Construction of Victory Ships first began in late 1943, continuing through 1945 until the conclusion of the war in the Pacific. Successors to the Liberty type cargo ships, Victories were faster, with stronger hulls and designed for potential sustained use by steamship companies after the end of hostilities. Some were eventually repurposed, like SS Joliet Victory, reincarnated as survey ship USNS Michelson. SS Hannibal Victory's maiden voyage can be seen in a wartime documentary film (they didn't call them videos back then!) transporting eight 55 ton railroad steam locomotives from San Francisco to the Philippines. The voyage begins in February 1945 with a merchant marine crew augmented by US Navy gunners sailing for an undisclosed destination. At Enewetak Atoll Hannibal Victory along with other vessels are assembled into a convoy, later encountering a enemy submarine and hostile aircraft.
While this may be dismissed as wartime propaganda, it's an excellent color film record of American merchant marine history.
Named for Mark Twain's hometown, Hannibal Victory (a VC2-S-AP2) was built at Kaiser's Permanente Metals shipyard in Richmond, California. After wartime service the ship repatriated American citizens interned in the Philippines. Two steamship companies, American President Lines and States Lines, operated the vessel before it was finally laid up at Suisun Bay in 1973 and scrapped in 2007.
Another wartime film, "Birth of Victory", tells the story of Henry J. Kaiser's Richmond shipyard. This place was a huge ship factory where both Liberty and Victory ships were mass produced from standard parts and prefabricated sections. A total of 747 ships were built there, assembled on 27 slipways in four separate building yards.
Each step in the construction of a Victory Ship is shown. At 37 minutes into the film the forward part of a deck house is lifted by two giant cranes and placed onto a completed hull. This is amazing stuff.
Michelson visited Richmond during the autumn of 1964, spending the better part of a week in a drydock there.
Three remaining Victory Ships are still afloat. "Victory at Sea", a summer 2013 video of SS Lane Victory underway on a tourist day cruise out of San Pedro, California can be seen below.
Regrettably, Lane Victory is reported to have suffered a boiler tube failure. Until funding can be found to rebuild the boilers it will likely remain a static display museum ship.
