 Typical Victory Ship. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Park Victory |
| Namesake | Park University inParkville, Missouri |
| Owner | War Shipping Administration |
| Operator | Seas Shipping Company |
| Builder | Permanente Metals,Richmond, California |
| Yard number | Richmond Shipyards #2 |
| Laid down | 11 March 1945 |
| Launched | 21 April 1945 |
| Acquired | 16 May 1945 |
| Recommissioned | In 1946 was converted to livestock carrier. |
| Fate | Sank after accidental grounding in theGulf of Finland on December 25, 1947 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | VC2-S-AP3 Victory ship |
| Tonnage | 7612GRT, 4,553NRT |
| Displacement | 15,200 tons |
| Length | 455 ft (139 m) |
| Beam | 62 ft (19 m) |
| Draught | 28 ft (8.5 m) |
| Installed power | 8,500 shp (6,300 kW) |
| Propulsion | HP & LPturbines geared to a single 20.5-foot (6.2 m) propeller |
| Speed | 16.5 knots |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 4 Lifeboats |
| Complement | 62 Merchant Marine and 28 US Naval Armed Guards |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | [1] |
TheSSPark Victory was aVictory-class cargo ship built duringWorld War II under theEmergency Shipbuilding program. The ship was operated by theSeas Shipping Company. The ship launched on April 21, 1945, near the end of the war.
The ship was named in honor ofPark College (now Park University), one of 150 educational institutions that had Victory ships named after them. Park College was selected as a training center for theV-12 Navy College Training Program from 1943 to 1945. This partnership between theNavy and Park College may have led to the naming of a ship in the college's honor. In reciprocation, Park College donated $300 to buy 120 books for the library aboard thePark Victory. The launching ceremony on April 21, 1945, was attended by several Parkalumni.[2]
In 1946, the SSPark Victory was converted tolivestock carrier, manned by seacowboys. ThePark Victory loaded up with 485horses and 322heifers and steamed out ofBaltimore on October 25, 1945. She arrived inTrieste,Italy, and unloaded the livestock. The livestock were then transported bytrain andtrucks toYugoslavia.[3][4][5]
From 1945 to 1947 theUnited Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and the Brethren Service Committee of theChurch of the Brethren sentlivestock to war-torn countries. These "seagoing cowboys" made about 360 trips on 73 different ships. TheHeifers for Relief project was started by theChurch of the Brethren started in 1942, in 1953 this becameHeifer International program.[6] TheSSCarroll Victory was also one of these ships, known as acowboy ship, as she moved livestock across the Atlantic Ocean.[7] The SS Park Victory moved horses, heifers, and mules also a few chicks, rabbits, and goats.[8][9][10]
SS Park Victory sank nearUtö in the outerArchipelago Sea on Christmas night, about 02.15 AM local time (UTC+2), December 25, 1947 afterrunning aground on rocks when the anchor failed in a storm. The rock opened a hole in the engine room and a boiler explosion followed. The ship sank just off of theUtö Lighthouse, at about59°46′51″N21°22′05″E / 59.780947°N 21.368122°E /59.780947; 21.368122 TheMaster of the ship, Allen Zepp, initially lost his license when aCoast Guard examiner said that Zepp failed to maintain an adequateanchor watch. The decision was overturned on appeal.[11][12]
Thirty-eight crew members of total of 48 survived the ordeal. The survivors underwent severe hardship, as the winter storm brought with it up to three feet of snow, through which the survivors had to make their way after having been brought ashore, many of them bare foot.[13]
The Park Victory sinking was the first exposure of the Utö pilot and lighthouse crew community to contemporary American culture. The interracial relations on Park Victory shocked them and sparked legends that were shared for decades.[13]
The 38 survivors along with 2 bodies left Utö island on December 26 and headed back to the United States. After the crew returned home, the helpful islanders were sent coffee and sugar to thank the people who brought them to the shore and took them to shelter in their homes. The villagers sold the gift sugar and coffee, which was scarce just after the war, and with the money, they went on to order a special commemorative silver candle holder that holds 10 candles. On the candle holder are engraved the names of crew members who perished in the accident. Every Christmas Eve, the candles are lit in the Utö church chapel in memory of the accident and the lives that were lost that night. The U.S. government publicly acknowledged its appreciation to the community of Utö for the rescue, housing and food give to the survivors, thank you letters are framed hung on the wall of the chapel in the lighthouse.[14]
