 Typical Victory ship | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | SSUnited Victory |
| Owner | War Shipping Administration |
| Operator | American President Lines |
| Builder | Oregon Shipbuilding CompanyPortland |
| Laid down | 19 November 1943 |
| Launched | 12 January 1944 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Thomas Back, wife of the president of Crowell-Collier Publishing Company, which campaigned to get Victory ships into production[1] |
| Christened | 12 January 1944 |
| Completed | 28 February 1944 |
| In service | March 1944 |
| Fate | sold toFurness Withy 1946 |
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | SSKhedive Ismail |
| Operator | Khedivial Mail S.S. Company |
| Route | Alexandria –New York City |
| Maiden voyage | 15 March 1948 |
| Renamed | Cleopatra 1956 |
| Identification | IMO number: 5075945 |
 Egypt | |
| Acquired | United Arab Maritime Company 1961 |
| Identification | IMO number: 5075945 |
| Fate | Scrapped 1981 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and 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 | [2] |
TheSSUnited Victory was the first of 531Victory ships built duringWorld War II under theEmergency Shipbuilding program. She was launched by theOregon Shipbuilding Corporation on 12 January 1944, completed on 28 February 1944, and had her maiden voyage a month later. The ship'sUnited States Maritime Commission designation was VC2-S-AP3, hull number 85. The Maritime Commission turned her over to a civilian contractor, theAmerican President Lines, for operation until the end of hostilities.
During World War II she served in thePacific War, participating in thebattle of Okinawa from 10 April 1945 to 19 April 1945. She used herdeck guns to defend against attackingkamikaze aircraft while providing logistics support for the invasion ofOkinawa. Some of theUnited States Navy Armed Guards were wounded when the ship was damaged on 16 April 1945, but there was no loss of life.[3]
United Victory was purchased byFurness Withy in 1946 and renamedKhedive Ismail afterIsma'il Pasha. After refitting as an 8196-GRT 78-passengercargo liner, she began service betweenAlexandria andNew York City on 15 March 1948. She was renamedCleopatra in 1956, but service to New York ended when she wasnationalized by the United Arab Maritime Company in 1961.[4] She was acquired by the Egyptian Navigation Company in 1974, and scrapped at theGadani ship-breaking yard in 1981.[5]
Crew of Naval Armed Guard on the SSUnited Victory' earned "Battle Stars" in World War II for war action during the assault occupation of Okinawa from 10 April 1945 to 19 April 1945. She used her deck guns to defend herself and other ship in action.[6]
