SS SAPULPA VICTORY WW II Victory Ship memorial cover with postmark
from Sapulpa, Oklahoma dated October 22, 2009. The merchant cargo
ship was built by the California Shipbuilding Co. at Los Angeles,
CA. and launched on April 29, 1944. The ship was named for the City
of Sapulpa, OK and is part of a group of 218 Victory Ships that were
named for American cities and towns. Cover franked with 3
cent Merchant Marine commemorative stamp and a 44 cent American
Flag stamp. The cover was prepared on a ungummed, archive quality
envelope. Photo by George Barber of Marine Photos and Publications
of Spring Valley, CA.
The Liberty and Victory ships fulfilled President Roosevelt's
prophetic words, serving the nation well in war and peace. Today, of
the thousands of Liberty ships and Victory ships built during World
War II, only a handful remains.
SS Sapulpa: According to a story from The Tulsa Democrat, the
Sapulpa was the fourth of four ships to be given a name from
Oklahoma, based on the city's participation in a World War I Liberty
Loan drive. The Tulsa Democrat reported in July 1919 that the
Sapulpa was under construction in Oakland, Calif., would be launched
in October and sponsored by Mrs. J.W. Hoover. The fate of the ship
remains unknown.
SS Sapulpa Victory: Part of a class of ships that represented an
upgrade in mass-produced freighters built for World War II, she
served through the Korean War, 1950-53.
Four hundred fifty-five feet long and 62 feet at the beam, Sapulpa
Victory was one of 534 ships in the Victory class and one of 218
named after a U.S. city. Bigger and faster than the mass-produced
"Liberty" ships that carried war material to the Allies, the Sapulpa
Victory was designed to travel through the seas at 15 knots.
It survived both conflicts, but its ultimate fate is unknown.
source:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/printerfriendlystory.aspx?articleid=010610_Ne_a21hist
| Shipyard | Hull # | Name | Type |
Keel Laid | Launched | Delivered | Days on
Ways | Days in Water | Total Days |
Disposition
|
14| CalShip | V14 | Sapulpa Victory | Type VC2-S-AP3 | 26-Feb-44 | 29-Apr-44 | 19-Jun-44 | 63 | 51 | 114 | Sold private 1963, scrapped 1972
|
