 Typical Victory ship. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | SSNortheastern Victory |
| Namesake | Northeastern University inBoston |
| Owner | War Shipping Administration |
| Operator | American-Hawaiian Steamship Company |
| Builder | Permanente Metals, plant No. 2 |
| Laid down | March 28, 1945 |
| Launched | May 7, 1945 |
| Completed | June 30, 1945 |
| Fate | Sank December 24, 1946 on Goodwin Sands. |
| 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] |
TheSSNortheastern Victory was a cargo ship built during World War II, under the Emergency Shipbuilding program.[2] TheNortheastern Victory (MCV-735) was a type VC2-S-AP2 Victory ship built by Richmond Shipyards|Permanente Metals Corporation, Yard 2, of Richmond, California. The cargo ship was the 703rd ship built. The ship was laid down on March 28, 1945 and completed on June 30, 1945. SSNortheastern Victory was an armed cargo ship named after a Northeastern University in Boston. She was built at the Oregon Shipbuilding yards in just 96 days. The 10,600-ton ship was constructed for the Maritime Commission. TheAmerican-Hawaiian Steamship Company operated her under the United States Merchant Marine act for the War Shipping Administration.[3]
Northeastern Victory served in theAtlantic Ocean, taking supplies to troops still inEurope afterVictory in Europe Day, on 8 May 1945.
In 1946, after the conclusion of the war, Northeastern Victory was carrying supplies to U.S. troops deployed in Europe, to be delivered toAntwerp,Rotterdam andBremen. Its foodcargo comprised ten thousand cases of grapefruit, five thousand tons of flour, and a thousand tons of rice and cotton. During its journey, on Christmas Eve, about five miles from theSouth Foreland Lighthouse, the ship ran aground on theGoodwin Sands. The ship was travelling at peak velocity, and sustained severe damage to its engines. TheSouth Foreland Lighthouse reportedly sent outwarning shots prior to the accident, however, was unable to affect the direction or speed of the ship. Upon hearing the shots, theWalmer Lifeboat Station dispatchedlifeboats carrying 36 crew members, which reached the ship at about 10 p.m. The ship's captain,Captain Kohstrohs resolved to stay with the ship, as did many of the crew. The powerfulgale, and the damage caused by the running aground, smashed the massive structure into two in merely a few hours, with the seven officers still on board. By Christmas morning, the two parts of the ship lay 100 feet apart. TheWalmer lifeboat helped the remaining crew and officers out of the wreck. Asalvage team labored to save as much of the cargo as possible. The first rescue team was Risdon Beazley Ltd of Southampton under Commander J. MacPhee, Salvage Officer Lloyds Agents at Dover, they were able to recover 1288 tons of the lead. Later the salvage steamer, Foremost, arrived from Swansea to assist in the salvage operations. The Northeastern Victory wreck was identifiable on the sands until a storm drove its masts under the waters in January 1995.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
