The SS ''Brainerd Victory'' was a
Victory-class cargo ship built during
World War II.
Brainerd city Mayor Frank Johnson wrote to the Oregon Shipbuilding Company: ''The naming of a ship for Brainerd is greatly appreciated by our citizens. Boys of this community who formed a tank company fought, died and were taken prisoner on Bataan and naming of the S.S. ''Brainerd Victory'' stands as a tribute to them.'' The ship was christened by Mrs. J.A. McEachern, wife of the corporation's president John Alexander McEachern. The ''Brainerd Victory'' was sponsored by Oregon Shipbuilding Company shipyard employees to let them share in the last Victory ship built under government contract. She was operated by
Weyerhaeuser Steamship Company
Weyerhaeuser Steamship Company was a was a and cargo Liner company founded in Tacoma, Washington. Weyerhaeuser Steamship Company was founded by Weyerhaeuser Company in 1933. Weyerhaeuser is one of the largest lumber and paper companies in the Un ...
during the war.
In a letter to Mayor Johnson, Robert Horton, the public relations director for the United States Maritime Commission wrote:
''It is a pleasure to advise you that the Maritime Commission is naming one of the new Victory ships in honor of the city of
Brainerd, Minnesota. This vessel is one of a series going into service during 1945, which will be named after cities of the United States.''
Victory ships were designed to replace the earlier
Liberty ships. Liberty ships were designed to be used just for World War II. Victory ships were designed to last longer and serve the
US Navy after the war. The Victory ship differed from a Liberty ship in that they were faster, longer and wider, taller, had a thinner stack that was set farther toward the
superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships.
Aboard ships and large boats
On water craft, the superstruct ...
and had a long raised
forecastle.
As the war was over, the ''Brainerd Victory'' steamed the West Coast, delivering goods to
San Francisco,
Los Angeles and
Suisun Bay
Suisun Bay ( ; Wintun for "where the west wind blows") is a shallow tidal estuary (a northeastern extension of the San Francisco Bay) in Northern California. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River, forming the ent ...
.
Private use
In 1950 ''Brainerd Victory'' was sold to
Pope & Talbot, Inc. of
San Francisco and renamed SS ''P&T Voyager''. In March 1962 she was sold to Sumner A. Long of
New York City and renamed SS ''Smith Voyager'', and was operated by the Anne Quinn Corporation.
The ''Smith Voyager'' on Dec. 20, 1964 was loaded with a cargo of $500,000 worth of grain. The load shifted violently about 780 miles South East of
Bermuda in the
Atlantic Ocean. The shifted load caused a crack in the hull and she took on water. The
foundering ship developed a heavy starboard
angle of list. The sea was rough with waves 20 to 30 feet high as she steamed to
India. Due to fear of sinking, her crew abandoned the ''Smith Voyager'' at 1:20 pm; the captain and three crew members stayed on board. The other crew members abandoned ship into her lifeboats and shot out red
distress flares. Due to the rough sea, the 26-foot-long lifeboats capsized and four members of the crew drowned. The
USCGC ''Rockaway'' steamed to help the crew. The 533-foot German freighter M.V. ''Mathilde Bolton'' also came to her aid.
U.S. Coast Guard aircraft from Bermuda and
Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and
United States Air Force aircraft from the 55th Air Rescue Suadron flew rescue missions. They dropped
survival equipment
Survivalism is a social movement of individuals or groups (called survivalists or preppers) who proactively prepare for emergencies, such as natural disasters, as well as other disasters causing disruption to social order (that is, civil disord ...
to the crew. On Dec. 25, 1964, the ''Smith Voyager'' was in tow by the British salvage tug ''Marinla'' to be saved, but on the trip she sank by the stern on Dec. 27, 1964 at 28.30 N 50.48 W, about 850 miles from Bermuda. The captain and three crew members boarded the tug and were saved.
A US
district court found that the ''Smith Voyager'' was not
seaworthy. The ''Smith Voyager'' was overloaded with grain when she departed
Freeport, Texas. The court found evidence that the steam evaporators and boilers were not working correctly. Also there was a leak in the rudder stock gland, thus sea water was leaking into the steering room and was draining into the
bilge.
27 Disaster Survivors Suing for $8 Million, DEC. 31, 1964
/ref>
See also
* List of Victory ships
* Liberty ship
* Type C1 ship
* Type C2 ship
* Type C3 ship
References
Sources
*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
*Victory Cargo Ship
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brainerd Victory, SS
Victory ships
Ships built in Portland, Oregon
Merchant ships of the United States
1945 ships
World War II merchant ships of the United States
Brainerd, Minnesota micropolitan area