SS ''Victoria Park'' was a general cargo steamship built in 1943, the first of 24 wartime
Park Ships that were built in the
Pictou Shipyard
The Pictou Shipyard is a Canadian shipbuilding site located in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, and made famous by its use as an emergency shipbuilding facility in World War II, during which it constructed twenty-four 4,700-ton Scandinavian class freigh ...
in
Pictou,
Nova Scotia in the 1940s. ''Victoria Park'' was built by Foundation Maritime Ltd. April 27, 1943. Built as a merchant
steamship
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
constructed for
Canada’s
Merchant Navy.
and was originally built for the government of Canada's use as a cargo vessel.
History
The S.S ''Victoria Park'' was the first steam ship built at the new Pictou shipyard.
In the tradition of naming Park Ships after Canadian parks, she was named for
Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to:
Places Australia
* Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales
* Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse
* Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...
in nearby
Truro, Nova Scotia. The ship was launched on April 27, 1943.
[ She made multiple crossings of the Atlantic carrying supplies to Europe during the ]Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade ...
.
''Victoria Park'' also had a long postwar career changing owners and names numerous times until it was finally scrapped in Brazil in 1982.[
]
Other names
After the war she was sold and renamed. She was subsequently renamed a number of times:[
*Tatuk, 1946
*Kalo, 1948
*Ester, 1957
*San John P., 1964
*Ramsdal I, 1965
*Rio Atrato, 1966
]
Park Ships
Park Ships were merchant steamships constructed for Canada’s Merchant Navy during World War II. Park ships were the Canadian equivalent of the American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
Liberty Ships and the British Fort Ships. All three shared a similar design by J.L. Thompson and Sons
J.L. Thompson and Sons was a shipyard on the River Wear, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, Sunderland, which produced ships from the mid-18th century until the 1980s. The world-famous Liberty Ship was among the designs to be created, produced and manuf ...
of Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
, England.
See also
*Park ship
Park ships were merchant steamships constructed for Canada’s Merchant Navy during the Second World War. Park ships and Fort ships (built in Canada for operation by the British) were the Canadian equivalent of the American Liberty ships. All th ...
s
References
External links
Local newspaper article about the launch of SS Victoria Park Picture of the SS Victoria Park being built
{{DEFAULTSORT:Victoria Park
1943 ships
Ships built in Nova Scotia
Fleet of the Canadian Merchant Navy
World War II merchant ships of Canada
Steamships of Canada
Naval history of Canada
Canadian Merchant Navy