 Second ship, with V-5 on the hull, is the SSPhilippines Victory, the fifth Victory ship. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | Philippines Victory |
| Namesake | Philippines |
| Owner | War Shipping Administration |
| Operator | Alcoa Steamship Company |
| Port of registry |  Los Angeles |
| Builder | California Shipbuilding Company, Los Angeles |
| Laid down | January 17, 1944 |
| Launched | March 11, 1944 |
| Completed | May 9, 1944 |
| Fate | Sold April 23, 1947, toBelgium |
| Belgium | |
| Name | Mahenge |
| Namesake | Mahenge offensive |
| Owner | Cie. Maritime Congolaise |
| Operator | Cie. Maritime Congolaise |
| Port of registry |  Antwerp |
| Fate | Sank after collision with SSGranville in the English Channel on June 30, 1952 |
| 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, by Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Co., Essington |
| Speed | 16.5 knots |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 4 Lifeboats |
| Complement | 62 Merchant Marine and 28 US Naval Armed Guards |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | [1] |
SSPhilippines Victory was the fifthVictory ship built duringWorld War II. She was launched by theCalifornia Shipbuilding Company on March 11, 1944, and completed on May 9, 1944. She was built in 113 days under theEmergency Shipbuilding program.
Philippines Victory was one of the new 10,500-ton class ship to be known as Victory ships designed to replace the earlierLiberty Ships. Liberty ships were designed to be used just for World War II. Victory ships were designed to last longer and serve theUS Navy after the war. The Victory ship differed from a Liberty ship in that they were: faster, longer and wider, taller, had a thinner stack set farther toward thesuperstructure and had a long raisedforecastle.[2]
Philippines Victory served in the Pacific Ocean during World War II.
The ship'sUnited States Maritime Commission designation was VC2-S-AP3, hull number 5 (V-5).
On March 11, 1944Philippines Victory waschristened by Mrs. Carmen Soriano, wife of Andres Soriano,[clarification needed] Secretary of Finance to PresidentManuel Quezon of thePhilippines and launched atWilmington, Los Angeles.[3][4][5] The ship was completed and delivered to the wartime operator of all United States oceangoing shipping, theWar Shipping Administration (WSA), on May 9, 1944.Philippines Victory was assigned toAlcoa Steamship Company under a standard WSA operating agreement at that time. That agreement continued until the ship's lay up May 3, 1944.[6]
Philippines Victory served in thePacific theater in World War II as acargo ship. On her maiden voyage she steamed with supplies for troops to:Hawaii,Australia and thenNew Guinea.[7] She was laid up for a short time in 1946 atSuisun Bay in California as part of theNational Defense Reserve Fleet, until sold in 1947.
She was sold to the Belgian shipping company Compagnie Maritime Congolaise (a subsidiary ofCompagnie Maritime Belge), registered atAntwerp asMahenge, and used as acargo liner in services with theBelgian Congo.[8] On June 30, 1952, while on a voyage from Antwerp to theMatadi, she collided with the French steamshipGranville near theCasquets—a group of rocks offAlderney in theEnglish Channel. In the collision, which occurred underfog, the bows of the French ship cut into a hold ofMahenge containing a shipment of matches, which caught fire.Mahenge sank at49°29′N2°11′W / 49.48°N 2.18°W /49.48; -2.18. The full crew and 3 passengers were rescued by the Norwegian cargo shipRingås.[9][10][11]
In 2007 divers found what they believe to beMahenge, standing upright on the sea floor with a slight list toport and thederricks still intact.[9]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1952 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
|
| Other incidents |
|
