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USS Las Vegas Victory (AK-229)
Encyclopedia
USS Las Vegas Victory (AK-229) was a Boulder Victory-class cargo ship
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.
; sponsored by Mrs. E. W. Cragin; acquired by the Navy 25 October 1944 and commissioned the same day, Lt. Comdr. William P. Lally in command.
along the U.S. West Coast. Las Vegas Victory departed Astoria, Oregon
, 26 November for the Pacific islands. Sailing via Eniwetok and Ulithi
, the cargo ship arrived Kossol Passage, 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
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
s, aircraft carrier
s, destroyer
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. Las Vegas Victory supported American forces in the Pacific Ocean
until 7 November when she departed Eniwetok for the United States
.
, 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 at present is berthed at Puget Sound
, Washington. As of February 25, 2010, PMARS (Property Management and & Archive Record System) contact administrator advised that the U.S.S. Las Vegas Victory was SOLD FOR SCRAP in 1993 and is NO LONGER berthed at any U.S. Naval Shipyard.
service.
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She served in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
theatre of operations through the end of the war earning one battle star, and then returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for disposal.
Victory built in California
Las Vegas Victory, a cargo ship, was launched 1944 by Permanente Metals Corporation, Richmond, CaliforniaRichmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
; sponsored by Mrs. E. W. Cragin; acquired by the Navy 25 October 1944 and commissioned the same day, Lt. Comdr. William P. Lally in command.
World War II operations
After shakedownShakedown (testing)
A shakedown is a period of testing or a trial journey undergone by a ship, aircraft or other craft and its crew before being declared operational. Statistically, a proportion of the components will fail after a relatively short period of use, and those that survive this period can be expected to...
along the U.S. West Coast. Las Vegas Victory departed Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
, 26 November for the Pacific islands. Sailing via Eniwetok and Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
, the cargo ship arrived Kossol Passage, 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
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
and the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
, and replenished the fighting ships as they moved closer to the Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
homeland. Departing Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
25 March, she sailed for the rendezvous with units heading for Okinawa. Making her way through submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
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
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
, Las Vegas Victory passed ammunition to battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s, aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s, destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s, and LCT’s
Landing craft tank
The Landing Craft, Tank was an amphibious assault ship for landing tanks on beachheads. They were initially developed by the British Royal Navy and later by the United States Navy during World War II in a series of versions. Initially known as the "Tank Landing Craft" by the British, they later...
until late May. Arriving San Pedro, Leyte
San Pedro Bay (Philippines)
San Pedro Bay is a bay in the Philippines, at the northwest end of Leyte Gulf, about 15 km east-west and 20 km north-south. The bay is bounded on the north and east by Samar and on the east by Leyte Island. It is connected by San Juanico Strait to Carigara Bay of the Samar Sea. The...
, 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. Las Vegas Victory supported American forces in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
until 7 November when she departed Eniwetok for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Post-war decommissioning
The cargo ship arrived Port Discovery, WashingtonPort Discovery, Washington
Port Discovery, Washington is the historical name of what is now called Discovery Bay, a bay in the U.S. state of Washington on the south side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. It was also called Port Discovery Bay for some time, a name that can be found on maps from...
, 19 November; sailed for San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, 15 February 1946; and decommissioned there 8 April for redelivery to the War Shipping Administration
War Shipping Administration
The War Shipping Administration was a World War II emergency war agency of the US Government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the US needed for fighting the war....
(WSA). She entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet
National Defense Reserve Fleet
The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...
and at present is berthed at Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
, Washington. As of February 25, 2010, PMARS (Property Management and & Archive Record System) contact administrator advised that the U.S.S. Las Vegas Victory was SOLD FOR SCRAP in 1993 and is NO LONGER berthed at any U.S. Naval Shipyard.
Honors and awards
Las Vegas Victory received one battle star for World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
service.