SS American Victory (Superior, Wisconsin)
USA /
Wisconsin /
Superior /
Superior, Wisconsin
World
/ USA
/ Wisconsin
/ Superior
World / United States / Wisconsin
ship, cargo
Shown here in layup, the American Victory is a self-unloading bulk freighter presently owned by the Algoma Steamship Company of St. Catherines, Ontario.
Laid down as the SS Marquette at the Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard in Baltimore, Maryland in June 1942, she was acquired by the US Navy while still on the ways and completed as a Kennebec Class Oiler. Commissioned as the USS Neshanic (AO-71) in February 1943, she departed for war shortly after her completion and joined the US Pacific Fleet in May. Seeing action in the Solomon, Aleutian, Gilbert, Marshall and Marianas Islands during 1943-1944, the Neshanic operated off both Iwo Jima and Okinawa during the closing stages of the war and spent several months engaged in occupation duties in Japan itself after the cessation of hostilities. Emerging from the conflict with a hard earned 9 Battle Stars for their World War II service, the Neshanic and her crew were also awarded 33 Purple Hearts for injuries suffered off Saipan in June 1944 following a Japanese air raid.
Retuning stateside in late 1945, the Neshanic's naval career came to an end in December 1945 when she decommissioned into reserve and was placed into reserve at Philadelphia. Remaining idle for a little over two years, the former Navy Oiler was sold to the Gulf Oil Corporation and began commercial service as the SS Gulfoil in 1947 on the US Gulf-Europe route. Operating without incident for over a decade, the Gulfoil was involved in a deadly collision off Newport, RI in August 1958 with the tanker S. E. Graham. The gasoline-laden Graham exploded and sank, leaving the Gulfoil heavily damaged and with the majority of her crew either killed or wounded. Too badly damaged to continue life as a tanker, the Gulfoil was towed back to Sparrows Point where she was deemed sound enough for reuse as her engine spaces and hull below the waterline had not sustained irreparable damage. Converted to a straight deck bulk carrier and sold to the Pioneer Steamship Co, the ship began a new life as a Great Lakes Freighter in 1961 as the SS Pioneer Challenger.
Sailing under the Pioneer Flag for less than a year, the ship was sold to the Oglebay Norton Company in 1962, renamed SS Middleton and continued her work across the lakes for the next 20 years as a straight-deck freighter. Converted to a self-unloader in 1982, the Middleton continued her service for Oglebay-Norton until that company's merger with American Steamship Co in 2006, at which time the Middleton was renamed SS American Victory. Serving under her new owners for only two seasons, the American Victory was placed into extended layup at the Fraser Shipyard in November 2008 as the global recession reduced cargo volumes across the lakes.
With an uncertain future under the control of ASC, the American Victory remained in layup through the 2017 season, at which time she was sold to Algoma and reflagged Canadian. Following the sale, the ship was moved to a new layup dock alongside the former Northern Pacific Ore Dock by the Loons Foot Marina.
www.boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/amvictory.htm
www.navsource.org/archives/09/19/19071.htm
Laid down as the SS Marquette at the Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard in Baltimore, Maryland in June 1942, she was acquired by the US Navy while still on the ways and completed as a Kennebec Class Oiler. Commissioned as the USS Neshanic (AO-71) in February 1943, she departed for war shortly after her completion and joined the US Pacific Fleet in May. Seeing action in the Solomon, Aleutian, Gilbert, Marshall and Marianas Islands during 1943-1944, the Neshanic operated off both Iwo Jima and Okinawa during the closing stages of the war and spent several months engaged in occupation duties in Japan itself after the cessation of hostilities. Emerging from the conflict with a hard earned 9 Battle Stars for their World War II service, the Neshanic and her crew were also awarded 33 Purple Hearts for injuries suffered off Saipan in June 1944 following a Japanese air raid.
Retuning stateside in late 1945, the Neshanic's naval career came to an end in December 1945 when she decommissioned into reserve and was placed into reserve at Philadelphia. Remaining idle for a little over two years, the former Navy Oiler was sold to the Gulf Oil Corporation and began commercial service as the SS Gulfoil in 1947 on the US Gulf-Europe route. Operating without incident for over a decade, the Gulfoil was involved in a deadly collision off Newport, RI in August 1958 with the tanker S. E. Graham. The gasoline-laden Graham exploded and sank, leaving the Gulfoil heavily damaged and with the majority of her crew either killed or wounded. Too badly damaged to continue life as a tanker, the Gulfoil was towed back to Sparrows Point where she was deemed sound enough for reuse as her engine spaces and hull below the waterline had not sustained irreparable damage. Converted to a straight deck bulk carrier and sold to the Pioneer Steamship Co, the ship began a new life as a Great Lakes Freighter in 1961 as the SS Pioneer Challenger.
Sailing under the Pioneer Flag for less than a year, the ship was sold to the Oglebay Norton Company in 1962, renamed SS Middleton and continued her work across the lakes for the next 20 years as a straight-deck freighter. Converted to a self-unloader in 1982, the Middleton continued her service for Oglebay-Norton until that company's merger with American Steamship Co in 2006, at which time the Middleton was renamed SS American Victory. Serving under her new owners for only two seasons, the American Victory was placed into extended layup at the Fraser Shipyard in November 2008 as the global recession reduced cargo volumes across the lakes.
With an uncertain future under the control of ASC, the American Victory remained in layup through the 2017 season, at which time she was sold to Algoma and reflagged Canadian. Following the sale, the ship was moved to a new layup dock alongside the former Northern Pacific Ore Dock by the Loons Foot Marina.
www.boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/amvictory.htm
www.navsource.org/archives/09/19/19071.htm
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AO-71
Nearby cities:
Coordinates: 46°42'38"N 92°2'47"W
- C. Reiss Company's "Inland" Dock 8.8 km
- Hallett Dock Company 6 10 km
- Valley Camp Inc. terminals 280 km
- Bax Cargo Apron 869 km
- Montréal-Mirabel International Airport Cargo Area 1388 km
- Rukert Terminal 1504 km
- PRR Coal and Iron Ore Export Terminal (Defunct) 1586 km
- Kinder Morgan Operating LP 1855 km
- Port Metro Vancouver 2315 km
- Cargo City 2549 km
- East End 0.8 km
- Superior Bay 2.1 km
- Enbridge Superior Terminal 2.6 km
- Allouez 3 km
- Central Park 3.3 km
- Allouez Bay 3.9 km
- Richard Ira Bong Municipal Airport (SUW) 4.4 km
- North End 4.9 km
- South End 5.4 km
- St Louis Bay 8.2 km
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