SS American Victory

The SS American Victory was one of 534 Victory ships built between mid-1944 and mid-1946 to replace the venerable Liberty class of merchant vessel.

She was involved in World War II, and the Korean and Vietnam wars. Immediately following World War II, the SS American Victory served as a sea going "good will ambassador" for the United States, supplying foodstuffs, vehicles and manufacturing machinery to the war torn countries of Europe and Near East, under the auspices of the Marshall Plan.

SS American Victory was named after American University in Washington, D.C., to honor the school's contributions to war training and weapons research during both WW I and WW II. From June until September 1945, she carried ammunition and other cargo from U.S. West Coast ports to Southeast Asia. She ferried cargo, equipment and troops back to the U.S. after the war ended.

Between 1946 and 1966, American Victory was chartered to commercial shipping firms, between a two year layup in the Hudson River Reserve Fleet and eight years in the Sabine River Reserve Fleet. From 1966 to 1969, she was chartered to the Hudson Waterways Corporation to support the Vietnam War effort, under the Military Sealift Command. She carried bombs, military equipment and supplies to South Vietnam and Thailand. In September 1967, she was severely battered by Typhoon Diana enroute from Japan to South Vietnam.

American Victory was deactivated again in late 1969, and placed in the James River Reserve Fleet. Aside from participating in a government-sponsored Victory Ship Validation Program in 1985, she remained there until being acquired by The Victory Ship, Inc. in April 1999. She was towed to her new home in September 1999. She is expected to be fully operational by late 2002.