View source for SS Brown Victory

{{short description|Victory ship of the United States}}

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=RedOakVictory-2013-07-20.jpg
|Ship caption=Typical Victory Ship.
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country= United States
|Ship flag= {{USN flag|1945}}
|Ship name=''Brown Victory''
|Ship namesake=[[Brown University]]
|Ship owner=[[War Shipping Administration]] (WSA)
|Ship operator=[[Alaska Packers' Association]]
|Ship registry=
|Ship route=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Oregon Shipbuilding Company]] [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number= 
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=12 January 1945
|Ship launched=23 February  1945
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=27 March 1945
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship recommissioned= 
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship maiden voyage=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship identification=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship honors=
|Ship captured=
|Ship fate=
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Ship country             =  United States
| Ship flag                =  {{USN flag|1945}}
| Ship name                = ''Mormacpine''  1947
| Ship owner               =  [[Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc.]], of New York
| Ship route               = 
| Ship renamed             = 
| Ship fate                = Scrapped in Taiwan 1970
|}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=VC2-S-AP3 Victory ship
|Ship tonnage=7612 [[Gross register tonnage|GRT]], 4,553 [[net register tonnage|NRT]]
|Ship displacement=15,200 tons
|Ship length={{convert|455|ft|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship beam={{convert|62|ft|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship draught={{convert|28|ft|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship power={{convert|8500|shp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=HP & LP [[steam turbine|turbines]] geared to a single {{convert|20.5|ft|m|adj=on}} propeller
|Ship speed=16.5 knots
|Ship boats=4 Lifeboats
|Ship complement=62 Merchant Marine and 28 US Naval Armed Guards
|Ship armament=*1 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|5 inch (127&nbsp;mm)/38 caliber gun]]
*1 × [[3"/50 caliber gun|3 inch (76&nbsp;mm)/50 caliber gun]]
*8 × [[Oerlikon 20&nbsp;mm cannon|20 mm Oerlikon]]
|Ship notes=<ref>{{Cite journal |author=[[Babcock & Wilcox]] |date=April 1944 |title=Victory Ships |journal=Marine Engineering and Shipping Review}}</ref>
}}
|}

'''''Brown Victory''''' was a [[Maritime Commission]] type VC2-S-AP2 [[Victory ship]] built during [[World War II]] under the [[Emergency Shipbuilding program]]. The ship was built by [[Oregon Shipbuilding Company]] [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]] as Maritime Commission hull 171, yard number 1225.<ref name=MARAD>{{cite web |url=https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/7051 |title=Brown Victory |author=Maritime Administration |work=Ship History Database Vessel Status Card |publisher=U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration |accessdate=June 24, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Colton |first=Tim |title=Oregon Shipbuilding, Portland OR |publisher=ShipbuildingHistory |date=October 13, 2010 |url=http://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/koregon.htm |accessdate=June 24, 2019}}</ref> Her keel was laid on  25 February 1945. She was named for [[Brown University]] and christened on 2 May 1945. The ship was completed and delivered to the [[War Shipping Administration]] (WSA) with operation under WSA agreement by the [[Alaska Packers' Association]] on 27 March 1945. That agreement remained in effect until 2 July 1946.<ref name=MARAD/>

Victory ships were designed to replace the earlier [[Liberty Ship]]s. Liberty ships were designed to be used just for WW2. Victory ships were designed to last longer and serve the [[US Navy]] after the war. The Victory ship differed from a Liberty ship in that they were: faster, longer and wider, taller, a thinner stack set farther toward the [[superstructure]] and had a long raised [[forecastle]].

==World War II==

''Brown Victory'' served in the [[Pacific War]] during [[World War II]]. ''Brown Victory'' took supplies to the [[Battle of Okinawa]] operations that lasted from 1 April until 22 June 1945.

===Kamikaze attack===
On 28 May 1945, at [[Iejima]], near [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]], [[Ryukyu Islands]] a [[kamikaze]] plane hit ''Brown Victory''. {{USS|Tekesta|AT-93|2}} and {{USS|Spectacle|AM-305|2}} under tow by ''Tekesta'' shot down the kamikaze plane, but the plane hit ''Brown Victory'' on its way down in the attack. Two of the 27 [[United States Navy Armed Guard]]s were killed instantly in the attack. In the attack 18 crew members were injured. One of the [[Merchant navy|merchant crew]], Donald Lamont, 18, from Ahsahka, Idaho,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/563609474/?article=b869d4d5-26bb-41fe-a6c2-0de858f58763&focus=0.5046327,0.016380278,0.62510854,0.26328018&xid=3355&_gl=1*9od984*_ga*MTMxNTg5NzczOC4xNjU5NzE3NDY3*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*ODJjMjA2MGEtZGYxZS00MDRkLWJiYjAtOTAyM2RiNGRhYmNkLjE0Ni4xLjE2ODQzNTA4MzguNTkuMC4w&_ga=2.113626948.292633787.1684338421-1315897738.1659717467 | title=Spokane Chronicle 08 Aug 1945, page 7 }}</ref> and one of the Armed Guards died of their wounds later. The Navy tug ''Tekesta'' came to the aid of ''Brown Victory'', helping the crew put out the fire and gave medical aid to the wounded. ''Brown Victory'' was damaged, but managed to survive the attack and was able to take her cargo to [[Saipan]] before steaming home to Oregon for repairs.<ref>[https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-Chron/USN-Chron-1945.html The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II--1945, Chapter VII: 1945 January to September.]</ref><ref name=DANFS>{{cite DANFS |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/tekesta.html |title=Tekesta |author=Naval History And Heritage Command |date= |work=Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships |publisher=Naval History And Heritage Command |accessdate=June 24, 2019}}</ref>

===Honors===
''Brown Victory'' was awarded [[Battle Stars]] for the assault and occupation of Okinawa from 19 May 1945 to 6 June 1945. She used her [[deck gun]]s to defend herself and other ships from attacks.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://archive-org.com/org/u/usmm.org/2013-04-03_1808202_35/World_War_II_Posters_Train_or_return_to_sea/ |title=usmm.org/, Battle Stars for the assault and occupation of Okinawa |access-date=2017-02-09 |archive-date=2017-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202011946/http://archive-org.com/org/u/usmm.org/2013-04-03_1808202_35/World_War_II_Posters_Train_or_return_to_sea/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Post War - ''Mormacpine''==
''Brown Victory'' operation was changed to a bareboat charter to [[American Export Lines]] on 2 July 1946, then to bareboat charter to [[Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc.]], of New York, New York, on 21 November. On 17 April 1947, Moore-McCormack, purchased the ship with the name changed to '''''Mormacpine'''''.<ref name=MARAD/><ref>[http://www.moore-mccormack.com/Cargo-Liners/Mormacpine.htm moore-mccormack.com, SS ''Mormacpine'']</ref><ref>[http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1534021 shipspotting.com SS ''Mormacpine'']</ref>

''Mormacpine'' made a few trips to help with the [[Korean War]] between 17 September and 2 August 1953.<ref>Small United States and United Nations Warships in the Korean War, page 187, By Paul M. Edwards</ref>
While departing [[San Pedro, Los Angeles|San Pedro]] on 27 September 1959, in foggy conditions, the bow of ''Mormacpine'' rammed the boat ''Jane'' off the coast of [[Cape Flattery]]. ''Jane'', a 49 foot wood fishing boat, was hit on her port side at about 3 or 4 knots and sank in about 3 minutes with the loss of two of her five crew members. It was ruled that the cause was twofold, ''Mormacpine'' was going too fast for the fog and ''Jane'' had no forward lookouts at the time of the crash. The fog limited visibility to 500 to 1,000 yards. ''Jane'' did not show up on ''Mormacpine'' radar due to her small size and wood hull. ''Mormacpine'' crew spotted ''Jane'' 1,000 yards off her starboard bow and put her engines into full reverse that slowed her to about 3 to 4 knots. No fines were made due to the accident.<ref>[https://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg545/docs/boards/cape%20flattery.pdf Collision and sinking of the JANE, off Cape Flattery  U.S. Coast Guard]</ref><ref>[https://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg545/docs/boards/jane.pdf Coast Guard, Report on ''Jane'']</ref><ref>[http://www.terapeak.com/worth/1959-press-photo-darvin-hoel-1-of-3-survivors-of-mormacpine-ship-collision/351208897823/ 1959 Jane survivor, 1959 Press Photo Darvin Hoel, 1 Of 3 Survivors Of Mormacpine Ship Collision]</ref><ref>A Guide to the Collision Avoidance Rules, page 24,
By A. N. Cockcroft, J. N. F. Lameije</ref>

On 28 March 1964, one of ''Mormacpine''{{'}}s holds caught fire. She was steaming from [[Salvador, Bahia]], [[Brazil]] to [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]] with a load of [[sisal]] fibre and [[cocoa bean]]s. A Coast Guard plane saw the fire from the air and depatched the Coast Guard cutter ''Half Moon'' to help. With no engines, she was towed to [[St. George's, Bermuda]] and arrived after midnight. None of the 47 crew members were harmed due to the fire. In St. George's harbor her cargo hold fire was put out.

In June 1970, the ship ceased operation and was scrapped at Kaoshung, [[Taiwan]] shortly after.<ref name=MARAD/><ref>[http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/vicshipsB.html MARINERS, THE WEBSITE OF THE MARINERS MAILING LIST., VICTORY SHIPS]</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Victory ships]]
* [[Liberty ship]]
* [[Type C1 ship]]
* [[Type C2 ship]]
* [[Type C3 ship]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{NHHC}}

{{MARCOMships}}
{{WWII US ships}}
{{Victory ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown Victory, SS}}
[[Category:Victory ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:Merchant ships of the United States]]
[[Category:1945 ships]]
[[Category:World War II merchant ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Brown University]]