Red Oak Victory - online tour - WW II cargo ship

"Welcome aboard, shipmates!" - from your crew on the SS Red Oak Victory.

Your online tour starts with a brief history, features the most recent photos, and allows you to visit all areas of the ship from the comfort of home or office.

Be sure to visit the online gift shop - thank you.

Red Oak, Iowa witnessed more casualties per capita during WW II than any other American town.

3-inch/50 caliber gun - forward

named for the town of Red Oak, Iowa.

built in Richmond, CA - keel laid Aug 15, 1944 - launched Nov 9, 1944
commissioned at 1:40 pm, on Tuesday Dec 5, 1944 - USS Red Oak Victory (AK-235)
served as a Merchant Marine vessel during Korean and Vietnam wars
deactivated in Dec 1968
Sep 20, 1998 - returned home to Richmond

Lt. Cmdr. John S. Sayers(USNR)
Commanding Officer(Dec 5, 1944 - Jan 22, 1946)

Launched at 10 am, on Thursday Nov 9, 1944, by the wife of the Mayor of Red Oak, Iowa, it was the 558th of the 747 Victory ships that were built at the Richmond shipyard, and has the distinction of having served in both the Navy & Merchant Marine.

While most Victory ships served as Merchant Marine cargo vessels, Red Oak Victory was one of only ten "Blouder Class" Victory ships designated to function as Navy ammunition carriers during the war, and is the sole survivor of its class.

Although the Liberty class ship was easy to produce in quantity and did a good job, it employed outdated technology, was too slow, and suffered from hull fractures due to its rigid structural design. By the fall of 1942, it was more than obvious to the Navy that a new class of ship was needed, and planning was initiated. After a few delays to resolve design issues, production finally began in the fall of 1943, and the first Victory was launched in Jan 1944.

The Victory was larger and faster than a Liberty, could outrun 11 knot enemy submarines, and thus travel outside of convoys at a speed of 15+ knots. Electric winches & capstans for handling cargo & anchors replaced the steam driven equipment found on the Liberty, and Victory hull frames were set 6 inches further apart to allow the hull to flex instead of fracture. Also, to achieve better stability, it used flexible ballast to control the ship's draft.

From the very beginning, Victory ships were intended to become the mainstay of the U.S. merchant fleet after the war. With its quality design, the Victory exceeded its potential.

455 feet in length & 62 feet wide
3 masts - 2 forward & 1 aft - 5 cargo holds - 3 forward & 2 aft
10 guns & a cruising range of 12,000 to 14,000 miles
WW II 80+ crew & 28 gunners - merchant years 40+ crew

While in the Navy during WW II, the ship was awarded medals for its active participation in the American & Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns, Philippine Liberation & WW II Victory. As a Merchant Marine vessel, the ship was awarded medals for both campaign & service during the Korean and Vietnam wars, and for service to the United Nations.

Following a one month fitting out period, the ship was loaded with ammunition and departed San Francisco for Hawaii on Jan 10, 1945, with munitions needed in the Marshall and Caroline Islands. After leaving Pearl Harbor on Feb 10, the ship continued steaming towards a remote area of the Pacific where Allied forces had amassed for an invasion of Japan.

ULITHI ATOLL - The fourth largest lagoon in the world, capable of holding 700 ships, and perfectly positioned to act as a staging area. Comprised of three dozen little islands, with the biggest island just wide enough for a 3500 foot airstrip, Ulithi was only 1300 miles south of Tokyo. Within a month of occupying the islands, in Sep 1944, a floating base of 617 ships was in operation. Kept secret during the war, the US naval base at Ulithi was for a time the world's largest naval facility.

Red Oak Victory arrived at Ulithi on Feb 28, 1945, and began transferring its cargo of ammunition to various ships preparing for the battle of Okinawa, and other engagements.

USS Red Oak Victory
Navy campaign ribbons

SS Red Oak Victory
Merchant Marine ribbons

Operating out of the Philippines, under Commander Service Squardon Ten, the ship was reassigned to Leyte Gulf in the Philippines on May 27, and arrived there three days later to support the liberation of the Philippines. The ship remained at Leyte Gulf until the war ended in August 1945, completing its hazardous tour of duty in the Pacific, issuing & handling many tons of ammunition, without a single casualty.

Following the formal Japanese surrender on Sep 2, 1945, it was time to go home. Departing the Philippines in late Oct 1945, the ship headed back to the States, and anchored at Port Discovery Bay, Puget Sound, WA, on Nov 25, 1945, awaiting further orders.

When further orders arrived 6 months later, the ship was decommissioned from the Navy at 2:54 pm, on Tuesday May 21, 1946, transferred to the U.S. Maritime Commission on Jun 12, stricken from the Navy list on July 19, and placed in temporary storage in the ready fleet reserve until Apr 1947, when it was reactivated for a short period.

Periods of reactivation & storage followed for the remainder of its service , with the ship playing a major role transporting military cargo during the Korean & Vietnam Wars(often operating in dangerous waters known for piracy), and with humanitarian voyages delivering grain to India & Pakistan during Nov & Dec 1956, before permanent retirement to the mothball fleet in Dec 1968.

lagoon size - 209 sq mi

Doomed to be scrapped, Red Oak Victory was rescued by an act of Congress on Oct 2, 1996, and returned home to Richmond, CA on Sep 20, 1998, for restoration to resemble its WW II configuration.

The ship retains all of its wartime issue equipment in the radio, chart and gyro rooms, and the wheelhouse is completely outfitted to the standard 1944 description of a Victory.

All shipboard sound-powered telephones are in working condition.

The original WW II era radio is fully operational and used by the Red Oak Victory Amateur Radio Club to contact other museum ships around the world during their annual, weekly, and special events - callsigns K6YVM and NY6CI.

Manufactured by Westinghouse, the original main propulsion unit is a marine two-stage steam turbine rated at 6000 shaft horsepower.

Shaft alley, with a 16 inch diameter shaft, turning at 100 rpm, connecting the engine to a four bladed propeller, and driving the ship at a maximum speed of 15+ knots.

Electrical power is provided by inboard and outboard turbo-generators, and is direct current - DC. After WW II, the electrical distribution system was converted to include AC power.

Steam is generated by two boilers producing 27,500 pounds of steam per hour at 750 degrees.

Boiler control panel and valves.

The steering compartment is located below the aft deckhouse.

Steering gear motor - slide eclectro-hydraulic, double-ram - connects directly to the wheelhouse and can be operated manually in case of power failure.

The rudder can be shifted 35 degrees port & starboard.

During WW II, 28 gunners maintained & operated 10 guns, as the ship came armed with a 5 inch/38 caliber stern gun for use against submarines, a 3 inch/50 caliber forward anti-aircraft gun, and eight Oerlikon 20 mm anti-aircraft cannons.

The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon became famous in its naval anti-aircraft role for its ability to effectively track a target at short ranges.

Aft deckhouse - gunners quarters with original metal pole bunks.

Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

Following WW II, the ship was modified to serve as a Merchant Marine cargo vessel. All guns were removed, and the metal pole bunks for the wartime crew quarters, six or seven per room, were replaced with two or three wooden berths per room, and radar equipment was installed in the wheelhouse in the 1950s and 60s.

Each mast has a masthouse.

forward
foremast - 100 ft - cargo hold 1
mainmast - 109 ft - cargo holds 2 & 3
aft
mizzenmast - 104 ft - cargo holds 4 & 5

mainmast & masthouse with 2 cowls.

Each mast has 4 electric motor driven winches to move the cables that operate the booms. Ventilation below decks is naturally supplied through cowls of various sizes at or near each mast.

At the bow, on the forecastle deck - forward gun platform with 3 inch/50 caliber anti-aircraft gun & anchor windlass with 1000 feet of chain for each anchor stored in the chain locker below decks.

The anchor windlass is capable of raising both anchors simultaneously, from a depth of 30 fathoms, at a chain speed of 30 feet per minute. Warping heads on the wildcat shaft of the windlass handle mooring lines forward, while mooring lines aft are handled by an electric warping capstan.

Main cabin - located amidships, directly above the engine room and rising four decks to the flying bridge - with a skylight for the engine room & a funnel providing the main exhaust vent for the boilers.

Bridge deck - wheelhouse & chart room - directly above the Captain's stateroom.

officer's country - cabin & boat deck levels

cabin deck - Captain's stateroom + other officers, battery, radio & gyro rooms.

boat deck - Chief Engineer's stateroom + engineering officers, messroom & pantry + 2 lifeboats on each side.

All officer cabins were comfortably furnished with a wooden berth, closet, office desk & sink. Only the Captain & Chief Engineer staterooms had the added luxury of a private toilet & shower.

Stewards served the officers, as prepared food was brought up from the galley to the pantry aft of the officer's messroom.

**main deck - crew's quarters, 2 messrooms, & galley + hospital.**

sick quarters - main deck - port side

After transfer to the Merchant Marine, cabins for the crew were modified with wooden berths & closets, and either a typing desk or sink was provided in a few of the cabins.

Galley smokestack & ship's galley with diesel stove - main deck.

"Charlie Noble" - nickname for galley smokestacks - after Captain Charles Noble - mid 19th century British merchant service captain.

As soon as Captain Charles Noble discovered that the smokestack of his ship's galley was made of copper, he ordered that it be polished, and kept bright & shiny. From then onwards, the ship's crew started referring to the galley smokestack as the "Charlie Noble."

port side crew messroom - used by the gunners during WW II.
also a starboard side crew messroom next to the galley.

Below the main deck - the ship's wartime issue Maytag washers & dryers are in working condition - with one dryer designated as officers only.

The gift shop and museum is located below the main deck in cargo hold #4 - just aft of the engine room, and features official SS Red Oak Victory hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, mugs, & more.