The SS ''Coeur d'Alene Victory'' was a Victory ship built during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

under the Emergency Shipbuilding program. She was launched by the

Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation was a World War II emergency shipyard located along the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States. The shipyard built nearly 600 Liberty and Victory ships between 1941 and 1945 under the Emergency Shipb ...

on December 15, 1944, completed on January 12, 1945. The ship's

United States Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

designation was VC2-S-AP3, hull number 153 (1207). The Maritime Commission turned her over to a civilian contractor, the Isbrandtsen Steamship Company, for operation under the

War Shipping Administration The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the United States needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime Co ...

. Victory ships were designed to supersede the earlier Liberty Ships. Unlike Liberty ships, Victory ships were designed to serve the

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after the war and also last longer. The Victory ship differed from a Liberty ship in that they were: faster, longer and wider, taller, and had a thinner stack 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 ...

. They also had a long raised

forecastle The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase " be ...

World War II.

The SS ''Coeur d'Alene Victory'' was used as cargo ship in World War II. ''Coeur d'Alene Victory'' was 153 of the new 10,500-ton class ship known as Victory ships. Victory ships were designed to replace the earlier Liberty Ships. Liberty ships were designed to be used just for WW2. 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, a thinner stack set farther toward the

and had a long raised

. On July 22, 1946, she departed

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for

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Korean War

''Coeur d'Alene Victory'' served shortly in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. ''Coeur d'Alene Victory'' loaded up on

Quonset hut A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel having a semi cylindrical cross-section. The design was developed in the United States, based on the Nissen hut introduced by the British during World War I ...

s at

Quonset Point Quonset Point (), also known simply as Quonset, is a small peninsula in Narragansett Bay in the town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Its name is widely known from the Quonset hut, which was first manufactured there. ''Quonset'' is an Algonqu ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

. She ran aground at

, but waited for high tide she was able to get free. On December 4, 1950, she arrived at

Pusan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. Fight had intensified in Korea since she departed and the Quonset huts where not a top priority no. After a few days she departed Pusan and streamed to Kobay loaded radar sets and streamed to

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. She then streamed to

Mugi District, Gifu was a district located in Gifu, Japan. The district was dissolved after it was merged into the nearby city of Seki on February 7, 2005. As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 17,069 and a population density Population densit ...

, Japan and loaded fire rescue trucks on deck. She sailed to Puson and unloaded her cargo. Due to worn parts she streamed to

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

for repairs.

Private use

She was sold to Victory Carriers Incorporated on July 25, 1949, for $986,424.50, then reported transferred to the Export Steamship Corp. and renamed ''SS Examilia'' after the city

Examilia Examilia ( el, Εξαμίλια) is a town in the municipality of Corinth, Greece. It is situated about 5 km south of Corinth, and 6 km west of Kechries (ancient Cenchreae). History The town was first attested in 1676 by French archaeologi ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. In September 1953 the ''Coeur d'Alene Victory'' was seized by the US government because it was a war built ship that was purchased from the US by foreign party who said they were an American owned company. Asst. U.S. Atty. Gen. Keith filed an action in the case in a Federal Court. Victory Carriers, Inc. claimed to be the buyer and owner, but in court was found to be purchased by a Greek company, A. Sonassis, not Victory Carriers, Inc. or Export Steamship Corp. On April 17, 1957, she departed Yokohama, Japan for the USA. On Nov. 11, 1967 she and the SS ''Hissem'' came to the aid of the SS ''San Jose'' that was on fire, near

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

. ''Coeur d'Alene Victory'' was scrapped in 1969 in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

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.

External links