USS ''Las Vegas Victory'' (AK-229) was a acquired by the
U.S. Navy during
World War II. She served in the
Pacific Ocean theatre of operations through the end of the war earning one
battle star, and then returned to the United States for disposal.
Victory built in California
''Las Vegas Victory'', a cargo ship, was launched 1944, by
Permanente Metals Corporation
Permanente Metals Corporation (PMC) is best known for having managed the Richmond Shipyards in Richmond, California, owned by one of industrialist Henry J. Kaiser's many corporations, and also engaged in related corporate activities. These four ...
,
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a Richmond, California City Council, city council. ; sponsored by Mrs. E. W. Cragin; acquired by the Navy 25 October 1944, and commissioned the same day.
World War II operations
After
shakedown
Shakedown may refer to:
* Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation
* Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational
* Extortion, ...
along the
U.S. West Coast. ''Las Vegas Victory'' departed
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the northwest corne ...
, 26 November for the Pacific islands. Sailing via
Eniwetok and
Ulithi, the cargo ship arrived
,
Palau Islands, 31 December, laden with 7,600 tons of vital ammunition.
From January to March 1945, ''Las Vegas Victory'' shuttled ammunition among the
Caroline Islands and the
Marshall Islands, and replenished the fighting ships as they moved closer to the
Japanese homeland. Departing
Ulithi 25 March, she sailed for the
rendezvous with units heading for
Okinawa. Making her way through
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
infested waters, the cargo ship arrived off Okinawa on the 31st, and replenished two escort carriers with ammunition.
On 1 April the invasion of Okinawa started the removal of the last barrier "on the road to Japan". Under constant attack by
Japanese suicide pilots, ''Las Vegas Victory'' passed ammunition to
battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...
s,
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
s,
destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
s, and
LCT's until late May. Arriving
San Pedro, Leyte, 10 June, she loaded more ammunition and sailed for Eniwetok 19 July.
Upon her arrival 1 week later, she was assigned to the
Pacific Service Force
Service Force, United States Pacific Fleet, usually known as COMSERVPAC, was a service support command of the United States Pacific Fleet from 1942 until 1973. It was the reincarnation of the former Base Force. The Service Force comprised the suppl ...
. ''Las Vegas Victory'' supported American forces in the
Pacific Ocean until 7 November when she departed Eniwetok for the United States.
Post-war decommissioning
The cargo ship arrived
Port Discovery, Washington, 19 November; sailed for
San Francisco, California, 15 February 1946; and decommissioned there 8 April for redelivery to the
War Shipping Administration (WSA). She entered the
National Defense Reserve Fleet and berthed at
Puget Sound,
Washington. On 25 February 2010, PMARS (Property Management and & Archive Record System) contact administrator advised that the USS ''Las Vegas Victory'' was sold for scrap in 1993.
Honors and awards
''Las Vegas Victory'' received one
battle star for
World War II service.
References
*
NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive – AK-229 Las Vegas Victory
{{DEFAULTSORT:Las Vegas Victory (AK-229)
Boulder Victory-class cargo ships
Ships built in Richmond, California
1944 ships
Ammunition ships of the United States Navy
World War II auxiliary ships of the United States
Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet
James River Reserve Fleet
Hudson River Reserve Fleet
Olympia Reserve Fleet