC2-S-AP2Victory Ship |
| Tonnage | 10,750 long tonsdeadweight (DWT) |
| Length | 455 ft (139 m) |
| Beam | 62 ft (19 m) |
| Draft | 28 ft 6 in (8.69 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 17 kn (31 km/h; 20 mph) |
| Range | 23,500 mi (20,400 nmi; 37,800 km) |
| Capacity | 500,000 cu ft (14,000 m3) (approx.) |
| Complement | 62United States Merchant Marine andUnited States Navy Armed Guard |
| Armament | |
SS Oshkosh Victory was a United StatesVictory ship which entered service in thePacific Ocean shortly after the end ofWorld War II. The ship'sUS Maritime Commission designation was VC2-S-AP3, hull number 808 (V-808). The ship was built at theCalifornia Shipbuilding Yard (Calship) inLos Angeles, California and was delivered on September 10, 1945. SS Oshkosh Victory was the 808th of the new 10,500-ton class ships known as Victory ships. SS Oshkosh Victory was built in 96 days, under theEmergency Shipbuilding program.
Victory ships were designed to replace the earlierLiberty ships, intended solely for use in World War II. They were designed to last longer and serve theUS Navy after the war. Victory ships were faster, longer, wider, and taller than Liberty ships, had a thinner stack set farther toward thesuperstructure, and had a long raisedforecastle.[1][2][3]
The SSOshkosh Victory was laid down duringWorld War II on June 6, 1945, afterVictory in Europe Day but before the end of thePacific War. Calship's 458th ship, she was named for the city ofOshkosh, Wisconsin. On August 9, 1945, Mrs. Hubert M. Walker, widow of a California building contractor, gave the ship her champagne christening. Miss Elizabeth Chapman of Hollywood was in attendance to represent the city of Oshkosh. The SS Oshkosh Victory entered service on September 10, 1945.[4][5]With thesurrender of Japan on 15 August 1945, she was not needed to support a planned invasion of the Japanese main island (seeOperation Downfall).[6]
The SS Oshkosh Victory was operated by theMississippi Shipping Company as aUS Merchant Marine ship. She transported supplies to help war-torn nations in theFar East under theMarshall Plan. TheOshkosh Victory's home port was Los Angeles.
On March 2, 1946, the SS Oshkosh Victory was damaged after hitting a mine in theYangtze River, inChina. No crew members were injured.[7][8][9]
In 1948, SS Oshkosh Victory was laid up inSuisun Bay and later transferred toJames River at part of theNational Defense Reserve Fleet.
SSOshkosh Victory served in the US Merchant Marine during theKorean War. Merchant Marine ships carried about 90 percent of the cargo delivered to the war zone. Between November 18, 1950 and December 23, 1952, the SS Oshkosh Victory transported food, mail and other goods for the war.[10][11] After the Korean War, she was returned to theNational Defense Reserve Fleet.
In 1992, the SSOshkosh Victory wasscrapped atAlang,India.
