_River_Scheldt_AS.1968.001.2445.jpg) Smith Victory on the riverScheldt | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Smith Victory |
| Namesake | Smith College |
| Ordered | as type (VC2-S-AP2) hull,MCV hull 824 |
| Builder | Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Inc.,Baltimore, Maryland |
| Yard number | 2477 |
| Laid down | 11 April 1945 |
| Launched | 24 May 1945 |
| Sponsored by | Elizabeth Cutter Morrow |
| Completed | 22 June 1945 |
| Fate | Wrecked and scrapped 1968 inBilbao, Spain |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Boulder Victory-classcargo ship |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 455 ft (139 m) |
| Beam | 62 ft (19 m) |
| Draft | 29 ft 2 in (8.89 m) |
| Installed power | 8,500 shp (6,300 kW) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 15.5 kn (17.8 mph; 28.7 km/h) |
| Complement | 49 officers and enlisted |
| Armament | none |
SSSmith Victory was aVictory shipcargo ship built for theU.S. Maritime Commission during the final months of World War II. She was converted to be atroop ship.
Smith Victory under Maritime Commission contract byBethlehem Fairfield Shipyard, Inc.,Baltimore, Maryland; laid down on 11 April 1945, launched on 24 May 1945, sponsored by Elizabeth Cutter Morrow of Smith College, christened on May 24, 1945, completed=22 June 1945 and delivered to her operator,Eastern SS Company.Smith Victory is named afterSmith College, aprivateliberal artswomen's college inNorthampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 bySophia Smith and opened in 1875.
SSSmith Victory was christened on May 24, 1945, by Elizabeth Cutter Morrow, before sliding into thePatapsco River nearBaltimore,Maryland.Smith Victory was named after Smith College. TheSmith Victory was built by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard. TheBethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard employed 47,000 people.Smith Victory could carry 10,800 tons of supplies or 1,500 troops at a top speed of 15 knots.Smith Victory was converted to atroopship and used to bring troops home as part ofOperation Magic Carpet.Smith Victory was operated by (Eastern SS Company. The ship ran a daily newsletter called theSea Breeze to entertain the troops on the trip. TheSmith Victory returned about 7,000 troops. In 1946 she was laid up in theHudson River Reserve Fleet. In 1947Smith Victory was sold to Compana Argentina de Nav. Dodero inBuenos Aires,Argentina and renamed theSSBuenos Aires. Passenger living space was added to the ship. She served as a both a cargo and passenger ship until 1968. In 1961 she was sold to the Empresa Lineas Maritimas Argentinas in Buenos Aires. In 1963 she was sold to Southwind Shipping Corporation of Liberia and renamedSSFairwind. On February 11, 1968, she ran aground on the GrandBahama Banks, nearAndros Island. She was a total loss and was towed toBilbao,Spain, where she arrived July 6, 1968 to be scrapped.[1][2][3]
