SS ''Smith Victory'' was a Victory ship

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...

built for the

U.S. 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 ...

during the final months of World War II. She was converted to be a troop ship.

Victory built in Maryland

''Smith Victory'' under Maritime Commission contract by

Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyard The Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard of Baltimore, Maryland, was a shipyard in the United States from 1941 until 1945. Located on the south shore of the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River which serves as the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore, Ba ...

, Inc.,

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

; laid down on 11 April 1945, launched on 24 May 1945, sponsored by Elizabeth Cutter Morrow of Smith College, christened on May 24, 1945, completed=22 June 1945 and delivered to her operator, Eastern SS Company. ''Smith Victory'' is named after

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

, a private liberal arts women's college in

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571. Northampton is known as an acade ...

. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith and opened in 1875.

Service

SS ''Smith Victory'' was christened on May 24, 1945, by Elizabeth Cutter Morrow, before sliding into the

Patapsco River The Patapsco River mainstem is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal port ...

near

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

, Maryland. ''Smith Victory'' was named after Smith College. The ''Smith Victory'' was built by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard. The

Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard The Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard of Baltimore, Maryland, was a shipyard in the United States from 1941 until 1945. Located on the south shore of the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River which serves as the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore, Ba ...

employed 47,000 people. ''Smith Victory'' could carry 10,800 tons of supplies or 1,500 troops at a top speed of 15 knots. ''Smith Victory'' was converted to a troopship and used to bring troops home as part of

Operation Magic Carpet Operation Magic Carpet was the post- World War II operation by the War Shipping Administration to repatriate over eight million American military personnel from the European, Pacific, and Asian theaters. Hundreds of Liberty ships, Victory s ...

. ''Smith Victory'' was operated by (Eastern SS Company. The ship ran a daily newsletter called the ''Sea Breeze'' to entertain the troops on the trip. The ''Smith Victory'' returned about 7,000 troops. In 1946 she was laid up in the Hudson River Reserve Fleet. In 1947 ''Smith Victory'' was sold to Compana Argentina de Nav. Dodero in Buenos Aires, Argentina and renamed the SS ''Buenos Aires''. Passenger living space was added to the ship. She served as a both a cargo and passenger ship until 1968. In 1961 she was sold to the Empresa Lineas Maritimas Argentinas in Buenos Aires. In 1963 she was sold to Southwind Shipping Corporation of Liberia and renamed SS ''Fairwind''. On February 11, 1968, she ran aground on the Grand Bahama Bank, near Andros Island. She was a total loss and was towed to Bilbao, Spain and scrapped.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith Victory) Victory ships Ships built in Baltimore 1945 ships World War II merchant ships of the United States

Victory built in Maryland

Service

See also

References