Reliving the Old Days-
A Cruise on the S.S. Lane Victory
On September 16, 2000, your webmaster was graciously invited by his nephew Steve Waggoner for a day cruise on the Victory Ship S.S. Lane Victory out of San Pedro, CA. Looks just like Rainier, doesn't it?
The ship was built in 1945 and served as a cargo carrier during WW2, Korea and Vietnam, just like Rainier. It was a C-2 cargo ship just like Rainier, but unlike Rainier, it was saved from the razor blade factory in the late '80's by the efforts of the Merchant Marine Veterans of WW II, an organization of vets of the Merchant Marine, The Naval Armed Guard and other services who worked together to restore the old vessel to not only to a museum-quality state but to seaworthy condition. They prove it by taking the ship out six times a summer for an eight-hour day cruise to Catalina Island, just off the California coast, with a "crew" of around 600 paying supporters ($100 a head, and worth every dime) who are given the time of their lives...complete with an attack by German planes. But for a minor engine glitch, the ship would have joined it's sister, the Jeremiah O'Brien at the Normandy Invasion Anniversary Observance in France. It got as far as Acapulco.
During each cruise there is a ceremony where a wreath is placed over the side in memory of members of the Merchant Marine and Naval Armed Guard lost in action.
Here are a few pictures of my cruise:
<-----Old QM Looking Over the Chartdesk Once Again- Look at that Dumb GrinThe Old Helmsman in Rainier Cap Takes the Wheel Again---->
If you'd like to cruise on the Lane Victory, click here for Details.