History of SS Red Oak Victory Ship
When the SS Red Oak Victory was launched on November 9th, 1944 in the Kaiser Permanente shipyard, she was the 558th ship built in Richmond California for World War II. The SS Red Oak Victory carried ammunition throughout the Pacific Theatre during the last year of the war.
After World War II, the SS Red Oak Victory was decommissioned from the United States Navy and returned to the United States Maritime Commission. The ship was leased short term to private companies, then returned to the carrying cargo for United States military during the Korean conflict in 1950-2, but scant evidence remains of the voyages. Later, the SS Red Oak Victory made her last military cargo voyages in support of the Vietnam conflict in 1966-8. The following year, in 1969, the SS Red Oak Victory was deactivated and put into permanent storage in the Suisun Bay Ready Reserve Fleet in the Suisun Bay, east of San Francisco Bay.
In the mid-1990s, the SS Red Oak Victory was identified as one of the best-preserved ships from the Kaiser Richmond shipyard in the reserve fleet with the potential to become a floating museum. The Richmond Museum Association enlisted the help of Congressman George Miller, who wrote the conveyance language and added it to the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1996.
The SS Red Oak Victory is still being restored and recently had hull work completed in dry dock. The all-volunteer crew continues to work toward lighting the engines for the first time since 1968. When the ship is fully functional, the Richmond Museum Association hopes to take cruises around the San Francisco Bay and sail to Normandy for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in 2019.
A?CHRONOLOGY OF THE SS RED OAK VICTORY
Prepared by?Steve Gilford?and Robert McGill
February 10th, 1941 ? National Guardsmen of Company F, 34th Infantry Division from Villisca and Company M, 168th Infantry Division from Red Oak, Iowa are mobilized for active duty.
November 8th to November 11th, 1942 ?The first Anglo-American land, sea and air offensive of North Africa, ?Operation Torch? begins, led by Major General George S. Patton, Jr., Army Western Task Force commander.
November 8th, 1942 ? First American casualty of ?Operation Torch?, Victor Butz; a member of Company M, 168th Infantry Division is killed in action.
August 15th, 1944 ? The keel for United States Maritime Commission Contract number, MCV-544 is laid down at the Permanente Metals Corporation Shipyard number 1, located in Richmond, California.
October 31st, 1944 ? MCV-544 is scheduled for launch, but delayed.
November 9th, 1944 ? MCV-544 is christened SS RED OAK VICTORY and launched at 10:00 am by Mrs. Edna Reiley, wife of W.S. Reiley, M.D., Mayor of Red Oak, Iowa.
December 5th, 1944 ? SS RED OAK VICTORY is commissioned as USS RED OAK VICTORY (AK-235) at 1:40 pm with Lieutenant Commander John S. Sayers, USNR assuming command. AK-235 is assigned to the 8th Service Squadron, United States Pacific Fleet (COMSERVRON 8).
December 14th to December 23rd, 1944 ? USS RED OAK VICTORY undergoes shakedown and sea trials along California coast.
January 9th to January 11th, 1945 ? Loaded ammunition at US Naval Magazine Port Chicago (Concord) California.
January 11th to January 16th, 1945 ? Steaming towards Pearl Harbor, The Hawaiian Islands.
February 10th to February 18th, 1945 ? In convoy, steaming towards Eniwetok Atoll, The Marshall Islands.
February 23rd to February 28th, 1945 ? In convoy, steaming towards Ulithi Atoll, Western Caroline Islands.
March 3rd to May 26th, 1945 ? Ammunition replenishment of numerous Allied vessels of the Pacific Fleet.
May 8th, 1945 ? Germany Surrenders, Hostilities in the European Theater of Operations is over.
May 27th to May 30th, 1945 ? Steaming towards San Pedro Bay, Leyte Gulf, The Philippine Islands.
June 1st to October 29th, 1945 ? Ammunition replenishment of numerous Allied vessels of the Pacific Fleet.
August 6th, 1945 ? Atomic Bomb dropped on the city of Hiroshima, Japan.
August 9th, 1945 ? Atomic Bomb dropped on the city of Nagasaki, Japan.
September 2nd, 1945 ? Japan unconditionally surrenders, Hostilities in the China, Burma, India Theater of Operations is over. World War Two is officially over.
October 29th to November 5th, 1945 ? Steaming towards Eniwetok Atoll, The Marshall Islands.
November 5th to November 7th, 1945 ? Anchored at Eniwetok Atoll, The Marshall Islands awaiting further orders.
November 7th to November 14th ? Steaming towards Pearl Harbor, The Hawaiian Islands.
November 14th to November 17th, 1945 ? Anchored at Pearl Harbor, The Hawaiian Islands awaiting further orders.
November 17th to November 25th, 1945 ? Steaming towards Port Discovery Bay, Puget Sound, Washington.
November 25th, 1945 to February 19th, 1946 ? Anchored at Port Discovery Bay, Puget Sound, Washington awaiting further orders.
January 22nd, 1946 ? Lieutenant Commander Harry Krupa, USNR replaces Commander Sayers as Captain.
February 19th, 1946 ? Steaming towards Squamish Harbor, Washington.
February 19th to February 22nd, 1946 ? Anchored at Squamish Harbor, Washington awaiting further orders.
February 22nd, 1946 ? Steaming towards Bangor Naval Ammunition Depot, Bangor, Washington.
February 22nd to March11th, 1946 ? Anchored at Bangor Naval Ammunition Depot, Bangor Washington discharging 3,653 tons of ordinance.
March 11th, 1946 ? Steaming towards Blake Island Anchorage, Washington.
March 11th to April 8th, 1946 ? Anchored at Blake Island Anchorage, Washington awaiting further orders.
April 8th, 1946 ? Steaming towards Lake Union Dry Dock, Seattle, Washington.
April 8th to May 21st, 1946 ? Anchored at Lake Union Dry Dock, Seattle, Washington awaiting further orders.
May 21st, 1946 ? USS RED OAK VICTORY (AK-235) decommissioned from the United States Navy at 2:54 pm.
June 12th, 1946 ? RED OAK VICTORY returned to United States Maritime Commission at 2:00 pm.
July 19th, 1946 ? USS RED OAK VICTORY (AK-235) stricken from United States Navy list.
June 12th, 1946 to April 4th, 1947 ? In temporary storage at the Olympia Ready Reserve Fleet, Olympia, Washington.
April 4th to May 22nd, 1947 ? Leased to American Mail Lines and re-activated.
May 29th to June 27th, 1947 ? Sub-leased to Alaska Steamship Company. Records indicate a voyage from Portland, Oregon to Anchorage, Alaska to Seattle, Washington with Captain Henry Burns as Master.
June 27th to September 30th, 1947 ? Sub-leased to Crosby Navigation Company. Records indicate a voyage, but NO DATA available. Ships Master unknown.
September 30th to October 27th, 1947 ? De-activation and preparation for temporary storage performed by Dichman, Wright and Pugh, Baltimore, Maryland.
October 27th to August 4th, 1950 ? In temporary storage at the James River Ready Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia.
August 4th, 1950 to February 11th, 1952 ? Leased to Stockard Steamship Company, Baltimore, Maryland and re-activated.
February 10th, 1950 to May 5th, 1951 ? Records indicate Military cargo voyages in support of the Korean Conflict, but NO DATA available. Ships Master unknown.
June16th, 1951 to February 8th, 1952 ? Records indicate Military cargo voyages in support of the Korean Conflict from Pacific Northwest ports to Japan and Korea. Captain T.C. Selness as ships Master.
February 11th, 1952 to November 23rd, 1953 ? Leased to Luckenbach-Gulf Steamship Company, Portland, Oregon.
February 12th to April 14th, 1952 ? Records indicate numerous voyages from Seattle, Washington to Gulf Coast ports and return. Captain E.M. Boudreaux as Ships Master.
April 15th, 1952 to November 11th, 1953 ? Records indicate numerous voyages from Seattle, Washington to West Coast, Gulf Coast and Cuban ports and return. Captain C.S. Gravesen as Ships Master.
November 23rd, 1953 to November 13th, 1956 – In temporary storage at the Astoria Ready Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Washington.
November 13th, 1956 to September 24th, 1957 ? Leased to Pacific-Atlantic Steamship Company, Portland, Oregon and re-activated.
November 20th to December 31st, 1956 ? Records indicate humanitarian grain cargo voyages to India and Pakistan, but NO DATA available. Ships Master unknown.
January 4th to April 7th, 1957 ? Records indicate voyages from Pacific Northwest ports to Far East ports, but NO DATA available. Ships Master unknown.
April 13th to July 30th, 1957 ? Records indicate voyages from Seattle, Washington to ports in Singapore, Pakistan, India and Japan. Captain R. Salter as ships Master.
September 24th to October 3rd, 1957 ? De-activation and preparation for temporary storage performed by Pacific-Atlantic Steamship Company, Portland, Oregon.
October 3rd, 1957 to December 21st, 1965 ? In temporary storage at the Astoria Ready Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Washington.
December 21st, 1965 to September 18th, 1969 ? Leased to American Mail Lines, Olympia, Washington and re-activated.
January 27th, 1966 to September 16th, 1968 ? Records indicate numerous Military cargo voyages in support of the Vietnam Conflict from Pacific Northwest ports to Southeast Asian ports. Captains R. Blood, N. Carlson, C. Englestone, R. Gundersen and M. Dale as ships Masters.
September 18th to December 19th, 1969 ? In temporary storage at the Suisun Bay Ready Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, California.
December 19th, 1969 to January 12th, 1970 ? De-activation for permanent storage done by the Willamette Iron and Steel Company.
January 12th, 1970 to September 18th, 1998 ? In permanent storage at the Suisun Bay Ready Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, California.
September 18th, 1998 ? Transferred to Mare Island Naval Shipyard for transport to Richmond, California.
September 20th, 1998 ? Relocated to the shipyard area in Richmond, California that originally built SS RED OAK VICTORY to be restored to operation.