.jpg) USSBoulder Victory (AK-227) at Ulithi, 9 June 1945, after being drydocked there in USS ABSD-2 to repair mine damage. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Boulder Victory |
| Namesake | City ofBoulder, Colorado |
| Ordered | as aType VC2-S-AP2 hull,MCV hull 536[1] |
| Builder | Permanente Metals Corporation,Richmond, California |
| Yard number | 536[1] |
| Laid down | 18 June 1944 |
| Launched | 31 August 1944 |
| Sponsored by | Miss Elsa Maxwell |
| Commissioned | 12 October 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 4 January 1946 |
| Stricken | 21 January 1946 |
| Identification |
|
| Honors & awards | American Campaign Medal |
| Fate | Scrapped 24 February 1984 |
| General characteristics[2] | |
| Class & type | Boulder Victory-classcargo ship |
| Tonnage | 7,607 GRT |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 455 ft (139 m) |
| Beam | 62 ft (19 m) |
| Draft | 29 ft 2 in (8.89 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 15.5 kn (17.8 mph; 28.7 km/h) |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement | 99 officers and enlisted |
| Armament |
|
USSBoulder Victory (AK-227) was aBoulder Victory-classcargo ship acquired by theUS Navy duringWorld War II. She was thelead ship of 20 ships in her class. She carried ammunition into thePacific Ocean war zone and, on 20 December 1944 atManus Island, New Guinea, she struck anaval mine and suffered a very large hole in her side.
Her ammunition did not explode due to the sudden inrush of seawater; however, her operations were somewhat limited after that event and post-war she returned to the United States for disposal by the Navy and a continued maritime career.
Boulder Victory was laid down on 18 June 1944, atRichmond, California, byPermanente Metals Corporation, Yard No. 1, under aMaritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCV hull 536; launched on 31 August; sponsored by Miss Elsa Maxwell; transferred to the Navy on 12 October; and commissioned the same day.[3]
On 17 October, the newly commissioned cargo ship sailed toSan Francisco, California, to begin duty as an ammunition supply vessel. Her holds were filled by 2 November, andBoulder Victory got underway for the western Pacific.[3]
In order to support the Allied advances to the west and north, forward ammunition replenishment stations were established atUlithi Atoll in the WesternCaroline Islands andKossol Passage in thePalau Islands.Boulder Victory received orders to transfer ammunition between these bases as needed. She made port atEniwetok on 17 November to refuel, entered thelagoon atUlithi on 30 November, and reached Kossol Passage on 8 December.[3]
Kossol Passage ultimately proved to be unsuitable for ammunition handling owing to chronic heavy swells, the lack of storage facilities ashore, and the shortage of personnel to unload the supplies, as well as its proximity to Japanese-heldBabelthuap Island. Floatingmines from that island were a constant danger.[3]
On 20 December, asBoulder Victory set out forManus, she struck one of those mines on her port side. The explosion tore a hole in her No. 3 hold that measured 18 by 32 ft (5.5 by 9.8 m). The hold contained 5-inch (127 mm) projectiles, but the fires started by the explosion were extinguished by the rapid rush of seawater into the space. As a consequence, only two shells exploded, leaving two 16-inch (406 mm) holes in the skin of the ship.Boulder Victory remained afloat, although low in the water; and, after emergency repairs to the engines, managed to get intoPalau again on her own power. Her crew suffered no casualties, but the damage to the ship was so severe that her wartime operations ended.[3]
The cargo ship remained anchored at Kossol Passage unloading ammunition and cleaning debris from the hold until 8 February 1945. She then slowly steamed to Manus to unload the remainder of her cargo and to enter a floatingdry dock for further repairs. Finally, on 13 June,Boulder Victory's temporary repairs made her seaworthy again, and she set course viaPearl Harbor for San Francisco. On 30 June, the ship began a major overhaul byUnited Engineering Company atAlameda, California, to complete the repairs.[3]
Boulder Victory was still in overhaul when the Japanese capitulated in August; but, on 1 September, the cargo ship beganshakedown and training exercises offSan Diego, California. She got underway on 10 October, to carry supplies to the occupation troops inJapan. After a refueling stop atEniwetok,Boulder Victory continued on toOkinawa where she arrived on 30 October.[3]
She unloaded her cargo and embarked returning veterans. On 10 November, she set sail for theUnited States.[3]
After discharging her passengers, the ship sailed for San Francisco, where she commenced demilitarization on 5 December and was returned to theWar Shipping Administration (WSA) on 4 January 1946. Her name was struck from theNavy list on 21 January 1946.[3]
In 1946 after World War II theBoulder Victory was converted to alivestock ship, also called a cowboy ship. From 1945 to 1947 theUnited Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and the Brethren Service Committee of theChurch of the Brethren sent livestock to war-torn countries. These "seagoing cowboys" made about 360 trips on 73 different ships. TheHeifers for Relief project was started by the Church of the Brethren in 1942; in 1953 this becameHeifer International.[4] The SSBoulder Victory was one of these ships, known ascowboy ships, as she moved livestock across the Atlantic Ocean.Boulder Victory made six trips moved horses, heifers, and mules as well as a some chicks, rabbits, and goats.[5][6][7] In 1947 with her war and relief work done she was laid up in theWilmington Group and later transferred toSuisun Bay as part of theNational Defense Reserve Fleet.
During 1946 and 1947,Boulder Victory was operated byParry Navigation Company She was then inactivated and laid up atWilmington, North Carolina, until 1951, when she began operations for theIsbrantsen Company, Inc., and then for theAmerican-Hawaiian Steamship Company.[3] On 29 October 1953, she was transferred to theNational Defense Reserve Fleet, atSuisun Bay, California.[8]
On 20 May 1957,American President Lines (APL) removedBoulder Victory so that theUniversity of California could conduct thermal stress tests on her. She was returned 3 September 1957.[8]
She was removed 1 December 1983, for scrapping byC.J.W. Shipping & Trading Company.[8] She was scrapped inKaohsiung, Taiwan, between 1983 and 1984.[2]
QualifiedBoulder Victory personnel were eligible for the following:[2]
Online resources
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.Victory cargo ships of the United States Navy | |
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| Boulder Victory class |
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| Greenville Victory class |
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| Lt. James E. Robinson class |
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