Victory Ship

When it comes to historic ships, one of the best is open to the public at the new Rosie the Riveter National Park in Richmond California. The USS Red Oak is the last of the famous Victory Ships produced during World War Two. If you live in the San Francisco Bay area or are planning a San Francisco vacation, this is one stop you want to add to your trip planner.

USS Red Oak Victory

The Victory Ship class of military vessels was derived from the Liberty Ship design. The major differences were that the Victory Ships were a bit larger and the hulls were a bit thicker than those of Liberty Ships. The new hull thickness was a result of what was learned from some Liberty Ship losses.

These Victory Ship vessels as well as the Liberty Ships before them were turned out in record time due to their being built by sections. The sections were prefabricated and hoisted into place at the Kaiser Shipyards. This allowed for rapid construction. By the end of World War Two, 531 had been built. This large number were produced from six separate shipyards in a very short length of time, from February 1944 through November 1945. Ninety-seven Victory Ships were employed as troop carriers and the others carried food, fuel, material, ammunition and general supplies.

The Victory Ships were 455 feet long and 62 feet wide and had a faster speed than the Liberty Ships. The Victory Ships averaged between 15 and 17 knots. The engines produced between 5,500 to 8,500 horsepower. Each ship had five cargo holds. Each Victory Ship usually carried a crew of 62 civilian merchant sailors and 28 naval personnel. The naval personnel were required to operate the guns and communications equipment.

Stern gun showing padded gunner harness

The USS Red Oak was constructed at the Kaiser Shipyard in Richmond California and was launched on November 9, 1944. The USS Red Oak was assigned to be an ammunition carrier during the war.

The USS Red Oak saw service after the World War Two years. The ship was used as a cargo carrier during both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. When World War Two ended, there was an obvious oversupply of these vessels and many were offered for sale to commercial concerns. It's estimated that 170 of the Victory Ships were sold. Some others were loaned to the U.S. Army and the remainder were put into the reserve fleet. The USS Red Oak Victory ended up in the "moth ball fleet" moored in Suisun Bay near Martinez California in the Sacramento River. In 1968, the USS Red Oak Victory was towed from Suisun Bay to Richmond. Currently, the ship is berthed at Yard #3 at Richmond Point on San Francisco Bay.

Bow view of Red Oak Victory Ship

Interestingly enough, out of the 747 ships built at the Kaiser Shipyard, the USS Red Oak Victory is the only surviving vessel which makes her even more of an historical treasure. Her name is significant as well. The vessel was named after the town, Red Oak Iowa which suffered the most per capita loss of it's citizens during World War Two. Historical statistics show that at the Battle of Kasserine Pass in February 1943, forty-five U.S. soldiers killed there were from Red Oak Iowa.

The USS Red Oak Victory is now a floating museum. This is one of the best historic ship tours you can make. The tour leads you throughout the vessel from the crew quarters to the kitchen and eating areas to the communication rooms, the captains quarters, engine room and massive cargo holds. The tour of the ships bridge is another very interesting part of the Red Oak Victory Ship tour. The bridge and the navigation room directly behind it is filled with navigation equipment of the era including a MacKay Radio direction finder. MacKay Radio was involved in the telegraphic traffic business across the Pacific at the outbreak of the war and had established radio stations on islands thus providing a signal for ship navigation.

We have three additional articles which highlight nearby San Francisco Bay maritime exhibits. They are Mare Island, the first naval installation on the Pacific coast and the SS Jeremiah O'Brien, a floating Liberty Ship museum at San Francisco's Fishermans Wharf and the Last Salt Water Steam Tugboat

It's really a terrific tour. If you have the opportunity of vacationing or visiting the San Francisco Bay area, adding a tour of the USS Red Oak Victory to your trip planner is a good idea. Also a fun and educational stop for the entire family. The SS Red oak Victory is open for visitors Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Hours are 10A-3P. The ship is berthed at 1337 Canal Blvd., Richmond, CA.

(Photos are from author's private collection)


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Mare Island

On the far north shore of San Francisco Bay, adjacent to the city of Vallejo California, is a living piece of western history. If you're heading up to the Napa Valley wine country from the east bay area you may very well pass right by it. The place is Mare Island California and today it is on the National Register of Historic Places. When visiting the San Francisco Bay area you may just want to add this historic old naval shipyard to your California vacation or wine country trip planner. Many veterans of the Navy no doubt have heard of Mare Island and some may have spent time on duty there. What is certain is that a stop on the island will be a rewarding experience for all who wish to know more about naval operations on the U.S. west coast that spanned over a century.

Mare Island Naval Shipyard has the distinction of being the very first United States Navy Base and naval shipyard established on the Pacific Coast. The history of this island goes way back in time. The Spaniards explored the island in 1775 and the Rancho Suscol, which it was named, was granted to General Mariano Vallejo in 1844. Vallejo was a big Mexican military figure during the last years of Mexican rule. The city directly to the east of Mare island, Vallejo California, is named after the general.


The U.S. Navy actually purchased the land at Mare Island in 1853 and went ahead and constructed a naval shipyard there in 1854. This would have been just a few years after the Mexican American War where the U.S. took control of California. The shipyard was used for both construction and repair. In fact, for over one hundred years, Mare Island was a U.S. Navy shipyard. Dry docks were built during the last half of the 1800's, one sized over 500 feet long and another over 700 feet. Another interesting fact I think not widely known was that Mare Island was called on to dispatch vessels in the late 1800's to the northwest during Native American uprisings. This gives you a good idea of the history attached to this piece of land on the north side of San Francisco Bay. At the time, Mare Island was considered the largest of all naval shipyards in the world.

Mare Island dry dock

Another little bit of Mare Island Shipyard history has to do with a munitions explosion that occurred there in 1917. The blast killed six. This was during World War One and the explosion actually was found out to be an act of sabotage perpetrated by a German agent by the name of Lothar Witzke. Witzke was tracked down and arrested in Nogales Arizona on the Mexican border. he was also working with another German agent named Kurt Jahnke. As it turned out, Witzke and some others were also involved with an explosion in 1916 in the new York harbor which killed four. The New York explosion was so big that people as far away as Philadelphia reportedly heard it. needless to say, Lothar Witzke was tried and sent to prison for sabotage. If Witzke had been successful in getting into Mexico he may have been safe. Germany was making many inroads with the Mexican government during the war and could have easily reached a safe house there. Witzke was sentenced to death for his actions but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by president Wilson in 1920. After many requests from the new German gevernment, Witzke gained his freedom in 1923 and was immediately deported back to Germany.

Shipyard buildings and equipment

To be sure, Mare Island California was one of the navy's largest and busiest shipyards. To give you an idea of the size of this facility, the shipyard was originally designed to repair and paint six to eight large naval vessels at a time. Two dry docks were built in the 1800's. In the future, by the year 1941 a third dry dock was built and another one was being constructed. The job of Mare Island was to essentially help build and maintain the U.S. Navy's Pacific fleet.

At Mare Island during the 1930's there were about 6,000 workers. Estimates are that there were up to 50,000 workers assigned there during the Second World War. In fact, the amount of workers during World War Two became so large and the available housing so scarce that what was considered the world's largest bus system was put in operation at Mare Island traveling some 800,000 miles per month.  Mare Island Shipyard was kept busy repairing ships that had been damaged during the war in the Pacific. This included not only U.S. vessels but also Royal Navy ships and Soviet Union vessels. Both surface ships and submarines were serviced at the base. During the life of this shipyard, 1854 to 1996, over 500 vessels were constructed there including nuclear submarines. In addition, the shipyard repaired over 1,000 vessels.

The size of boats and ships built at Mare Island were a variety of larger and small. The small ferryboat Pinafore was constructed there which operated between Mare and and Vallejo for thirty years. The larger of the vessels included the battleship U.S.S. California. During World War Two, Mare Island was responsible for the building of 17 submarines, 4 submarine tenders, 31 destroyer escorts, 300 landing craft and 33 small craft. In the year of 1943 alone, Mare Island built 18 destroyer escorts in just nine months. An absolutely enormous amount of wartime production. In regards to repairing vessels, Mare Island handled some 274 ships during 1942 alone. By 1944, damage repair work totaled some 4.3 million man days of work. It has been reported that twenty-two Mare Island built or refurbished submarines were responsible for the sinking of over 250 enemy ships. Nuclear submarine construction went on during the 1960's with the first completed sub the U.S.S. Sargo. The last nuclear sub built at Mare Island was the U.S.S. Drum which was launched in 1970.

See our Western Trips article on the Last Remaining Salt Water Paddlewheel Tugboat.

Mare Island Commandant's Quarters

The historic artifacts at old Mare Island Shipyard are today maintained by the Mare Island Historic Park Foundation. The foundation cares for four of the shipyards most historic structures. This includes St. Peter's Chapel built in 1901, officers Quarters A and Quarters B and Building 46 which was built in 1855 and now serves as the artifacts museum. The effort of the Mare Island Historic Park Foundation is ongoing. Work continues to create displays and acquire historic vessels. According to the Foundation, the master plan is to recover, as much as possible, Mare Island's history plus the operating character of the shipyard and make it available to scholars and other interested individuals and groups.

The Mare Island Historic Park Foundation state that their educational and museum projects aim to represent many of these activities in a meaningful and living way. The museum is located at 1100 Railroad Avenue on Mare Island. Their main phone number is 707-557-1538. The numbers to arrange tours are 707-644-4746 or 707-280-5742.

I believe you'll find a side trip to Mare Island California a very interesting and historically enlightening stop. Mare Island's location on the extreme northern side of San Francisco Bay allows it to be a fine addition to your Napa Valley or Sonoma Valley wine tour.

(Photos are from author's private collection) 




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