Quick viewing(Text Mode)

7. DESCRIPTI0N SUMMARY PARAGRAPH the 1944 Victory Ship RED OAK VICTORY Was Built in Richmond, California, at Kaiser Shipyard #1

7. DESCRIPTI0N SUMMARY PARAGRAPH the 1944 Victory Ship RED OAK VICTORY Was Built in Richmond, California, at Kaiser Shipyard #1

7. DESCRIPTI0N

SUMMARY PARAGRAPH

The 1944 Victory RED OAK VICTORY was built in Richmond, , at Kaiser #1 and launched on November 9, 1944. The ship's World War II, US Maritime Commission designation of VC2-S-AP2 indicates she is a "V" for "Victory", "C2" for medium capacity cargo carrier, "S" for "steam", and "AP2" for the 6,000 shaft horsepower type of Victory. Now moored at Terminal One at the of Richmond, she is currently undergoing rehabilitation.

The RED OAK VICTORY possesses all seven of the National Register's aspects of integrity. It will be home-berthed in an appropriate waterfront setting, within view of where it was built in Richmond, California, retaining its integrity of location, setting and association. Regarding integrity of design, modifications to the interior and exterior space have been minimal, consisting mainly of removal of wartime guns, conversion of crew quarters from metal pipe bunks of six per room to wooden berths of two per room, and addition of radar and radio equipment over 22 years' post-war service as a . From 1968 to 1998 the RED OAK VICTORY was preserved in the "mothball" fleet at , thus its integrity of material is exceptionally high. The rehabilitation efforts primarily involve surface improvements and cleaning and overhauling of equipment, which also retains integrity of workmanship. The excellent condition of the RED OAK VICTORY insures that the vessel conveys a superb sense of the past and will provide an invaluable site for interpreting the period of significance.

Plans are to restore the RED OAK VICTORY to fully operational condition, reflecting the period of significance, 1944 - 1946.The ship will be a primary center of interpretation for the “/WWII Home Front National Historic Park.” As such, it will feature fully restored elements from the period of significance as well as museum space and event facilities for public use where the public can experience as well as see this historic artifact.

RED OAK VICTORY AS BUILT

The RED OAK VICTORY was built in the Corporation Shipyard #1, one of four in Richmond, California, built and operated by Kaiser Corporation during WWII. Most Victory served under the US Maritime Commission as merchant cargo ships. The RED OAK VICTORY, however, was one of ten "Boulder Class" Victory ships that were built specifically to serve as Navy ammunition carriers during the war. It was launched on November 9, 1944 and commissioned as the USS RED OAK VICTORY, AK235, on December 5, 1944.

RED OAK VICTORY, official number 249410, is a welded steel, full-scantling, screw- propelled, steam-powered vessel 455 feet, 3 inches long overall with a 62-foot beam, a 38-foot depth of , and 28-foot draft. The ship is registered at 7,612 tons gross and 4,555 tons net, and displaces 15,200 tons. Designed with a straight, raked with a paravane fitted on the forefoot, and a , the ship's lines were radically different from her Liberty predecessors, with a semi-V-shaped , and a parallel, 70-foot midbody section.

Transversely framed on 36-inch centers, the ship has a double bottom that carried fuel oil, salt water ballast, and reserve feed water. RED OAK VICTORY has two complete decks, a that extends over the number one hold, and a first platform deck in two of her holds. The ship is subdivided by seven full watertight bulkheads that extend to the main deck with the sole exception of the fore peak bulkhead, which extends to the forecastle deck. The VC2-S-AP2 ships were arranged to carry general cargo in five holds, three forward and two abaft the midship machinery space. Hold No. 1 has a 22-foot, 4-inch by 25-foot hatch; Hold No. 2 has a 22-foot, 4-inch by 24-foot hatch; Hold No. 3 has a 22-foot, 4-inch by 36-foot hatch; Hold No. 4 has a 22-foot, 4-inch by 36-foot hatch; and Hold No. 5 has a 22-foot, 4-inch by 24-foot hatch. The flush main deck is also interrupted by the forecastle deck, the midship house, and a small house.

RED OAK VICTORY has three masts, each with a masthouse. The ship is cargo rigged to serve every hatchway. The 100-foot, 8-inch high foremast, located at the forecastle bulkhead, serves Hold No. 1. The 109-foot, 4-inch mainmast, located at 52 and supported by standing rigging, serves Holds No. 2 and 3. Kingposts at the forward end of the midships house also serve Hold No. 3, while kingposts at the after end of the superstructure serve Hold No. 4. The 104- foot, 11-inch mizzenmast, at frame 122 and supported by standing rigging, serves Holds No. 4 and 5. Cargo was discharged from the five hatchways by means of 14 five-ton booms, the latter two located to serve hatchways fore and aft of the super-structure. The masts and kingposts support 14 five-time booms equipped with single-part topping lifts. The ship also carries two large heavy-lift booms, rated at 30-ton and 50-ton lifting capacity, on the main- and mizzenmasts. The booms serve Holds No. 3 and 4.

RED OAK VICTORY has 12 electric motor-driven cargo , clustered in two groups of four around the main-and mizzenmasts and with two located forward and two aft of the superstructure. Ten single-drum, single-speed winches serve the five-ton booms; four single- drum, two-speed winches serve the 30- and 50-ton booms. Each is driven by a 50 horsepower, watertight, enclosed motor. The winches have control equipment, resistors and brake arranged on a common bedplate under waterproof enclosures. The single-speed winches have a capacity of 7,450 pounds at 220 feet per minute. The 2-speed winches have a capacity of 7,450 pounds at 220 feet per minute in high gear and 19,000 pounds at 85 feet per minute in low gear. All winches are operated through pedestal controllers conveniently located near the hatchways. The one-speed, double reduction herringbone gear winches have 18- by 20-inch drums and were manufactured by Pacific Iron & Steel Works at Hoisting Machinery, Tacoma, Washington. The winches are driven by 50-hp, 230-volt, 180-amp, 600-rpm motors manufactured by General Electric Co., Schenectady, NY. The double-speed, reduction herringbone gear winches with 20- by 20-inch drums are also manufactured by Pacific Iron & Steel with motors by General Electric.

RED OAK VICTORY has an electric-motor-driven, horizontal-shaft type windlass on the forecastle deck. Manufactured by the Hesse-Ersted Iron Works of Portland, OR, the windlass is capable of raising two simultaneously from a 30-fathom depth of water at a chain speed of 30 feet per minute. The windlass motor, a General Electric compound wound type, is rated at 60-hp, 230-volts, 226-amps, and 600-rpm. Warping heads on the wildcat shaft of the windlass provide the facilities for handling mooring lines.

The RED OAK VICTORY's ground tackle includes two 9,500 lb. cast-steel best bowers, stowed in the hawsepipes, and one 3,420 lb. stream anchor stowed on the main deck aft. The anchors were manufactured by Baldt. The anchor chain is 300 fathoms of 2 1/8-inch diameter stud-link cast steel chain, manufactured by Baldt, in two lengths; other lines include a 90-fathom, 1 1/2- inch diameter wire rope stream line; a 130-fathom, 1 3/4-inch diameter wire rope towline; two 73-fathom 1-inch diameter wire rope hawsers; two 73-fathom wire rope warps; and two 73- fathom lengths of 8-inch sisal rope. All of the wire ropes are mounted on reels located on the weather deck.

Other deck machinery includes an electric warping on the main deck aft, with its machinery below. The smooth-barrel, reversible, vertical-motor driven capstan was manufactured by Sellers. It produces a line pull of 20,000 lbs. at a rope speed of 30 feet per minute. The capstan motor is a 35 hp, 230-volt, 138-amp, 600-rpm Westinghouse. RED OAK VICTORY has four 24-foot steel lifeboats, two motor-propelled, with a combined capacity of 124 persons, stowed in gravity-type davits manufactured by the Welin Davit & Boat Corp. of Perth Amboy, New Jersey. An electrical winch, also manufactured by Welin, is provided for each davit, driven by motors manufactured by General Electric. In addition to the lifeboats, four 20-person life rafts, mounted on skids fore and aft of the midships house, and two 15-person life floats, mounted aft on the deckhouse, are available for lifesaving.

RED OAK VICTORY was armed with six single 20mm Oerlikon guns, a 3-inch/50-caliber gun forward, and a 5-inch/3-caliber gun aft. These weapons were removed after World War II. The ship retains the mounts for each weapon, including the circular steel splinter shields for the bow and stern guns. Original weapons have been located to replace those removed. The majority of the space in the poop deckhouse was for the ship's 28-member Armed Guard, which manned the guns. Their quarters and mess were at the main deck level, while below, accessible by trunk, is the magazine, with shell hoist.

Accommodations are provided for 62 officers and crew in the midships house. In an article in the April,1944, issue of Marine and Shipping Review, accommodations were described:

The captain's stateroom and office are on the cabin deck, starboard side. The quarters for deck officers, engineers and radio operators are on the cabin and boat decks. The quarters for the crew are on the main deck. The officers' mess and pantry are located at the after end of the deckhouse on the starboard side of the boat deck. The crew's mess and pantry are located on the deck below the officers' mess. The galley is located at the after end of the deckhouse on the main deck. The hospital is on the portside on the main deck. The quarters for both the officers and crew are comfortably and conveniently arranged. Built-in berths are provided for the officers' staterooms and pipe berths for the hospital and crew's quarters.

The galley is equipped with oil-burning ranges manufactured by the Washington Stove Works of Everett, Washington, two steam-jacketed kettles, a Hobart mixer, manufactured by that Troy, New York, company, a vegetable peeler manufactured by the Anstice Co. of Rochester, New York, and a refrigerator manufactured by Bailey. There are also refrigerators in the officers' pantry and aft pantry. Steward's stores, dry stores, and refrigerated stores are located on the second deck, admidships.

The RED OAK VICTORY retains all of her wartime issue equipment, including: the radio equipment the high frequency, low frequency, emergency frequency transmitters, high receiver, low receiver, alarm signal keyer, auto alarm, and crystal receiver, all manufactured by Federal Tel. & Radio Corp. of Newark, New Jersey, and the radio receiver and radio direction finder in the chart room. The gyrocompass, bearing stands, and repeater compasses, all manufactured by the Dodge Division of the Chrysler Corporation of Detroit are aboard.

The is completely outfitted and conforms to the standard 1944 description of a Victory, with magnetic compass in a compensating binnacle, engine room telegraphs, bells, fog horn, angle indicator, echo depth sounder, and clinometer. Telephones for shipboard communication, manufactured by Hose McCann remain in working condition. The ship's wartime issue Maytag washers, in working condition, and the machine shop in the engineering spaces, with a lathe, drill press, and grinder and all spare parts, complete the fully functional, operational appearance of RED OAK VICTORY.

Ventilation below decks is naturally supplied through four 36-inch cowls, two 24-inch cowls, and two 18-inch cowls, with each kingpost also serving as an exhaust trunk from the holds with 30-inch diameter Breidert exhaust heads installed at the of each kingpost. Two 20,000 axial flow supply fans with ducts lead to several terminals in the machinery spaces, with a single 12,000 axial flow fan with ducts leading from the heated space.

The original main propulsion unit is housed midship, with a cross-compound, double-reduction geared, impulse-reaction type marine unit rated at 6000 shaft horsepower, manufactured by Westinghouse, driving a single screw at a speed of 100 rpm. The shafting, forged steel and 16 inches in diameter, runs aft to the manganese bronze, four blade, right hand screw. Manufactured by Dorance on August 31, 1944, the 18-foot, 3-inch diameter screw weighs 29,765 lbs., has a pitch of 17' 6" and drives RED OAK VICTORY at a maximum speed of 15 knots.

Steam is provided by two sectional-header, single-pass design boilers manufactured by Babcock & Wilcox. Rated at 525 psi, with an operating pressure of 465 psi, the boilers produce 27,500 pounds of steam per hour at 750 degrees, with a furnace volume of 450 cubic feet. The boilers are 12 sections wide and are 39-feet, 6-inches athwartship by 11-feet, 8-inches fore and aft, and 21-feet, 3-inches overall height to the top of the economizers. Fitted with interdeck superheaters and economizers, each boiler is fired with water-cooled side walls and refractory in the front and rear walls and floors.

Electrical power is provided by an inboard and outboard turbo-generators, the turbines manufactured by the of , California, and the generators manufactured by the Allis-Chalmers Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The three-wire marine direct current generators produce 300-kilowatts, with 120 and 2140 volts and 1250 amps and 1200-rpm. The ship also has emergency diesel generators in the engine room and in the emergency diesel room. The steering gear, a slide electro-hydraulic, double-ram type, was manufactured by the Baldwin Locomotive Company, and is located aft.

RED OAK VICTORY'S PRESENT APPEARANCE

RED OAK VICTORY retains a high degree of integrity and is readily recognizable as a World War Victory ship. Rehabilitation is now in progress with all volunteer labor under the direction of an executive committee, which coordinates operations aboard ship.

The original radio equipment was not replaced, and is still functioning today under the auspices of the Red Oak Victory Amateur Radio Club. Additional portable "entertainment" radios as well as TV sets, were installed in the 1950s and '60s, and will be removed from the areas restored to interpret the 1944-46 era of significance. Radar equipment was installed on the bridge in the 1950s and '60s, and can be clearly identified as not original to WWII. Otherwise, the major bridge equipment as described in the National Register nomination is intact. Other equipment, including the major propelling machinery, steam generation plant, combustion equipment, pumps, ventilation systems, generators, steering gear, winches and booms, telephones, are original to the Red Oak Victory and are being restored to fully operational condition.

Visual verification of the Name Plate Data (from the November 1944 document prepared by the Inspection Office of Shipyard #1) was performed aboard the Red Oak Victory in July 2001. Although in some cases name plates are missing, obscured or located in hard-to-reach areas, it was possible to verify the manufacturer and serial numbers of the following equipment as original to the SS Red Oak Victory.

High Pressure Turbine, Westinghouse, Serial No. 4A2771 Low Pressure & Astern Turbine, Westinghouse, Serial No. 4A1770 Fuel Oil Pumping and Heating Set, Peabody, Ser. No. 1116-23 Port Fuel Oil Service Pumps, Franklin Machine & Foundry, Ser. No. 1188313 Fuel Oil Transfer Pumps, Stearns Roger, Ser. No. 1138555 Turbo Generators: Inboard Turbine, Joshua Hendy Iron Works, Ser. No. 3H151 Inboard and Outboard Transformers, Serial Nos. 1831704 and 1831702 Inboard Generator, Allis-Chalmers, Ser. No. 103DK-3-34 Main Generator & Distribution Switchboard, General Electric, Ser. No. 66 Galley Range, Washington Stove Works, Ser. No 2-30-91 Galley Mixer, Hobart, Ser. No. 8-08518 Revolution Counter at Main Gauge Board, Bendix, Ser. No. 23160 Hold #3 Starboard Winch Motor, Ser. No. 1978738 Galley Fan Controller, G.E., Cat. No. 498807H Galley Fan, Haley Blower, CFM 4700-40 Radio System, Federal Tel. & Radio Corp. (McKay), Unit #FT-106, Ser. No. 440687 (all components of this system identified as original by serial number) Master Gyrocompass, Dodge, Ser. No. 1412955 Carbon Pile Regulator, Safety Car Heating and Lighting, Ser. No. 144131 Motor, Holtzer Cabot, Ser. No. 1312677 Six Repeaters, their Stands and Pelorus Stands check out by serial number Repeater Panels, Dodge, Ser. Nos. C-23967, C-23973, C-23974 Current Failure Alarm, Dodge, Ser. No. C-18055 Fathometer (Echo Depth Recorder), National Simplex Bludworth Model ES-103 Life Boat Davits, Welin Boat & Davit, Ser. Nos. M-387-L, M-385-R, M-387-R, M-385-L

The gray exterior paint is peeling after years of mothballing, and removing old paint, cleaning, preparing and repainting surfaces is a major activity of volunteers. The , still fully functional, was cleaned of old paint, acid treated and primed. The exposed area of the after (gunner's) house has been primed and finish-painted, and many holes in the decking compound have been filled. All of the original winches and other cargo apparatus are being restored to working condition. Winches at cargo hatches #3 and #4 along with their related booms and rigging are now fully operational.

Following the period of significance, the ship was leased by the government for commercial use. As such, the original guns were removed and disposed of. To restore this vessel to an exterior appearance consistent with the period of significance, appropriate weapons have been obtained and will be mounted in original locations.

Interior work includes cleaning and painting of the operational galley. The main exhaust fan to the galley has been overhauled and reinstalled. Restoration of the Captain's stateroom and office, and refinishing of the hailing boards has been completed. The metal pole bunks, six or seven to a room, of the wartime crew quarters were replaced after 1946 with two or three wooden berths per room. Quarters in the after deckhouse for the Navy gunners aboard the RED OAK VICTORY during WWII were removed after the war and are now used for storage. The telemotor for the wheelhouse has been rebuilt, and a new base prepared for the wheel. In the Engine Room two air compressors have been restored to full function and a DC machine, salvaged from the Reserve Fleet, has been installed.

A "shipyard/dry dock" package identifying engine and deck department needs has been developed which includes removing sea chest plates, painting the ship's exterior and getting the engines operating. All work is to meet the Coast Guard and American Bureau of Shipping standards. Funds are being sought for this phase of work which cannot be completed by volunteer effort alone. Salvaging visits to the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet continue, acquiring equipment from the remaining victory ships for installation on the RED OAK VICTORY.

As a major interpretive site for the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historic Park, the RED OAK VICTORY will be developed into a maritime museum focusing on the wartime contributions of the residents and workers of Richmond, providing a unique perspective on their history-making achievements. It will be used as a site for local events and offer educational programs and family recreation opportunities and for ceremonies honoring the merchant marines, military personnel and civilians, who served in WWII.

8. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

SUMMARY PARAGRAPH

The S. S. RED OAK VICTORY retains all major distinctive characteristics of a Victory class vessel constructed to serve in WWII (see Section 7). The vessel has national significance and meets NHL Criterion 1 (and National Register Criterion A), because of her association with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of history. The RED OAK VICTORY story contributes to the NHL "WWII in the Pacific" theme as a and as a site. It was one of ten "Boulder Class" Victory ships specially designed and commissioned by the US Navy to serve as an ammunition vessel during WWII. The RED OAK VICTORY was built and will be permanently berthed in Richmond, California, near the site of the Kaiser Corporation's massive shipyard complex. Construction and operation of these shipyards, where 747 vessels were built from 1941-1945, transformed the community of Richmond, California. Richmond's story mirrors that of the nation as it mobilized to fight WWII on the home front. The RED OAK VICTORY will serve as a key interpretive site in the "Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park" now under development in Richmond. Also nationally significant and associated with the RED OAK VICTORY are the employee welfare practices instituted by Kaiser Corporation in the management of its shipyards. These include extension of union jobs to , development of a diverse workforce to include women, Asians, and Mexican Americans, provision of transportation to and from work, and 24-hour child care. Most notable is the pre-paid Health Plan for workers, precursor to today's HMOs.

The vessel meets NHL Criterion 4 (National Register Criterion C), embodying distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction. It is a product of the revolutionary innovations in techniques developed by the US Maritime Commission to meet wartime production necessities of the Emergency Shipbuilding Program and realized in Kaiser's West Coast shipyards.

The 1944 Victory Ship RED OAK VICTORY is one of 414 Victories built during World War II, and, at this time is the only remaining Victory ship built in Richmond outside the Reserve Fleets. Two other Victory ships are afloat outside Reserve Fleets, the SS Lane Victory in San Pedro, California, and the SS American Victory, in Tampa, Florida. The Lane Victory is a National Historic Landmark.

As war raged in , the faced the need to supply its allies by sea and the possibility of America’s entry into the conflict, while also confronting a critical shortage of cargo ships. The result was the emergency fleet program, which introduced the assembly-line production of standardized ships, the so-called "Liberty Ships," in 1941. In all, 2,571 Liberty Ships were constructed between 1941 and 1945, making them the largest class of ships built worldwide. The two unaltered survivors of the class, SS Jeremiah O'Brien and SS John Brown have been designated National Historic Landmarks.

At the time O'Brien was launched in 1943, the design for a class of emergency vessels to replace the Liberty ships was on the drawing boards. It was to be faster, with more modern steam plants, better trim and stability, stronger hulls, and more efficient, electrically driven winches and windlasses. In April 1943, the type was introduced as the "Victory Ship," and production commenced. The first vessel launched, S. S. United Victory, was built by Kaiser's Shipbuilding Corporation, near Portland, and delivered on February 28, 1944. From then until the end of the war, the United States Maritime Commission constructed 414 Victory ships, and 117 Victory ship attack transports, a total of 531 ships.

The Victory ships entered the war at an important juncture, ferrying supplies and troops to the European and Pacific theaters, including the climactic actions in the Pacific at Okinawa and . Three Victory ships were lost to attack during the Okinawa campaign, the only ships of the type lost to direct enemy action. Vital partners of the Liberty ships, the Victory ships were indispensable participants in the war effort.

After the war, many of the ships remained in service, ferrying troops home and helping rebuild ravaged Europe, the South Pacific, and Asia. Victory ships were recalled to war service during the Korean and conflicts, and some were modified as support ships for the burgeoning American space program in the 1960s.

The preceding statement of significance is based on the more detailed statements that follow.

WWII SHIPBUILDING

WWII shipbuilding activities were an unprecedented integration of private industry and government, with the US Navy and the US Maritime Commission being the only customers. Navy shipyards contracted for military vessels, to be built mostly in pre-existing shipyards in the east. The Maritime Commission contracted for merchant vessels. The Maritime Commission yards, including many new yards on the West Coast, also built merchant ships modified for military needs that were delivered to the Army or Navy. The SS RED OAK VICTORY was of this type, one of only ten "Boulder Class" Victory ships modified to function as ammunition carriers. It was delivered to the Navy and commissioned the USS RED OAK VICTORY for the duration of the war.

Pre-war

American merchant shipbuilding had come almost to a halt by the mid-1930s. Ninety percent of the merchant fleet was more than 20 years old and slow (10-11 knots). The US Maritime Commission was created in 1936 to modernize the merchant marine by subsidizing private shipbuilding enterprise. It assumed an active operating role under the powerful leadership of Admiral Land, drawing up plans for ships, negotiating bids and awarding contracts. The Maritime Commission operated under the approval of the President, rather than Congress. As a close friend of President Roosevelt, Admiral Land’s power as Maritime Commission Chair became even more enhanced.

The heart of the Maritime Commission in production of ships was the Technical Division, headed by Admiral Vickery, in charge of all matters related to construction. Pre-war construction accomplishments from 1938-40 in shipyards, in designs, and in forming a trained staff laid the foundation for the monumental work achieved between 1941-45. Standard dry-cargo carriers, called “C-types,” designed before the war for long-range merchant marine use, continued to be the ideal. Large and fast, most were powered with turbine engines combining speed and economy. Even under wartime pressure the Maritime Commission’s pre-war goal of building 500 C-type vessels in ten years was exceeded by 1946.

All the Maritime Commission contract ships embodied many improvements. The use of turbine and diesel engines improved propulsion. Fire concerns were addressed through the use of non- combustible materials, metal furniture, and insulation of bulkheads and decks to partition the ship. Navigation aids and life-saving equipment was updated. Morale of the crews was improved by providing accommodations amidship instead of in the forecastle, better mess rooms, hot and cold running water and improved ventilation. Rat proofing raised health and comfort standards. Cargo handling was improved with systems of king posts and booms worked by electric winches. Welding replaced riveting, reducing the weight of the and increasing deadweight carrying capacity.

Commission policy also emphasized standardization and application of mass production methods. Design of the C-types incorporated the suggestions of operating companies and trade associations to produce a standard ship adapted to a variety of needs. As many components and items of equipment as possible were the same. Thus, as in automobile production, parts could be manufactured at central points for assembly elsewhere. All shipyards would not have to produce all parts, yielding less overhead and lower costs. Contracts were awarded for groups of identical ships, simplifying preparation of work plans, ordering of materials and control of construction.

Emergency Shipbuilding Program

In July 1940 the Navy’s shipbuilding program, which already occupied most of the available shipbuilding resources in the country, was authorized to expand even more. New yards were called for and old yards were re-equipped. Merchant shipbuilding was being seriously crowded by the Navy’s priorities. The first of three emergency shipbuilding programs began when, in late 1940, the British obtained permission from the US to build 60 cargo ships in US yards. Due to the unavailability of turbines and gears, they settled on a slow, 11-knot, 10,000-ton freighter based on an old tramp steamer design. Shortly after, in January 1941, President Roosevelt announced that the US would build 200 similar ships. Admiral Land and the Maritime Commission wanted to continue to build the new standard C-type ships that would be useful after the war. But emergency needs forced them to accept building the 200 British-style ships for use by the United States.

Selection of sites for the new shipyards needed for this expanded construction program involved decisions on size and location of the yards. Adequate transportation and availability of labor and management were also most important considerations. The Kaiser/Todd Shipyard sites in Maine and Richmond, California, where new labor supplies were available, were selected for the construction of the 60 British freighters. By early 1941, nine yards around the country, with a total of 65 ways, were approved to build the 260 ships of the first emergency program. The number of shipways to be constructed increased over the next year to 200, in two more waves of expansion, with eleven new yards dedicated to building emergency-type vessels.

Programs to popularize the emergency shipbuilding programs championed “Ships for Victory.” The “dreadful looking object” to be built captured the public’s interest when dubbed the “.” This emergency-type ship soon became a kind of national symbol, a status never achieved by the standard C-type vessels. The popularization of Liberty ships brought the Maritime Commission’s emergency program into public consciousness and made it public business. In asking the Maritime Commission to reimburse costs of the launching celebration for the first Liberty ship to be built in Portland, Oregon, said “This is a goodwill program and will stimulate labor-employer relations and is not a private party for a few select friends of the builders.” Launching ceremonies, including celebrity christeners, remained of personal interest to the public throughout the war.

Standardization was essential for success of the emergency program and in the new shipyards standardization was attempted nationwide. The advantages were construction specifications and drawings that could be rapidly reproduced for use in additional yards, and procurement of parts could flow from various vendors supplying interchangeable components to a number of shipyards. Nationwide standardization had its widest and most successful application in the emergency shipbuilding programs producing the Liberty ship.

Another innovation of the emergency program was that the same companies receiving contracts to build ships also built the shipyards they were to operate. For its entree into shipbuilding Kaiser teamed with Todd Shipyards and the in Maine, both experienced in shipbuilding. Though Kaiser had no previous experience with shipbuilding, it was understood that his construction companies would insure that the new yards were built quickly and well. The Kaiser companies proved adept at shipbuilding, too. When, after Pearl Harbor, the Maritime Commission called for construction of Liberty ships in 105 days, only Kaiser's new western shipyards agreed to this speeded up schedule. At this same time, Kaiser acquired full ownership of the yards they managed for Todd and began building yards of their own at Richmond and Vancouver, Washington.

Standardization and subassembly of ship components were the basis of the shipbuilding industry's success in surpassing the goals of the emergency program in 1942 and 1943. Fourteen shipyards built a total of 1,238 Liberties in 1943 alone. Pre-assembly off the ways reduced the time on the ways between laying and launching. Once launched, the ship could be outfitted independently without delays in one ship holding up completion of another. The shortest time on the ways steadily maintained was about 17 days. Kaiser's West Coast shipyards were leaders in this production. Construction man-hours per ship were more than halved by the end of the war.

As refinements were made in shipyard layout and shipbuilding demands increased, the need for more space in the shipyards became apparent. At Richmond's Shipyard #1 the completely new facilities were laid out with a spacious plan of 330 feet from the of the ways to the assembly bay and plate shop. Behind the plate shop was a large area for storage of the steel plates as they arrived. Rails provided access for trains as well as tracks for the large numbers of cranes that moved materials about the yards. As production increased, more space was provided by building assembly platforms along the east side of the yard. The yards at Richmond were all of the "straight line flow" type where the storage area led to the plate shop which flowed to the assembly building then onto pre-erection skids and into the ways. Warehouses, outfitting shops, general offices, electrical shops, and other facilities surrounded this basic layout.

Assembly line methods were adapted to shipbuilding in a series of assembly lines flowing through different assembly areas that moved toward the shipways. Specialization took place at each stage of fabrication in a particular area dedicated to a particular type of subassembly. This enabled workers to be trained quickly, as they needed to learn only one type of operation.

VICTORY SHIPS

There was an awareness that the Liberty ships were only a stop-gap measure from the very beginning of the wartime shipbuilding effort. Liberty ships were based on an old design of a British freighter, and were limited in speed to about 9 knots because faster turbine engines were not being produced in enough quantity to supply that class of . The limited speed meant that they could travel only in convoys, unable to outrun 11-knot enemy . There was also a desire to build wartime cargo ships that could become the mainstay of the US merchant fleet after the war, and this would necessitate a faster turbine-driven ship. Construction of more turbine engines was given a priority as early as 1941.

In the fall of 1942 design was begun on a 15-knot cargo vessel of 10,000 tons deadweight, the AP1. It was stated that the design “should be generally such as to utilize to the greatest possible extent the principles found effective in the production of the present liberty ship,” i.e., its simplicity and standardization.

Where the design required changes in production components, for example, a different shape of steel beam to support the deck , negotiations were needed to convince the steel companies that the necessary retooling of their plants would be of benefit in the future. Because availability of turbine engines was still unsure, the Victory ship was designed so it could be built to accommodate several types of engines, including the untried German-designed Lentz reciprocating engine. In late 1943, decline in the amount of steel available also forced the pace of shipbuilding to slow. This slowdown gave time to change over to a different type production.

The standardized design adopted by the Commission called for a 445-foot by 63-foot steel vessel. Initially designated EC2-S-AP1, the design was re-designated VC2-S-AP1 on April 28, 1943, when the ships were given the "Victory" appellation by which they were henceforth known. The chairman of the Maritime Commission, in an early 1943 speech, noted "We have developed a new emergency ship, the Victory ship, to replace the Liberties. The new ship is designed to permit use of the Lentz engine, turbines, or diesels. Its expected speed is 15-17 knots as against the Liberties' 11 knots, and it will be a good competition ship in post-war, which we cannot claim for the Liberty ship."

The Victory ships were different from the Liberty ships primarily in propulsion, the triple- expansion marine of the latter giving way to more modern, faster turbines or diesels. The AP1 Victory ship was powered by a 5,500-hp steam engine; the AP2 Victory by a 6,000-hp steam engine; the AP3 by a 8,500-hp steam engine; and the AP4 by a . The lines were different, as was the construction of the ships. Hull fractures had claimed some Liberty ships because of their rigidity. In order to resolve the problem, Victory ship hulls were built with frames on 36-inch centers as opposed to stiffer 30-inch centers on the Libertys. Better stability and two enlarged tanks aft of the machinery space that carried fuel, dry cargo, or saltwater ballast did away with the need for fixed ballast. The resultant flexibility of draft meant that an inherent problem of the Liberty ships, a stiffness after removal of wartime equipment, was done away with. Additionally, the Victory ship design included a 'tween deck in three cargo holds, and electric handling of cargo and anchors, as opposed to the steam-driven winches and capstans of the Liberty ships.

In spring 1943 #1 and #2 were awarded contracts for construction of AP1s. It was still not known if turbines would be available. There was some opposition to building Victorys in yards that were already building Liberty ships. Objections had to do with the unresolved engine situation and fear that discontinuing Libertys would decrease production rates. Contracts to build Victory ships were held up while members of the War Production Board and Maritime Commission argued over engines. Meanwhile, representatives of the turbine manufacturers met to work out a standardized design for turbines. General characteristics of a standardized "Victory" turbine were agreed upon in early May 1943, and plans for using other engines were dropped.

The War Production Board continued to oppose shipyard conversion to Victorys as Libertys were easiest to produce in quantity. The Maritime Commission, proponent of the Victory ship, argued that due to its faster speed, Victorys would be able to make more round trips per year and thus have a greater annual cargo-carrying capacity. These differing points of view were complicated by personal rivalries within the highest ranks of the shipbuilding agencies. In August 1943 the Joint Chiefs of Staff stepped in with a decision in favor of building faster ships over more, slower ships. The controversy had, however, resulted in delay of the delivery of the first Victory ships until 1944.

The first ship completed was United Victory, launched on January 12, 1944, and delivered on February 28. The next 33 ships were named after member countries of the United Nations; others that followed were named for cities and towns in the United States and for American colleges and universities. All vessel names ended in the suffix "Victory". In all, during the war years, the Maritime Commission built 414 Victory cargo ships and 117 Victory attack transports, designated as VC2-S-AP5 ships, for a total of 531 vessels. The majority of the 531 built, 272 vessels, were VC2-S-AP2, with 6,000-hp., followed by 141 VC-S-AP3, 8,500-hp vessels and one of the VC2-M-AP4, diesel-powered type. As the war ended in August 1945, the Commission canceled contracts for an additional 132 vessels. Three Victory ships, two AP3s and one AP5, were completed in 1946 as VC2-S1-AP7 ships, modified as post-war passenger and cargo carriers by the Alcoa Co. of New York. The total number of Victory hulls built in the United States was 534.

The Victory ships formed a needed maritime link to the theaters of war. These fast, large capacity carriers crossed the Atlantic and served well in the Pacific. Ninety-seven of the Victories were converted to troop carriers; the others, like the Liberties, carried food, fuel, ammunitions, material, and supplies. Three of the ships, Logan Victory, Hobbs Victory, and Canada Victory were lost to kamikaze attack at Keram Retto and Okinawa in April 1945. The loss of these three ships, with their cargoes of 24,000 tons of munitions, including nearly all of the United States' supply of 81mm mortar ammunition, was a serious blow to the Okinawa invasions, demonstrating the importance of the ships and their cargoes.

At the war's end, the Victory ships were offered for sale by the Maritime Commission by authority of the Merchant Ship Sales Act of 1946. Thirty-one AP2 ships and 41 AP3 ships were sold to US firms, while 65 AP2s and 33 AP3s were sold abroad, most to Netherlands, Argentina, and Great Britain. Twenty ships were loaned to the Army, while the remainder were placed in mothballs as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet, laid up at eight different sites on the East, West and Gulf coasts. Some vessels were reactivated to serve during times of national crisis. The Korean and Vietnam conflicts and the closure of the Suez Canal in 1956 being three such instances. Other vessels were retained as logistic support ships as part of the . Beginning in 1959, a total of eight Victory ships were reclassified and refitted as instrumentation, telemetry, and recovery ships for the National Aeronautic and Space Administration. On August 11, 1960, for example, the former Haiti Victory recovered the nose cone of Discoverer XIII, the first man-made object recovered from space.

CAREER OF SS RED OAK VICTORY

RED OAK VICTORY was built in Kaiser's Richmond Shipyard Number One, and launched on November 9, 1944. She was named for the town of Red Oak, Iowa, which suffered the highest per capita casualty rate of any American community during World War II. RED OAK VICTORY is unique in having served as a navy ship as well as a merchant ship. She is the last remaining of only ten ships ordered by the US Maritime Commission to be built for use of the US Navy as an . She was commissioned as the USS RED OAK VICTORY, AK235, on December 5, 1944.

Following a fitting out period she was loaded with cargo and departed San Francisco for Pearl Harbor on January 10, 1945. She then began her career as an ammunition ship and departed Hawaii on February 10 loaded with munitions needed in the Marshall and Caroline Islands. Sent onward from Eniwetoc, she arrived in on February 28, 1945 and then began operating under Commander Service Squadron Ten. Operating out of the , she issued cargo and ammunition to various ships in the fleet through the end of the war in August 1945. During her hazardous tour of duty in the Pacific, USS RED OAK VICTORY handled many tons of ammunition, supplying the fleet without a single casualty. She was decommissioned on May 21, 1946 and returned to the US Maritime Commission.

SS RED OAK VICTORY operated in 1947, and again between 1950 and 1953, for the Luckenback Steamship Company. She made two 1947 voyages, one from Portland, Oregon, to Anchorage, Alaska, early in the year, and another voyage that began on September 1. In 1951 the ship made one trip to Japan and Korea. In 1952, she departed San Francisco for several trips to the Gulf of Tampa, Mobile, , and Havana, Cuba. The last of these voyages was in November 1953.

The ship's official log shows a 1957 voyage to Pakistan, India, Singapore and Japan. According to cargo records, RED OAK VICTORY was operated by American Mail Lines for the Military Sea Transport Service from 1966 to 1968. She made a dozen voyages to Vietnam, Japan and the Philippines carrying military supplies loaded at West Coast ports. From 1968 until 1998, she was laid up in the Maritime Administration Reserve Fleet in Suisun Bay, California.

Doomed to be scrapped, the RED OAK VICTORY came to the attention of the Richmond Museum Association in 1993. They recognized that the vessel provided a unique opportunity to return a potent symbol of Richmond's past to the waterfront. Congressman George Miller was approached, and in 1996 Congress passed legislation authorizing the conveyance of the ship to the Museum Association. It has been designated a National Memorial Ship by the Maritime Commission. She was turned over to the Richmond Museum of History and returned to her new home in Richmond on September 20, 1998.

The City of Richmond granted the RED OAK VICTORY a temporary berth at Terminal One in the Port of Richmond, where restoration efforts are proceeding. The Museum Board of Directors is working with the City toward establishing a permanent home for the ship on the City's shoreline.

KAISER SHIPBUILDING

Before 1940, the Six Companies organization, with Henry J. Kaiser as a key leader, were involved in major civil engineering feats, notably in building roads and dams, including Grand Coulee. As World War II approached, Kaiser began to think about turning his team of veteran construction people to shipbuilding, especially since the US Maritime Commission announced its plans to renovate the merchant marine, 90% of which was World War I vintage or older.

In 1940, joining forces with already-established Todd Shipyards, Kaiser secured a contract from the US Maritime Commission to build five C-1 cargo ships in Tacoma, Washington. At the same time, the Todd-Kaiser partnership got an order from the British government to build 60 ships, based on an old tramp steamer design, that became known as Liberty ships. Thirty of these were to be built in Richmond, California, a site with the unequalled resources of deep water and unoccupied land. Construction of Kaiser's first Richmond shipyard began in December 1940, and by April 1941, the keel of the first ship for the British, the Ocean Vanguard, was laid.

In 1941, with the nation's declaration of war, three emergency programs for building Liberty ships were begun, initiating an era of shipbuilding of historic dimensions. Seven Kaiser-managed shipyards containing 58 shipways were built on the West Coast. Four of those yards, with 27 shipways, emerged from the mudflats on Richmond's south shoreline in 1941-42.

This is recounted in "The Kaiser Story":

“Here, in the shipyards, come into play all the dynamics of materials flow, the rhythm of operations and the management of masses of workers, that the company had learned in a quarter century of building roads and dams. New ships had to be produced much faster than ever before and traditional methods simply wouldn't get the job done. Shipyards had previously been thought of in terms of acres; Kaiser yards covered miles so that the mountains of materials could be handled efficiently. Fast welding techniques just about eliminated laborious riveting; the traditional piece-by-piece way of putting ships together was scrapped in favor of prefabrication. Finally, yards were laid out like assembly lines, with the steel and parts flowing smoothly from flat cars to completed vessels.”

Competition between shipyards made record-setting commonplace. Keel-to-launching time was progressively cut to 27 days. The pace and efficiency of the mass production were dramatically demonstrated when the Liberty ship Robert E. Peary was constructed in 4 days, 15 hours and 26 minutes. In addition to innovative time-cutting techniques already developed, construction of the Peary utilized new ones, which were incorporated into future construction. These included using seventeen banks of welding machines on each side of the hull, pre-assembly of the deck in seven sections instead of 23, and complete outfitting of the deckhouses, down to bunks, fans and flooring, before assembly.

Kaiser's four Richmond shipyards produced 747 ships. The total production of all Kaiser's shipyards was 1,490 ships, 27% of the total US Maritime Commission construction, in 2/3 the time and at 25% less cost, than the average of all other shipyards.

EFFECTS OF WARTIME SHIPBUILDING ON RICHMOND

Maritime mobilization on the home front transformed the nation. Richmond's experience mirrors the vast and sudden changes throughout the United States, the story that will be told in the "Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park," scheduled to open in Richmond in 2003.

Background

The city of Richmond, California is located on the Northeast shore of . Its site was originally settled by the Ohlone Indians, and then variously by California rancheros, European farmers until the end of the 19th century. A small "landing" operated by George Ellis lay on a slough where Kaiser Shipyard #1 would rise almost 100 years later. But the town began around 1898 when an enterprising duck hunter, Augustin Macdonald, noticed the proximity of San Francisco to the Richmond shoreline and convinced developers of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad to terminate their first transcontinental rail line in Richmond. The pier at Ferry Point where rail cars and passengers were ferried to San Francisco was the first major port on Richmond's south shore, opened in 1900. On the heels of the railroad, an oil company, which later became Chevron, decided to locate its refinery in Richmond, near the rail yards. Growing around the nearby Point Richmond neighborhood, the community was based upon these two industries which remain crucial to Richmond's economy today.

Richmond’s population grew from about 50 in 1900 to 2,118 in 1905, the year of incorporation. The center of town moved east along , which became the main street when a trolley line was built linking the Santa Fe depot at the west end with the Southern Pacific depot at 16th Street. The City Hall was located at 25th and Macdonald, near the site of today's civic center. By 1917 the population was more than 20,000.

Industry flocked to Richmond, which was blessed with a natural deepwater shoreline. In the teens and '20s city fathers, under the guidance of port director Frederick Parr, developed the port area. Terminal #1, adjacent to Santa Fe's Ferry Point, is where the SS RED OAK VICTORY is temporarily berthed today. Terminal #1's large steel and concrete warehouse was built in 1915. In the 1920s Parr oversaw dredging and filling to create a peninsula of land extending south into the bay between today's Harbor Way and Marina Way, and led the negotiations with the Ford Motor Company to construct a large assembly plant there. This plant opened in 1931, and was converted during WWII to build tanks and "ducks." The Alfred Kahn-designed structure is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is the planned location of the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park Visitors' Center.

The Richmond Shipyards

In 1940, Henry Kaiser was looking for a new area of enterprise for his construction people, veterans of major dam and road building. His search coincided with the visit of the British Technical Merchant Shipbuilding Commission to the US in September 1940. Their search was for a US shipyard that could deliver 60 merchant ships “of the tramp type of about 10,000 tons deadweight.” At that time all existing US shipyards were choked with war work.

Kaiser had been considering turning to shipyards since the pre-war announcement that the US Maritime Commission planned to renovate the obsolete Merchant Marine. Kaiser had already formed an association with Todd Shipyards at Seattle/Tacoma to bid on a Maritime Commission contract for five C-1 cargo ships. The same groups created the Todd-California Shipbuilding Corporation and won the order from the British for the 60 “tramps”, 30 to be built in Richmond, California, still mudflats when the contract was signed.

Negotiations had been underway since mid-1939 between Richmond port director Fred D. Parr and representatives of the Kaiser Company about the site that eventually became Shipyard #3. Richmond presented maps and photographs of the site but nothing further happened until, in October 1940, Henry Kaiser telephoned Fred Parr to request a definite proposal for land along the south shore. Ninety-nine acres, owned by four different companies, were identified and arrangements were worked out to make the land available to prospective shipbuilders. When the contract was signed for Todd-California’s construction of 30 vessels for the British, the Richmond Chamber of Commerce held a luncheon, attended by Henry Kaiser and Stephen Bechtel, to acknowledge the “foresight and perseverance” of Fred Parr on behalf of Richmond.

In January 1941 construction on Shipyard #1 began. Kaiser's Permanente Metals Corporation (successor to Todd-California) owned the yard and shipbuilding contracts were made with the US Maritime Commission. 674,000 cubic yards of material were moved through dredging and re-grading to fill the marshes of the shoreline. 24,000 piles were driven, 30 buildings erected and 7 shipways constructed. The shipyard itself was more than 61 acres, with 20 major buildings. The first ship was launched in October 1941. The yard was intended to operate only for the life of the contract, until February 1945.

By March 1941 negotiations were begun for a second, larger shipyard to the east of Shipyard #1. The Parr-Richmond Terminal Corporation owned some of this land and large holdings belonged to Santa Fe. Again, Parr headed negotiations and overcame obstacles to sign leases and contracts. The yard was leased to the Richmond Shipbuilding Corporation and Permanente Metals Corporation. There were 400 contracts involved in the construction of the yard alone, many of which were with local companies. Construction on Shipyard #2 began in April 1941. The filling in of the land for Shipyard #2's twelve shipways and construction of the large basin into which the ships were launched created the "footprint" of today's southern shoreline. Two huge prefabrication plants were built between Shipyards #1 and #2 to produce the deckhouse units and the superstructure of the Liberty and Victory ships built in these two yards. Shipyards #1 and #2 were closed immediately at the end of the war.

In January 1942 grading began at the southern tip of the Potrero San Pablo to create Shipyard #3. It was owned by the US Maritime Commission and built and run by Kaiser to build huge C-4 troop transports. Instead of sloping wooden shipways, Shipyard #3 had five huge concrete basins where ships were constructed. Launching was accomplished by flooding the dry dock-style basins and floating the ship to the outfitting docks. These basins were designed to be permanent. After the war, Kaiser leased the yard from the Maritime Commission and used it for ship repairs. Today it is still in use by the Port of Richmond. The giant machine shop, constructed of corrugated metal and glass, the massive concrete general warehouse, and several smaller structures from the shipyard days are still in use at this site. Shipyard #3 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

Shipyard #4, on the inner harbor channel across from Shipyard #1, had three wooden ways, and built LSTs and escort vessels. It was built in mid-1942 and closed at the end of the war.

Housing and Public Services

Richmond's population was 23,000, mostly people of European descent, according to the 1940 census. Operation of the shipyards brought in 90,000 new workers, often with families, seeking accommodation near their work. The town's population grew to more than 100,000 in 1942-43, including a rise in African Americans from 400 to 14,000. Already under-built, Richmond's existing housing was totally inadequate. 2,257 building permits were issued to private contractors in 1941, all for low cost housing. The city was ill prepared for the throng of workers and their families. There was not enough of anything: housing, schools, health care, police and fire protection, and recreational facilities. The high wages paid by the war industries drew much- needed applicants away from police and other community service jobs. The shipyards worked on a non-stop three-shifts-a-day schedule, and so did restaurants, movie theatres, schools and day care centers, and lodging places, where two or three persons might successively share a bed.

The Richmond Housing Authority had begun to lay the groundwork for massive public housing as early as January 1941, resulting in the construction of three low-income housing complexes designed to be permanent: 48 duplexes in Triangle Court, 102 units in Nystrom Village, and 450 units at Atchison Village. Nystrom Village and Atchison Village exist today. Atchison Village is one of the satellite sites of the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park. Atchison Village has also been placed on the Richmond Historic Register. A nomination for listing in the National Register of Historic Places at the national level of significance has been submitted. Eventually, more than 20,000 "dwelling units" in 21 different housing projects were constructed by a variety of agencies including the Federal Public Housing Authority, the Farm Security Administration and the Maritime Commission. Most of the housing projects were concentrated on either side of Cutting Blvd., surrounding the shipyards themselves, on land that had not been extensively developed pre-war. Even with the new housing many shipyard workers lived outside town. Transportation to and from the yards was provided on new roads, old ferries, and El cars brought from New York for a new electric railway from Oakland.

Several agencies carried out an extensive program of public services, developed to serve the new population. The Health Department of the City extended its services with advice nurses and well baby clinics. Seven large community centers were built. The City Board of Education operated an extensive recreation program. The Richmond Area Church Defense Council extended church services to the new area.

These efforts could not keep up with the needs of the dramatically increased population. By 1943 city officials were referring to their town as a "municipal cripple." City Manager James McVittie prepared a report characterizing Richmond as among the war-wounded stating, "like any soldier injured in his Country's service, to Richmond is owing that Country's obligation to help bind up the wounds." He hoped the report would gain funds from Congress to help in Richmond's post- war rehabilitation. The report paints a powerful picture of a community strained beyond capacity and suffering from grave deficiencies in housing, educational facilities and quality transporta-tion, cultural and recreational services, health care, police and fire protection, and basic infrastructure affecting health, sanitation, streets and sidewalks.

In the summer of 1943 the Federal Works Agency provided Lanham Act funds for the city to hire more policemen. By 1945, more federal funds became available for recreation, fire and police protection, and schools. But these funds hardly touched the problems. A “Fortune” magazine article of February 1945, "Richmond Took a Beating," sums up Richmond in the future referring to McVittie's report:

“... Mr. McVittie points out that if the present tax rate is continued after the war Richmond will have only about $300,000 a year available for capital improvements and it would take over twenty years to finance the "rehabilitation" on a pay-as-you-go basis. Richmond already has a bonded indebtedness of almost a million dollars. The city government makes clear to the federal government that Richmond was chosen for its war job because of its favorable location and excellent harbor. The city is proud of the job that has been done. It is not the purpose of this report to grumble or complain about the resulting confusion, congestion, headaches, and heartache. But...the federal government ought to tell Richmond what it is going to do with the shipyards and the housing projects and then help Richmond finance the postwar plan...just as it rehabilitates its human war casualties. If it will do that, Richmond, by foresight and planning, can thereafter return to normal, self-sustaining civic and community life.”

The shipyards were closed down almost immediately at the end of the war. This created another state of chaos in Richmond, which now faced the problems of a large, unassimilated, and unemployed population housed in hastily built shelters already approaching slums. Many in the pre-war population hoped that the shipyard workers would just pack up and go home, leaving them with their quiet and familiar pre-war life style. This, of course, did not happen. In fact, as other cities eliminated their temporary war housing, people moved to Richmond where there were rentals still available. In addition to these displaced war workers, Richmond became a port of entry for the great post-war migration from east to west, with people following family or friends who had made the transition during the war years.

Faced with urgent needs for housing, transport, schools, and city facilities and services, Richmond officials hoped that the Federal government would come to the aid of the war-stricken community, much as they were willing to help veterans. Much publicity was generated about its wartime and post-war problems, and its efforts to reestablish an equilibrium so badly off center from its traumatic World War II experience.

In the immediate post-war years, great strides were made in reconstruction, culminating in an "All-American City" award in 1952. However, as with many other communities around the country, the shifting demographics and economics of "white flight" and the accompanying social unrest of the 1950s and 1960s seriously hampered efforts and redevelopment and revitalization of the downtown business and residential center and potential industrial lands. During the '60s and '70s Richmond became a testing ground for many social experiments, some failing and some successfully incorporated into the life of the city. Richmond has grown in diversity, but the gap between “haves” and “have nots” has widened.

As Richmond was distracted by multitudinous post-war adjustments, the deserted waterfront land where the shipyards had flourished fell into a state of neglect and under-utilization, its superb potential hidden by weeds and dumping. However, because the waterfront land was deserted, unappealing and off limits to the general public, it was inadvertently preserved for later "discovery" and use.

The shoreline has been belatedly recognized as a priceless economic asset, and so from the mid- '70s, shoreline development has begun, including parks and marinas, light industry and residential housing. In the rapidly growing San Francisco Bay Area, Richmond is in the fortunate anomalous position of having vacant land at a time when other cities in the area no longer have empty space. There is a growing recognition that the vestiges of Richmond's past are well worth preserving. The RED OAK VICTORY ship can play a key role in preservation and interpretation of significant portions of its history, instill a sense of pride in the past and stewardship in the present among its residents.

KAISER'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO EMPLOYEE WELFARE

To provide the labor for Kaiser’s massive undertaking in a time of scarce manpower, a drive to recruit workers began in . Recruiters operated first in Southern California, then moved east. "Help wanted" ads and employment services around the country referred workers to Kaiser's West Coast shipyards. Transportation west could be advanced against worker's salaries on the "Kaiser Special Train." At its peak, there were 197,000 workers in Kaiser yards. Eventually more than one million names were listed in shipyard personnel files. By mid-1944, one fourth of the workers were women. The formation of a diverse workforce including women, blacks, Asian Americans, Native Americans and Mexican Americans was unique.

Kaiser advocated for the rights of African Americans to work union jobs and, due to the war emergency and Kaiser's support, the ban by unions on allowing membership to blacks was lifted. Kaiser made provisions for home-to-work transportation and 24-hour child care for its workers. To enable this largely unskilled work force to be immediately productive, Kaiser provided "10- day training" in skills focused on a single operation. Fabrication was divided into components, and workers became experts, not in shipbuilding, but in mastering one small job out of the total.

Perhaps the longest lasting contribution of Kaiser's care of its shipyard work force was in health care. Henry Kaiser had a personal ambition to provide health care "so average people could afford to be sick." His first opportunity to realize it came in the late 1930s when Kaiser learned of a small pre-paid health system devised by a young doctor, Sidney Garfield. For workers on the Aqueduct it appeared to provide quality medical care at an affordable price. When a Kaiser group secured the contract to build Grand Coulee dam, there was already a privately owned hospital near the site. Kaiser was able to renovate the hospital to serve a new community of 5,000 workers and their families where the company pre-paid the cost of accidents and workmen contributed seven cents a day to pre-pay for other medical care. Families were soon added to the plan. The basic tenets of the Kaiser Foundation Medical Care Program was thus developed which included:

• pre-payment at a lower cost in the long run because the total cost of medical care was spread among many members

• group practice, where each doctor could specialize and call on the specialized skills of colleagues

• integrated facilities with the hospital, doctors' offices, labs, and x-ray under one roof

• preventive medical care, where economic factors do not discourage early doctor visits.

An additional benefit was increased morale, with workers relieved of worry about their or their families' health.

In early 1941, Kaiser put the Grand Coulee model to work in Richmond, seeing that, with the large number of people that would be employed in their new shipyards, an extensive medical program would be needed to take care of them properly. Kaiser proposed to the Maritime Commission's Division of Insurance that a medical and hospital plan be developed with the carriers of compensation insurance for the shipyards. They also recommended that it be developed and run by Dr. Sidney Garfield. In August 1943 A. B. Ordway of Kaiser submitted a report to the Maritime Commission's Insurance Division Director. Entitled "Richmond Shipyards Industrial Medical and Hospital Facilities" it stated: "great savings could be made for the commission in the medical costs, at the same time the maximum of medical and hospital services could be provided because the Doctor could anticipate a reasonable income under a contract plan and therefore provide the staff, equipment and facilities necessary to give the best results possible."

The plan was designed to provide services for eventually 100,000 employees and their families without straining already overtaxed existing medical facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Medical Health Plan charged a fixed price per week, securing an income sufficient to justify investment in buildings and equipment and provision of the best staff possible. The report assured the Maritime Commission that "the object was not to secure the cheapest medical service, but the best medical service that would reflect credit upon the Commission, the employer and the insurer and be satisfactory to the employees, and at the same time retain for the insurer all the economies resultant from efficient operation, which savings are for the benefit of the Commission in its final net compensation cost."

The Medical Health Plan was financed by a non-profit foundation, called Permanente, which functioned separately from Kaiser's industrial and business organizations. It was headquartered in an old hospital building in Oakland, California, and a field hospital built on Cutting Blvd. in Richmond. This building still stands, and has been identified by the as a satellite site for the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park, as well as being listed on the Richmond Historical Register. First aid stations were built within the shipyards. The first aid station from Shipyard #3 still stands as part of that National Register Site.

From 1942 to 1945, the Plan cared for people of all ages and in all physical conditions, and worked very well. Public health education was part of the early health plan. Loudspeaker systems in the shipyards were used to inform workers about important health programs and topics. Employee newsletters featured health-related stories on illness prevention. A women's cancer detection clinic was opened and patients given information on early signs of cancer and the importance of regular check-ups.

As the shipyards began to close, membership in the Permanente Health Plan dropped to 32,000, and its continuance was questioned. Union workers, even if unemployed, still needed low cost health care and many doctors liked the advantages of prepaid group practice. But it was not certain if the Plan could compete with established medical insurance plans and the traditional medical community. Henry J. Kaiser's personal optimism and commitment to affordable health care encouraged the opening of enrollment to groups and individuals on a voluntary basis. The post-war Permanente Health Plan caught hold, and has continued to grow into the largest pre- paid health plan in the world.

The S. S. RED OAK VICTORY, while it meets NHL criteria 1 and 4, represents a portion of the massive home front effort that went into winning World War II. Its high level of integrity represents the innovative techniques developed in its construction, which was enabled by the innovative shipyard layout. Additionally, it represents the beginnings of many of the social issues that the country confronted in the years following the end of the war: civil rights, medical care, child care, and women’s rights.

Additional information not in the Description, Statement of Significance, and Bibliography

1. S. S. RED OAK VICTORY

2. 1500 Dornan Drive, Terminal One, Port of Richmond, California, Contra Costa, 013, 94802

3. N/A

4. N/A

5. Private, structure

6. Function: Defense/naval facility, Transportation/water-related Current Function: Undergoing restoration

7. See other attachment

8. See other attachment for statement Check: A, B, C Areas: Military, Transportation, Engineering Period of Sig.: 1944-1946 Significant date: 1944 Architect/Builder: Permanente Metals Corporation, Richmond Shipyard No. One

9. Check previously listed in the National Register Primary Location: Local Government and Richmond Museum of History

10. Geographical data: 1. 10 554000 4195620

Verbal description: S. S. RED OAK VICTORY is currently berthed in the San Francisco Bay, at Richmond, California. It is immediately adjacent and south of the Port of Richmond’s Terminal One warehouse. The water-bound site lies east of Point Richmond (also known at Ferry Point) and northwest of Point San Pablo. These points are at the southern end of the line of hills known as Potrero San Pablo. The ship’s address is 1500 Dornan Drive, which is shown on the USGS map as Garrard Blvd.

Boundary Justification: S. S. RED OAK VICTORY ship is a floating structure bounded by water. Its current location is described above and is indicated on USGS map by an “X”.

11. Form prepared by: Shelby Sampson, Assistant Curator, Richmond Museum of History, June 30, 2002, 400 Nevin Avenue, Richmond, CA 94801, 510/235-7387 Property Owner: Richmond Museum Association, 400 Nevin Avenue, Richmond, CA 94801, 510/235-7387

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES

Bonnett, Wayne. Build Ships! Wartime Shipbuilding Photographs, San Francisco Bay: 1940-1945. Windgate Press, Sausalito, CA. 1999

Bottomley, Tom. "Brief Red Oak History" in SS Red Oak Victory. Volume 1, First Edition. April, 2000

City of Richmond Planning Department. History of the City of Richmond. December, 1996

Delgado, James P., National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for Lane Victory. April, 1990

Eakins, Louis S. MCV Hill 544, Builder's Hull 544, SS RED OAK VICTORY Name Plate Data. November, 1944

Edwards, Lucretia. The History of Richmond. Draft article for the Richmond Museum of History. Ca. 1995

No author cited, "Richmond Took A Beating." Fortune Magazine. February, 1945

Historic Naval Ships Association. "Historic Naval Ships Association Members", p. 66, Historic Naval Ships: A Guide to More than 100 Classic on Public Display. No date.

Huntsinger, Mike, "Action on the S. S. Red Oak Victory" in The Mirror: The Richmond Museum Association Newsletter. Volume 44, Number 1. January, 2000

______"Restoration Manager's Report" in SS Red Oak Victory. Volume 1, First Edition. April, 2000

Jones, Debbie. The History of the in Richmond. Bjork, Lawrence, Preschl & Delong, Attorneys-at-Law. 1992

Kaiser Industries Corporation., The Kaiser Story. 1998

Lane, Frederic C. Ships for Victory: A History of Shipbuilding Under the U.S. Maritime Commission in World War II. Johns Hopkins Press, . 1951

McVittie, J.A., Richmond California A City Earns the Purple Heart. Pamphlet No. 2, California State Reconstruction and Reemployment Commission. August, 1944

Ordway, A.B., Richmond Shipyards Industrial Medical and Hospital Facilities. A Report to US Maritime Commission. Kaiser Company, Inc. 1943

Richmond Museum Association., SS Red Oak Victory Museum. October, 1999

Shen, Tony and Hal Hughes. "Legacy of the Second Gold Rush." Coast and Ocean, Vol. 14, No. 1. Spring 1998

Whitnah, Joseph C.. A History of Richmond, California. Richmond Chamber of Commerce. 1944

Top View