SS Red Oak Victory (Victory Ship)
historic place
The SS Red Oak Victory, a historic place in Contra Costa County, was constructed in Richmond, California, at the Kaiser Shipyard Number One. She was launched on November 9, 1944, as a Boulder Victory-class cargo ship. The ship was named for Red Oak, Iowa, a town that experienced significant casualties during World War II. On December 5, 1944, the U.S. Navy commissioned her as the USS Red Oak Victory, AK-235. She served as an ammunition ship in the South Pacific, supplying the fleet throughout the war. After World War II, the vessel was decommissioned from the Navy in May 1946. Re-designated as the SS Red Oak Victory, she continued service as a cargo ship for the Merchant Marine, including during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. In 1968, the Red Oak Victory was retired to the National Defense Reserve Fleet in Suisun Bay. The Richmond Museum Association saved her from being scrapped, and she was moved to Point Richmond in 1998. Today, the SS Red Oak Victory is a museum ship, preserved as a monument to the men and women who built and sailed these historic vessels.