SS Swarthmore Victory

SS Swarthmore Victory (MCV-737) was a type VC2-S-AP2 Victory-class cargo ship built for the United States during World War II. The ship was built as part of the Emergency Shipbuilding program by Permanente Metals Corporation in Yard 2 of the Richmond Shipyards in Richmond, California. Named after Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.[2] Caomplete on April 7, 1945 Swarthmore Victory delivered supplies for the Pacific War and was operated by the United States Lines. [3]

Typical Victory ship
History
United States
Namesake: Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania
Operator: United States Lines and then Pacific Far East Line
Builder: Permanente Metals, plant No. 2
Yard number: 737
Laid down: January 31, 1945
Launched: March 14, 1945
Completed: April 7, 1945
Fate: Scrapped in 1988
General characteristics
Class and type: VC2-S-AP3 Victory ship
Tonnage: 7,612 GRT, 4,553 NRT
Displacement: 15,200 tons
Length: 455 ft (139 m)
Beam: 62 ft (19 m)
Draught: 28 ft (8.5 m)
Installed power: 8,500 shp (6,300 kW)
Propulsion: HP & LP turbines geared to a single 20.5-foot (6.2 m) propeller
Speed: 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)
Boats & landing
craft carried:		 4 Lifeboats
Complement: 62 Merchant Marine and 28 US Naval Armed Guards
Armament:
Notes: [1]

Post war

In 1948 Catalina Wild Life Expeditions, owned by Noel Rosefelt, hired Swarthmore Victory to import animals including elephants. The four baby elephants for Tom Packs Circus in New Orleans became known to the world before coming to America. Swarthmore Victory was delayed by two typhoons coming from Siam. The ship ran out of hay for the elephants four days before landing and worms for the birds on board. So started Operation Haylift. The Swarthmore Victory's captain radioed the Naval Air Station Alameda that the ship had an emergency need of food for the hungry 6 four year elephants for a circus and tropical birds for zoos. The Navy sent a large flying boat, a Martin JRM Mars named the Marshall Mars. The plane dropped Hay and worms in waterproof bags into the ocean. The food was retrieved by the ship's crew. The November 1948 trip by the Marshall Mars was a round trip of 1,500 miles (2,400 km). The six Elephants and tropical birds arrived safely in the United States. One elephant, Sue arrived at the Sacramento Zoo in November 1948 and lived at the zoo until her death in April 1989.[4] [5][6][7][8][9] In 1950 she was laid up at the United States Navy reserve fleets in Astoria, Oregon.

Vietnam War

In 1966 she was removed from the Reserve Fleet and reactivated for Vietnam War and operated by the Pacific Far East Line. She delivered goods for the United States Merchant Marine, Military Sea Transportation Service, and Military Sealift Command in Vietnam. In Vietnam, in 1969 Swarthmore Victory took several direct hits from an ambush.[10] In 1973 she was laid up at Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. In 1988 she was scrapped at Kaohsiung.

See also

References
  1. Babcock & Wilcox (April 1944). "Victory Ships". Marine Engineering and Shipping Review.
  2. shipbuildinghistory.com Victory ships
  3. mariners-l.co.uk SS Swarthmore Victory
  4. circushistory.org, BackYard, Volume V, Issue #94June 30,2000
  5. All Hands, Issues 383-394
  6. Billboard Nov 27, 1948, page 66
  7. elephant.se/database, Sue
  8. "Navy Sends Rescue Plane to Feed Eight Baby Bulls," The Billboard Vol 60 No 47, Page 62, 1948-11-20
  9. Tom Packs' Circus
  10. usmm.org, U.S. Merchant Marine, Military Sea Transportation Service, and Military Sealift Command in Vietnam
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