The Forgotten Hero of the Harbor: Why the SS Lane Victory Still Matters by Author, Historian and Paranormal Expert Brian Clune
History is a fickle thing. When it is there, in front of your eyes, or streaming from a speaker on a radio, television or dais, we listen, learn and try to understand the importance of that historical event or object.
But for most of us, history is the past, a thing we had to learn in school and only listened close enough to pass our exam and then forgot what it taught us. But history should not be forgotten, because it does teach us lessons, not only about the past, but about ourselves as a race, a race of humans.
Many people know about the history of famous naval battles because most of us grew up watching war movies and “exciting” documentaries as kids. We marveled at the tales of Midway, the Coral Sea, and other important battles that won the war in the Pacific for the Allied nations, and even today as adults, we visit the aircraft carriers, destroyers and battleship museums, staring in wonder at the weaponry and power of the ships. We rarely, if ever think about what it took to keep those behemoths of the sea sailing, fighting and winning. We don’t think about the Merchant Marines, their sacrifice, courage or devotion. But without these unsung heroes, the war, on all fronts could never have been won.
We are lucky, here in Los Angeles to not only have one of the most historic battleships ever to sail, we also have one of the most, if not the most historic supply and transport vessel to ever ride the waves. Unfortunately, out of sight is out of mind and the SS Lane Victory has been all but forgotten as it sits alongside the wharf in the outer harbor of San Pedro.
Of the 531 Victory ships that were built during WWII, only three remain, the SS Red Oak Victory, in Richmond, Ca., the SS American Victory, in Tampa, Fl., and the SS Lane Victory, right here in San Pedro, Ca. Of the three ships of the class, only the Lane Victory can boast a true historical pedigree.
Delivered on July 2, 1945, the ship only performed one mission during WWII. Even with the war over, the need to feed and supply the hundreds of thousands of troops still stationed around the globe remained and it became the job of the Victory ships to keep them all supplied.
On her second mission, the Lane Victory weathered one of the worst typhoons in history for fourteen days. This typhoon would have destroyed the weaker Liberty class of ship, but the Lane Victory made it through to deliver her supplies to the men and women still manning their posts.
After this second trip, she was transferred to the Atlantic and began delivering much needed goods to not only the troops in Europe, but the displaced and desperate civilian population of the war-torn countries devastated by the world’s most destructive war in history.
During the Korean Conflict, the SS Lane Victory was sent to Wonsan, North Korea to evacuate UN and Korean personnel where the ship managed to save 7,000 Korean refugees. She then moved on to Hungnam, where the Lane Victory rescued 3,800 U.S. troops and 1,100 military vehicles and over 5 tons of supplies as they escaped from the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
After Korea, the Lane Victory was sent to the Mothball Fleet, but yet again she was called up for the Viet Nam War. Here she served for 4 years as she moved ammunition and supplies from the United States to Viet Nam, and then brought war wounded back home. During this time, the SS Lane Victory set the standard that all other supply ships have since been held to. The Merchant Marine crew’s dedication to the troops and the country are still talked about in the Navy Supply Corps to this day.
After Viet Nam, the Lane Victory finally retired and was placed in the Ghost Fleet in Suisan Bay, near San Francisco, where for years she sat rusting and alone. From 1970, until 1988, the ship languished until, finally, two Merchant Marine veterans stepped in to save her.
After approaching President Ronald Reagan, they convinced him of the ship’s important historical value in making folks aware of the sacrifices and devotion of America’s Merchant Marines; so it was, on October 18, 1988, that the ship was officially given to the United States Merchant Marine Veterans of World War II. The SS Lane Victory has been a part of the San Pedro waterfront ever since.
While she was moored under the Vincent Thomas Bridge, the ship saw hundreds of visitors come aboard and marvel at her history while learning about the unknown and unofficial branch of the U.S. military, the Merchant Marines, and taking actual voyages out to sea where folks were treated to a mock Japanese air attack while having lunch. But since she has been moved to the outer harbor, times have become bleak. The old saying, “Out of sight, out of mind,” is on full display when talking about the Lane Victory. Where once people came simply because they saw this beautiful “navy” ship tied up under the iconic bridge, folks today only see the USS Iowa and never drive past it and on down to the dead end of the outer harbor. As such, the SS Lane Victory again mostly sits lonely and abandoned.
Photo source: Wikipedia
The crew of this historic vessel still work to try and bring the knowledge to folks who are interested, but because of her remote location, it is becoming harder and harder to keep the funds needed for her restoration and continued maintenance.
It is up to all of us to make sure this wonderful and historic ship does not fade into the darkness of lost history. I ask, nay, I beg everyone interested in the past as a tool for the future, anyone who believes in the importance of keeping the ultimate sacrifices of the men and women of all branches of the service in the memories of our children, grandchildren and beyond and anyone who simply thinks history should be saved, to please visit this historic ship, please donate to help her survive, please volunteer to work or give tours or simply to greet guests as they come aboard.
You may think this too much to ask but, for a ship that had sailed to just about every port in the Pacific, crossed the Atlantic numerous times, circumnavigated the globe on a single voyage and saved countless lives in the process, is it really too much to ask that the SS Lane Victory be able to survive retirement when it managed to survive a Pacific typhoon? The ship needs our help to do so.
Brian Clune is a historian and the co-founder of Planet Paranormal. His love of history motivated him to volunteer at both the USS Iowa and Fort MacArthur Military Museum. His involvement with Planet Paranormal has led him to work with many TV shows including Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters, The Dead Files, and My Ghost Story. He was also the focus of a companion documentary for the film Paranormal Asylum.