A new class of vessel, the Victory ships were designed to be built quickly to help the war effort.
In 1944-45 the U.S. Maritime Commission ordered 272 of a new class of vessel to replace the Liberty ships. Dubbed “Victory ships,” the VC2-S-AP2 class vessel of which Winthrop Victory is an example, were notable as the first of a new generation of general cargo ships designed to be built quickly to supply war needs in Europe and the Pacific. [1] Many of the ships found new homes after the end of the war, and continued operating well into the second half of the 20th Century.
[1] The Winthrop Victory was recorded as part of the Historic American Engineering Record, co-sponsored by the U.S. Maritime Administration. The project was completed under the direction of Todd Croteau, HAER maritime program coordinator and Erhard Koehler, MARAD ships disposal coordinator. Team members included architect Ashley T. Walker, photographer David Haas, and historian Brian Clayton.