50-501: SS Greenville Victory was a cargo Victory ship built in 1944, during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding program . The ship’s United States Maritime Commission designation was VC2-S-AP3, hull number 18 (V-18). Post-war she was acquired by the U.S. Army and renamed as USAT Greenville Victory . She was acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1950, renamed USNS Greenville Victory (T-AK-237) and assigned to
100-476: A base camp for his expeditions and attracted a permanent population. In 1910 explorers Knud Rasmussen and Peter Freuchen established a missionary and trading post there. They called the site "Thule" after classical ultima Thule ; the Inuit called it Umanaq ("heart-shaped"), and the site is commonly called "Dundas" today. The United States abandoned its territorial claims in the area in 1917 in connection with
150-455: A bow-mounted 3-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber gun and eight 20 mm cannon for use against aircraft. These were manned by United States Navy Armed Guard personnel. The VC2-S-AP5 Haskell -class attack transports were armed with the 5-inch stern gun, one quad 40 mm Bofors cannon , four dual 40 mm Bofors cannon, and ten single 20 mm cannon. The Haskell s were operated and crewed exclusively by U.S. Navy personnel. The Victory ship
200-490: A capacity of 34 children while the day nursery can hold up to 12. Air Greenland operates fixed-wing aircraft services between Qaanaaq Airport and Upernavik Airport , with further connections to Ilulissat Airport and Qaarsut Airport . Settlement flights operate to Siorapaluk , sporadically to Moriusaq , and to Savissivik via Pituffik Space Base. There are a few unpaved dirt roads in Qaanaaq. Only one road leaves
250-583: A dentist who visits the town twice a year. Qaanaaq Hospital falls under the Avannaa health region. A small local fire brigade is assisted by firefighters from the Pituffik Space Base . The town is part of the region of Avannaata , which is represented by a 17-member council and mayor. Qaanaaq is home to a remote CTBTO infrasound listening station called IS-18, which uses an array of barometric sensors to detect possible nuclear tests around
300-822: A further 132 vessels, although three were completed in 1946 for the Alcoa Steamship Company, making a total built in the United States of 534, made up of: Of the wartime construction, 414 were of the standard cargo variant and 117 were attack transports. Because the Atlantic battle had been won by the time the first of the Victory ships appeared none were sunk by U-boats. Three were sunk by Japanese kamikaze attack in April 1945. Many Victory ships were converted to troopships to bring US soldiers home at
350-586: A more modern design compared to the earlier Liberty ship , were slightly larger and had more powerful steam turbine engines, giving higher speed to allow participation in high-speed convoys and make them more difficult targets for German U-boats . A total of 531 Victory ships were built in between 1944 and 1946. One of the first acts of the United States War Shipping Administration upon its formation in February 1942
400-483: A raised forecastle and a more sophisticated hull shape to help achieve the higher speed, they had a quite different appearance from Liberty ships. To make them less vulnerable to U-boat attacks, Victory ships made 15 to 17 knots (28 to 31 km/h), 4 to 6 knots (7.4 to 11.1 km/h) faster than the Libertys, and had longer range. The extra speed was achieved through more modern, efficient engines. Rather than
450-656: A run to Europe and back, she again departed New York 9 July 1953 for the Far East. She reached Yokohama , Japan, 9 August and during the next 2 months operated in the Western Pacific Ocean, carrying ammunition to Formosa and to French forces fighting Communist Viet-Minh guerillas in French Indochina . Sailing from Yokohama 4 1953 October via San Francisco, California, she reached New York City 6 November 1953 to resume cargo runs to Europe. During
500-456: A way deemed "unhealthy", the Danish government forcibly relocated "Old Thule" with about 130 inhabitants to a newly constructed, modern village 60 miles (97 km) north, known as Qaanaaq, or "New Thule". In a Danish Supreme Court judgment of 28 November 2003 the move was considered an expropriative intervention. During the proceedings it was recognized by the Danish government that the movement
550-649: Is one of the northernmost towns in the world. Within Greenland, it is the northernmost major town and the third northernmost public settlement, after nearby Qeqertat and Siorapaluk . Qaanaaq is located in the northern entrance of the Inglefield Fjord . The village of Qeqertat is located in the Harvard Islands , near the head of the fjord. The Qaanaaq area in northern Greenland was first settled around 2000 BCE by Paleo-Eskimos migrating from
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#1732793631978600-484: Is the main town in the northern part of the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland . The town has a population of 646 as of 2020. The population was forcibly relocated from its former, traditional home, which was expropriated for the construction of a United States Air Force base in 1953. The inhabitants of Qaanaaq speak the local Inuktun language and many also speak Kalaallisut and Danish . Qaanaaq
650-588: The Bureau of Indian Affairs as North Star III . AP3 types South Bend Victory and Tuskegee Victory were converted in 1957–58 to ocean hydrographic surveying ships USNS Bowditch and Dutton , respectively. Dutton aided in locating the lost hydrogen bomb following the 1966 Palomares B-52 crash . Starting in 1959, several were removed from the reserve fleet and refitted for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration . One such ship
700-489: The Emergency Shipbuilding program . The design was an enhancement of the Liberty ship, which had been successfully produced in extraordinary numbers. Victory ships were slightly larger than Liberty ships, 14 feet (4.3 m) longer at 455 feet (139 m), 6 feet (1.8 m) wider at 62 ft (19 m), and drawing one foot more at 28 feet (8.5 m) loaded. Displacement was up just under 1,000 tons, to 15,200. With
750-644: The Korean War and a 100 Victory ships served in the Vietnam War . Many were sold and became commercial cargo ships and a few commercial passenger ships . Some were laid up in the United States Navy reserve fleets and then scrapped or reused. Many saw postwar conversion and various uses for years afterward. The single VC2-M-AP4 Diesel-powered MV Emory Victory operated in Alaskan waters for
800-673: The Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) who operated her safely through the Korean War and Vietnam War campaigns. She was the lead ship in her class of 9 ships that were transferred to the MSTS in 1950. She returned home with two battle stars to her credit and was struck in 1987. Greenville Victory was laid down under U.S. Maritime Commission contract by California Shipbuilding Corporation , Los Angeles, California; 21 March 1944; launched 28 May 1944; sponsored by Miss Mary J. Vukov; and delivered to
850-557: The U.S. Gulf Coast on 15 March, arriving New Orleans , Louisiana, on 28 March 1965. During the next 5 months, Greenville Victory made cargo runs in the Atlantic out of Norfolk , Virginia, and New York. She departed New York 20 October 1965 after a voyage to Labrador and back. Steaming via Norfolk, Virginia, and Long Beach , California, she reached Yokohama , Japan, on 22 November 1965. Loaded with military cargo, she sailed for South Vietnam 30 November and arrived at Saigon 16 December. The following day she sailed via Vũng Tàu for
900-734: The War Shipping Administration (WSA) 8 July 1944. During the remainder of the World War II, SS Greenville Victory served as a merchant ship under charter to Sea Shipping Company of New York City. She served in the Pacific War , participating in the Battle of Okinawa . In Okinawa from 27 May 1945 to 19 June 1945 she supplied goods as a cargo ship and used her deck guns to defend herself and other ships from attacks. Following World War II, she transported cargo in
950-574: The 1960s two Victory ships were reactivated and converted to technical research ships by the U.S. Navy with the hull type AGTR. SS Iran Victory became USS Belmont and SS Simmons Victory became USS Liberty . Liberty was attacked and severely damaged by Israeli forces in June 1967 and subsequently decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register . Belmont was decommissioned and stricken in 1970. Baton Rouge Victory
1000-790: The 6th Fleet five times between June 1956 and March 1964. On two deployments in 1963 and 1964 she transited the Suez Canal , steaming to India and Pakistan. Greenville Victory departed Norfolk , Virginia, 6 October 1964 to participate in the massive transatlantic trooplift exercise, "Steel Pike I." Departing Morehead City , North Carolina, 8 October, she closed the Spanish coast off Rota 19 October. For more than 2 weeks she discharged supplies and cargo in support of amphibious and shore operations. Departing Rota 7 November, she steamed via Morehead City to New York, arriving 20 November. Greenville Victory departed New York 22 November 1964 for duty in
1050-854: The Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean as the USAT Greenville Victory . She was transferred to the Army Transportation Service in the spring of 1948. Part of her service included returning the remains of U.S. servicemembers who had been killed in World War II for reburial at home, including the remains of 3,734 servicemembers who arrived at the Brooklyn Army Base on 26 June 1948, most of them coming from cemeteries in France. Acquired by
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#17327936319781100-636: The Canadian Arctic. These people were displaced by the Thule culture which followed the same migration route around 1100 CE. By 1600, climatic effects of the Little Ice Age caused the semi-nomadic Thule culture in Greenland to fragment into isolated groups, with inhabitants of the northwest diverging as the Inughuit . As they lost access to open water due to thickening sea ice, they lost
1150-465: The Libertys' 2,500 horsepower (1,900 kW) triple expansion steam engines , Victory ships were designed to use either Lentz type reciprocating steam engines (one ship only, oil fired), Diesel engines (one ship) or steam turbines (the rest, all oil fired) (variously putting out between 6,000 and 8,500 hp (4,500 and 6,300 kW)). Another improvement was electrically powered auxiliary equipment, rather than steam-driven machinery. To prevent
1200-714: The Navy on 1 March 1950, she was assigned to MSTS as a (T-AK-237). Crewed by civilians from the Maritime Commission, Greenville Victory , from 1950 to 1953, operated in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean, carrying military cargo to French, English, and German ports; Guantanamo Bay ; and the Panama Canal Zone . Between 19 February and 9 May 1953, she sailed out of New York City to the Far East and back, loaded with ammunition for Korea . After completing
1250-506: The U.S. West Coast, arriving San Francisco 3 January 1966. Greenville Victory replenished her holds with military supplies before returning to the Western Pacific. Sailing via Sasebo, Japan , she reached Bangkok , Thailand, on 13 February 1966. She sailed 22 February for South Vietnam and arrived Vũng Tàu the next day. Having unloaded, she sailed 1 March 1966 for the U.S. West Coast to transport additional military material from
1300-629: The United States to South Vietnam. She continued operations between the United States and the Western Pacific until transferred to the Atlantic at mid-year. In 1967 she was busy supplying NATO forces in Europe. In the aftermath of the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975 the ship took onboard over 5400 South Vietnamese refugees and delivered them to Guam a week later. On 12 May 1975, six of the USNS Greenville Victory crew volunteered to help
1350-464: The Western Pacific for the Vietnam War . Sailing via San Diego, California, she arrived Guam 24 December. During the next month she steamed to Okinawa , Korea , and Japan, carrying cargo. Arriving at Manila , Philippines , on 26 January 1965, she sailed the 28th for Pearl Harbor and San Francisco, California. After reaching the U.S. West Coast on 25 February, she made a run out of San Francisco, California, to Seattle , Washington, then sailed for
1400-479: The ability to build boats and had limited hunting opportunities. In 1818, Sir John Ross 's expedition made first contact with nomadic Inuktun (Polar Eskimos) in the area. James Saunders 's expedition aboard HMS North Star was marooned in North Star Bay 1849–50 and named landmarks. Robert Peary built a support station by a protected harbor at the foot of iconic Mount Dundas in 1892. It served as
1450-652: The end of World War II as part of Operation Magic Carpet . A total of 97 Victory ships were converted to carry up to 1,600 soldiers. To convert the ships the cargo holds were converted to bunk beds and hammocks stacked three high for hot bunking . Mess halls and exercise places were also added. Some examples of Victory troopship are: SS Aiken Victory , SS Chanute Victory , SS Cody Victory , SS Colby Victory , SS Cranston Victory , SS Gustavus Victory , SS Hagerstown Victory , SS Maritime Victory , and SS U.S.S.R. Victory . Some 184 Victory ships served in
1500-438: The hull cracks that many Liberty ships developed—making some break in half—the spacing between frames was widened from 30 inches (760 mm) to 36 inches (910 mm), making the ships less stiff and more able to flex. Like Liberty ships, the hull was welded rather than riveted. The VC2-S-AP2, VC2-S-AP3, and VC2-M-AP4 were armed with a 5-inch (127 mm)/38 caliber stern gun for use against submarines and surface ships, and
1550-422: The kayaks; the flesh and offal are eaten by humans and domestic animals; the narwhal and walrus tusks are carved into finely-worked figures, jewellery and hunting implements; and feathers can be used in handicrafts. The local school, Avanersuup Atuarfia, has around 120 pupils in forms 1 to 10. There is also a boarding school which holds about 20 students from surrounding settlements. The town kindergarten has
USNS Greenville Victory - Misplaced Pages Continue
1600-670: The next 2 years, Greenville Victory steamed primarily between New York City and West European ports. In June and July 1954 she sailed to the Western Mediterranean to replenish at-sea ships of the U.S. 6th Fleet . On 16 November 1955, she departed Newport , Rhode Island, for Antarctica and arrived at McMurdo Sound 16 January 1956 to provision ships of Task Force 43, as part of the Navy's Operation Deep Freeze . Departing Antarctica on 5 February 1956, and traveling via New Zealand, she arrived in New York on 28 March. Before
1650-579: The operation her hull was strengthened for Arctic ice conditions. Between 1956 and 1964 Greenville Victory maintained a busy schedule transporting cargo to American bases scattered throughout the world. She replenished Task Force 43 on three more Antarctic deployments; and, from December to February 1956–57, 1957–38, and 1960–61, she operated in Antarctic waters. Cargo runs sent her to the Caribbean in 1958, 1960, and 1962 and to Thule, Greenland , during September and October 1958. She also deployed with
1700-404: The original 1946 airstrip and across the bay from the historical Thule settlement, to which it is connected by an ice road. The joint Danish-American defense area, designated by treaty, also occupies considerable inland territory in addition to the air base itself. The town of Qaanaaq was established in the winter of 1953 when the United States expanded Pituffik Space Base and forcibly relocated
1750-533: The population of Pituffik and Dundas 31 km (19 mi) to the north within four days. The settlement was subsequently moved another 100 km (62 mi) to the north. A 48.6-kilogram (107-pound) fragment of the Cape York meteorite , discovered near Thule in the summer of 1955, is named for the town. Ways of living so far north and in such severe climatic conditions are passed on from generation to generation, and this ability to adapt has contributed to
1800-551: The purchase of the Virgin Islands . Denmark assumed control of the village in 1937. A cluster of huts known as Pituffik ("the place the dogs are tied") stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951. (A main base street was named Pituffik Boulevard.) The affected locals moved to Thule. However, in 1953 the USAF planned to construct an air defense site near that village, and in order to prevent contact with soldiers in
1850-598: The recovery of the SS Mayaguez . The six received Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medals for their role during the action: Clinton Harriman, Karl Lonsdale, Robert Griffin, Michael Saltwick, Hermino Rivera and Epifanio Rodriguez. On 22 March 1976 Greenville Victory was transferred to the U.S. Maritime Administration who placed her in the National Defense Reserve Fleet , James River Group, at Lee Hall , Virginia. On 26 May 1983 she
1900-438: The remainder given miscellaneous names. The AP5 type attack transports were named after United States counties , without "Victory" in their name, with the exception of USS Marvin H. McIntyre , which was named after President Roosevelt's late personal secretary. Although initial deliveries were slow—only 15 had been delivered by May 1944—by the end of the war 531 had been constructed. The Commission cancelled orders for
1950-432: The survival of this small settlement. When the sea becomes open sometime around August, large dinghies with powerful engines are used for both hunting trips and ordinary journeys. There is still sunlight twenty-four hours a day at this time—the midnight sun lasts from the middle of April to the end of August. Scarcity of resources requires they use every part of a harvested animal: the skins are used for clothing and covering
2000-401: The town — it connects to Qaanaaq Airport . Pickup trucks and SUVs are found in Qaanaaq, but skis, dogsleds and walking are better alternatives for getting around. There is a small hospital (built in the 1950s and rebuilt in 1996) in Qaanaaq with basic health care offered. More advanced care requires transfer to other medical centers in Greenland by air. Dental care is offered in the form of
2050-562: The world. The station is maintained by the Danish Meteorological Institute , and as of 2016 the current operator is Svend Erik Ascanius. With 646 inhabitants as of 2020, Qaanaaq is the largest settlement in the far north of the country. Its population has been relatively stable with only minor fluctuations since the mid-1990s. The city, with its relatively low population and tradition of hunting, currently has more huskies than human residents. Qaanaaq has
USNS Greenville Victory - Misplaced Pages Continue
2100-653: Was SS Kingsport Victory , which was renamed USNS Kingsport and converted into the world's first satellite communications ship. Another was the former Haiti Victory , which recovered the first man-made object to return from orbit, the nose cone of Discoverer 13 , on 11 August 1960. USS Sherburne was converted in 1969–1970 to the range instrumentation ship USNS Range Sentinel for downrange tracking of ballistic missile tests. Four Victory ships became fleet ballistic missile cargo ships transporting torpedoes, Poseidon missiles , packaged petroleum, and spare parts to deployed submarine tenders : In
2150-418: Was SS United Victory launched at Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation on 12 January 1944 and completed on 28 February 1944, making her maiden voyage a month later. American vessels frequently had a name incorporating the word "Victory". After United Victory , the next 34 vessels were named after allied countries , the following 218 after American cities, the next 150 after educational institutions and
2200-459: Was a serious interference and an unlawful act against the local population. The Thule tribe was awarded damages of 500,000 kroner, and the individual members of the tribe who had been exposed to the transfer were granted compensation of 15,000 or 25,000 each. A Danish radio station continued to operate at Dundas, and the abandoned houses remained. The USAF only used that site for about a decade, and it has since returned to civilian use. Knud Rasmussen
2250-431: Was designed to be able to be assembled by the smallest capacity crane at these shipyards. Three are preserved as museum ships : See also, similar role:- Empire ship , Fort ship , Park ship , Ocean ship . See also, similar role:- Empire ship , Fort ship , Park ship , Ocean ship . Thule, Greenland Qaanaaq ( Greenlandic pronunciation: [qaːnɑːq] ), formerly known as Thule or New Thule ,
2300-538: Was noted for good proportion of cubic between holds for a cargo ship of its day. A Victory ship's cargo hold one, two and five hatches are single rigged with a capacity of 70,400, 76,700, and 69,500 bale cubic feet respectively. Victory ships hold three and four hatches are double rigged with a capacity of 136,100 and 100,300 bale cubic feet respectively. Victory ships have built-in mast , booms and derrick cranes and can load and unload their own cargo without dock side cranes or gantry if needed. The first vessel
2350-587: Was sold for scrapping at Brownsville, Texas . She was struck from the Navy List on 16 January 1987. Greenville Victory participated in the following campaigns: Eligible Greenville Victory personnel were authorized the following: See also, similar role:- Empire ship , Fort ship , Park ship , Ocean ship . Victory ship The Victory ship was a class of cargo ship produced in large numbers by American shipyards during World War II to replace losses caused by German submarines. They were
2400-758: Was sunk in the Mekong delta by a Viet Cong mine in August 1966 and temporarily blocked the channel to Saigon . According to the War Production Board minutes in 1943, the Victory Ship had a relative cost of $ 238 per deadweight ton (10,500 deadweight tonnage ) for $ 2,522,800, equivalent to $ 35,500,000 in 2023. Most Victory ships were constructed in six West Coast and one Baltimore emergency shipyards that were set up in World War II to build Liberty, Victory, and other ships. The Victory ship
2450-460: Was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport. USAAF Colonel Bernt Balchen , who built Sondrestrom Air Base , knew Rasmussen and his idea. Balchen led a flight of two Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boats to Thule on 24 August 1942 and then sent a report advocating an air base to USAAF chief Henry "Hap" Arnold . However, the 1951 air base site is a few miles inland from
2500-511: Was to commission the design of what came to be known as the Victory class. Initially designated EC2-S-AP1, where EC2 = Emergency Cargo, type 2 (Load Waterline Length between 400 and 450 feet (120 and 140 m)), S = steam propulsion with AP1 = one aft propeller (EC2-S-C1 had been the designation of the Liberty ship design), it was changed to VC2-S-AP1 before the name "Victory Ship" was officially adopted on 28 April 1943. The ships were built under
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