Launched in March 1945, the St Lawrence Victory delivered supplies for the Pacific War. After the war, it served as a relief ship delivering supplies to Europe under the Marshall Plan. Damaged by a sea mine in 1947, it was salvaged by Yugoslavia then changed hands several times in private use before it was scrapped in 1973.
Victory ships were designed to replace the earlier Liberty ships. Liberty ships were intended to be used solely for World War II. In contrast, Victory ships were built 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, wider, taller, and had a thinner stack set farther toward the superstructure and a long raised forecastle.
Missions
The first mission of the St. Lawrence Victory was to deliver bombs to Saipan for the Pacific War. Loaded with her maximum weight of 10,000 tons of explosive material, the ship traversed the Pacific Ocean to Saipan, traveling in a zig-zag motion to elude Japanesesubmarines; the ship journeyed under radio silence and without running lights at night. After delivering her cargo, she proceeded to Seattle, arriving in July 1945. On August 27 of that year, the St. Lawrence Victory joined Task Group 30.8, a Sea Logistics Group delivering supplies to troops stationed on Guam.[4]
After the war, the SS St. Lawrence Victory served as a relief ship as part of the Marshall Plan, carrying supplies to war-torn European nations. The cargo ship continued to serve in this capacity until March 25, 1947, when it hit a sea mine off the coast of Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia. With a damaged bow and in danger of sinking, she was deliberately run aground on Korčula Island before being towed to port at Split, Croatia. Afterwards, she was claimed by Yugoslavia as a marine salvage ship, eventually repaired and put into private use as a passenger ship.[5]
In 1948, the St. Lawrence Victory was initially renamed Zagreb and in the following year Hrvatska for private operation as a passenger ship, operated by Jugoslavenska Slobodna Plovidba of Rijeka. The ship was damaged in 1961 after a collision with the Italiantanker, SS Fina Italia, 200 miles (320 km) off the east coast of New York. In 1967 she was sold to Adab S.A. of Geneva. The Hrvatska was managed by Dabinovic S.A. of Geneva and operated under the flag of Burundi.
Later in 1967, the ship was sold to Cia. Nav. Adriatica Ltda. of San Jose, Costa Rica. In 1968 it was sold to Soc. D'Avances Commerciales S.A. as the SS Armelle registered to Somalia. She was sold once more in 1971 to Soc. de Gerance et de Transports Maritimes, Mogadiscio of Somalia before being scrapped in 1973, in Bilbao, Spain.[8][9]
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.
