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Vintage WWII Ship Prepares For Cruise

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By KEITH MORELLI, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 19, 2007

TAMPA - After 62 years of plowing through the briny blue, the aging SS American Victory is gearing up for another run.

This time, the vintage World War II transport ship is taking part in a full-bore invasion of Egmont Key.

The ship that has found a home at Berth 71 behind The Florida Aquarium will stoke up its steam engines that churn 8,000 horsepower and pull away from the dock on the morning of Nov. 10.

The cruise, one of two a year, likely will carry 350 to 400 voyagers eager to smell the fuel oil mixed with salty air and feel the rumble of the decades-old engines beneath the gray decks. The cost is $99 a person, and that just barely makes a profit, ship administrator Kurt Voss said.

What's unique about the Victory, he said, 'is that it still gets under way.'

The ship will leave the dock at 8 a.m. and steam south and then west under the Sunshine Skyway, anchoring off Egmont Key about 1 p.m. During the first leg of the voyage, a memorial service will take place 'for all the mariners who have crossed the bar,' retired U.S. Naval Reserve Capt. Marty Allen said.

A Navy landing craft will meet up with the ship at the island, and if all goes according to plan, 'we're hoping to have a mock invasion of Egmont Key,' he said.

The cruise makes some money for the mariner's museum, which is aboard the ship and draws tourists when in port. Cruises are not cheap, Allen said, costing about $20,000 each time the ship leaves its berth.

The SS Victory was built in 1945 and designed to be faster than the existing line of troop transports. The model could reach speeds of up to 17 knots, making it a more difficult target for submarines during World War II, but it now chugs along at about 10 knots.

The ship is 455 feet long and 62 feet wide and has twin steam turbines powered by fuel-oil engines.

This type of ship was used mainly for transporting some troops but mostly cargo to battlefronts in World War II and in the Korean and the Vietnam wars, Allen said. This ship was launched in California in 1945 and steamed west to be used in the invasion of Japan, but those plans ended with Japan's surrender.

The Victory class of ships was considered the workhorse of its day, and some remain in operation around the globe.

The SS American Victory of Tampa Bay is docked off Channelside Drive behind The Florida Aquarium. It offers guided tours and makes occasional cruises around Tampa Bay.

Tours of the ship cost $8 for adults and $4 for children.

To be taken out, the vessel must pass a rigorous U.S. Coast Guard inspection.

Being able to cruise 'guarantees we keep it in good condition,' Voss said.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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