SS Navajo Victory

Navajo Victory was christened by Mrs. Tom Price, wife of the general manager of Kaiser Shipyards; the matron of honor was Mrs. Frank Backman. Navajo Victory was the 15th Victory Ship built by the California Shipbuilding Corporation, it was one of 218 Victory Ships named after cities in the United States.[http://shipbuildinghistory.com/merchantships/2victoryships.htm /shipbuildinghistory.com, Victory Ships]

Navajo Victory conducted supply operations in the Pacific Ocean throughout the war under the operation of the Luckenbach Line. On October 18, 1944, it entered Palau with another cargo ship, Sea Pike, escorted by a Marshall Islands-based destroyer, {{USS|Brackett}}, for protection.[http://marshall.csu.edu.au/Marshalls/html/WWII_Recollections/WilliamRoberts_USSBrackett.html On Patrol in the Marshall Islands 1944-45. A partial history of U.S.S. BRACKETT DE--41, by William L. Roberts] On November 29, 1944, Navajo Victory and Sea Pike delivered troops and supplies from Ewa Villages, Hawaii, to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323.A HISTORY OF MARINE FIGHTER ATTACK SQUADRON, by Colonel Gerald R. Pitzl, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, page 14. Navajo Victory also delivered supplies for the liberation of The Philippines,History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: The Liberation of The Philippines By Samuel Eliot Morison and for the {{USS|Floyd County|LST-762|6}}, an American tank landing ship.[http://www.navsource.net/archives/10/16/pdf/160762a.pdf USS LST-762 Operational Records - NavSource][http://www.pwencycl.kgbudge.com/V/i/Victory_class.htm Victory Ships] On December 29, 1944, it supplied fleet ships at Seeadler Harbor, Manus Island.[http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/denver/logdec44.htm DECK LOG BOOK & WAR DIARY, CONDENSED, USS DENVER, CL 58, DECEMBER 1, 1944 TO DECEMBER 31, 1944] On January 16, 1945, it unloaded troop rations at New Guinea for the troops stationed there.War Diary - Michael K. Wood home page 16th Ohio Volunteer Infantry It prepared for Operation Downfall, the invasion of Japan, from June 26 to August 15, 1945, with exercises at Leyte. The training exercises were halted after the surrender of Japan on August 15.

From 1946 to 1949, Navajo Victory was a relief ship, a fleet supply ship and as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet in Astoria, Oregon.[https://www.portofoakland.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/1946_minutes.pdf REGULAR MEETING OF TIE BOARD OF Port of Oakland]

Navajo Victory served as a United States Merchant Marine vessel during the Korean War. It made nine trips to Korea between November 18, 1950 and December 23, 1952 transporting mail, food, and other supplies,The Times from San Mateo, California · Page 1, August 8, 1952 and assisted in the transport of the 140th Tank Battalion. Merchant marine ships transported roughly 75% of all personnel to Korea.Small United States and United Nations Warships in the Korean War, By Paul M. Edwards[http://koreanwar-educator.org/topics/merchant_marine/index.htm Korean War Educator, Merchant Marine, Accounts of the Korean War]

On April 16, 1953, Navajo Victory received a distress call from the motor ship {{HMS|Menestheus||2}}, a 7,800-ton British freighter. Menestheus had left Balboa, Panama, on April 5 en route to Osaka with a cargo of rice. When Menestheus was about 90 miles northwest of Magdalena Bay and 130 miles west of Baja California, an auxiliary generator exploded in her engine room, starting a fire that forced the crew to abandon ship. The crew of 81 was in the lifeboats by the time Navajo Victory arrived. Navajo Victory rescued them and took them to San Diego. Navajo Victory towed Menestheus for nearly 500 miles, but was eventually forced to abandon her.The Baytown Sun from Baytown, Texas · Page 1, April 16, 1953Long Beach Independent from Long Beach, California · Page 8, April 17, 1953

Navajo Victory lay idle in Astoria, Oregon until 1966.

In 1966 Navajo Victory was reactivated for the Vietnam War. It was operated by the American Mail Line.The American Legion Magazine, Volume 81, No. 1 In July 1966Vietnam War, A Fight for Honor: The Charles Kerkman Story, By Michael Ireland, page 31

After the war in 1973, it was laid up in Suisun Bay as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet as part of the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. It was scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in 1985.[http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/vicshipsN.html Mariners, The Website Of The Mariners Mailing List. Victory Ships]

• List of Victory ships
• Liberty ship
• Type C1 ship
• Type C2 ship
• Type C3 ship

• Sawyer, L.A. and W.H. Mitchell. Victory ships and tankers: The history of the ‘Victory’ type cargo ships and of the tankers built in the United States of America during World War II, Cornell Maritime Press, 1974, 0-87033-182-5.
• United States Maritime Commission: [http://www.usmm.org/victoryships.html]
• Victory Cargo Ships [http://www.armed-guard.com/recbr2.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050922060615/http://www.armed-guard.com/recbr2.html |date=2005-09-22 }}

{{MARCOMships}}

{{WWII US ships}}

{{Victory ships}}

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Category:Victory ships

Category:Ships built in Los Angeles

Category:United States Merchant Marine

Category:1944 ships

Category:World War II merchant ships of the United States