Rutland Victory and sister ships at the Oregon Shipbuilding Company in Portland, Oregon | |
History | |
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United States | |
Name | SSRutland Victory |
Namesake | Rutland, Vermont |
Owner | War Shipping Administration |
Operator | United States Lines |
Builder | Oregon Shipbuilding Company |
Laid down | March 20, 1944 |
Launched | May 9, 1944 |
Sponsored by | Mrs. Ada May Brannon |
Christened | May 19, 1944 |
Completed | May 29, 1944 |
Fate | Sold to private use, sank in 1976 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | VC2-S-AP3 Victory ship |
Tonnage | 7612 GRT, 4,553 NRT |
Displacement | 15,200 tons |
Length | 455 ft (139 m) |
Beam | 62 ft (19 m) |
Draft | 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] |
The SSRutland Victory was a Victory ship built during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding program. It was built and launched by the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation on May 9, 1944, and completed on May 29, 1944. The ship's United States Maritime Commission designation was VC2-S-AP3 and hull number 104 (1020). The ship was Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation's 20th victory ship. The Maritime Commission turned it over for Merchant navy operation to a civilian contractor, the United States Lines.[2]
Mrs. Ada May Brannor, of La Grande, Oregon, christened the SS Rutland Victory. She worked at the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation yard on the swing shift. Mrs. Brannor was given a gold jewel case with her name and the ship engraved on it.[3][4]
In 1944, for the vessel's first mission, the Rutland Victory took ammunition from Washington, D.C., to Pearl Harbor.[5]
On August 29, 1944, the Rutland Victory transferred cargo to and from the USS Massachusetts (BB-59)atEnewetak Atoll. Task force 38 was at the Enewetak Atoll in August 1944 and the Rutland Victory delivered cargo and goods to the Task force.[6][7] In May 1945, she traveled from CaliforniatoIwo Jima with 82 days-worth of supplies for the American troops stationed at Iwo Jima for the purpose of preparing them for the Battle of Okinawa, lasting from April 1 to June 22, 1945. After the war she moved to ports where supplies were required.
Rutland Victory earned Battle Stars for combat action from June 17, 1945, to June 30, 1945, at the Battle of OkinawaatOkinawa in the Pacific Ocean. On those days, the Rutland Victory used its deck guns to defend itself and other ships from Japanese Kamikaze plane attacks.[8]
A short film about the Panama Canal featured the Rushville Victory crossing was made entitled "Ocean to Ocean: Panama Canal"; it shows the crossing of the Rushville Victory through the Panama canal to demonstrate how the canal worked. The film is now part of a DVD titled "USN Oil Tankers Supply and Cargo Ships" by Campbell films, with a running time of 8:10 min.
In 1948, the SS Rutland Victory was sold to the American President LinesofSan Francisco and renamed the SSPresident Fillmore. In 1962, the boat was sold to Victory Shipping Enterprises Inc. from Wilmington, Delaware and renamed SSSmith Victory. In 1965, Victory Shipping Enterprises renamed it the SSUS Victory. The vessel was later sold to Transpacific Container Services of Liberia in 1969 and renamed the SSOriental Arrow. In 1969, Transpacific Container Services converted it to a 7,511 g.t. container ship and in 1972, it was sold to Universal Enterprise Inc. of Monrovia, Liberia, and renamed the SSOriental Ace.
In 1976, the Oriental Ace sank. The SS Oriental Ace, operating as a Liberian container ship, started to leak in rough seas on its way from SeattletoKobe, Japan. The crew abandoned ship into the lifeboats and it sank on February 13, 1976 at 32.05N 152.43E, 600 miles East of Tokyo, Japan.
World War II Maritime Commission ship designs
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Cargo designs |
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Emergency cargo |
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Tanker |
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Special-purpose |
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Miscellaneous-cargo |
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Tugs |
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See also:- Empire ship, Fort ship, Park ship, Ocean ship. |
United States naval ship classes of World War II
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Aircraft carriers |
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Light aircraft carriers |
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Escort carriers |
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Battleships |
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Large cruisers |
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Heavy cruisers |
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Light cruisers |
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Gunboats |
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Destroyers |
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Destroyer escorts |
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Patrol frigates |
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Patrol boats |
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Minelayers |
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Minesweepers |
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Submarines |
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Tankers |
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Cargo ships |
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Auxiliary ships |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1976
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Shipwrecks |
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Other incidents |
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