No, she's not a grande damme of the rivers but
rather an old war horse and back in steam again,
having passed her initial USCG review on
Thursday, March 6th. At 455 ft and with a draft of 28
ft and beam of 62 ft, the SS American Victory
steamed out of Tampa for sea trials under her own
power for the first time since 1985. Her boilers
were showing 450 psi and, man was it HOT in that
engine room! She's turbine powered.
For the volunteer crew and members of the SS
American Victory & Mariners Museum, this was a
day long wished for. As the more-or-less "official"
videographer, I was pleased to be aboard as the
old girl responded perfectly to all commands from
the USCG inspectors and is now approved to
steam Bays, Inlets, Rivers and Lakes. The next
phase will bring her up to full ocean-going
approval. In the meantime, she's set to start
occasional public trips out of Tampa down Tampa
Bay and into the Gulf of Mexico sometime this
summer.
Now, these trips will never compete with those fine
cruises on the DQSC fleet. Nor are they meant to.
What these trips will celebrate is the successful
efforts of America's Merchant Marine during WWII
and later wars. Built in 1945, the SS American
Victory missed the European part of WWII but did
serve in the Pacific and later in the Marshall Plan to
Europe plus the Korean War and Viet Nam Wars.
Among the museum's volunteers are former
sailors who served on this ship from all 3 wars. If
you're ever in Tampa, you can tour the ship most
any day. She's moored right behind the Tampa
Aquarium. Here's their web site:
www.americanvictory.org
I just thought that this event deserved a little
mention here. After all, it's pretty hard to find
anything powered by steam these days. And, just
like the DQ, when I boarded this ship yesterday for
the first time when steam was up, there is a "life"
that you sense...a whisp of vapor now and then
and, once under way, that same gentle, ever so
slight rumble that tells you she's glad to be back
and doing what she was meant to do. You can visit
all the static exhibits you want but until you
experience the real thing, in motion, you don't fully
understand. But once that experience is gained,
there is no way to avoid it's calling and you will
return, again and again.
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