SS Colby Victory troopship 1946
History
United States
Name	SS Colby Victory
Namesake	Colby College
Owner	War Shipping Administration
Operator	American President Lines and American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines
Builder	California Shipbuilding Company, Los Angeles
Laid down	December 19, 1944
Launched	January 27, 1945
Completed	March 12, 1945
Fate	sold 1947
Netherlands
Name	SS Axeldijk 1947
Operator	Holland America Line
Renamed	SS Axeldyk 1954
Fate	Sold
Liberia
Name	SS Monique 1963
Operator	International Union Marine Corp
Fate	Sold
Liberia
Name	SS Monique 1965
Operator	Pacific Coast Shipping Co
Identification	IMO number: 5239606
Fate	Scrapped 1971
General characteristics
Class and type	VC2-S-AP3 Victory ship
Tonnage	7,612 GRT 4,553 NRT
Displacement	15,200 tons
Length	455 ft (139 m)
Beam	62 ft (19 m)
Draught	28 ft (8.5 m)
Installed power	8,500 shp (6,300 kW)
Propulsion	HP & LP turbines geared to a single 20.5-foot (6.2 m) propeller
Speed	16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried	4 Lifeboats
Complement	62 Merchant Marine and 28 US Naval Armed Guards
Armament	1 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 caliber gun 1 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 caliber gun 8 × 20 mm Oerlikon
Notes	[1]

SS Colby Victory was the 84th Victory ship built during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding program. She was launched by the California Shipbuilding Company on January 27, 1945, and completed on March 12, 1945. The ship’s United States Maritime Commission designation was VC2- S- AP3, hull number V50, built in 83 days. SS Colby Victory served in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. The 10,500-ton Victory ships were designed to replace the earlier Liberty ships. Liberty ships were designed to be used just for World War II. Victory ships were designed to last longer and serve 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. ^[2]

In the fall of 1946 Colby Victory arrived in New York Harbor from Bremerhaven, Germany with troops. Colby Victory and 96 other Victory ships were converted to troop ships to bring the US soldiers home as part of Operation Magic Carpet. ^[3][4][5]

Post war

Colby Victory was sold in 1947 to the Dutch government and transferred to Holland America Line and renamed the SS Axeldijk. SS Axeldijk steamed from Rotterdam to Cuba and Mexico, and then to New Orleans. In 1950 and 1951 she steam on the Red Star Line. In 1952 she was operated back on the Holland America Line till 1959. Holland America Line renamed her the SS Axeldyk in 1954. She was sold in 1963 to International Union Marine Corp of Monrovia, Liberia and renamed the SS Monique. In 1965 the vessel was sold to Pacific Coast Shipping Company of Monrovia and kept the name SS Monique. In 1971 she was scrapped in Taiwan.^[6][7]

See also

• List of Victory ships
• Liberty ship
• Type C1 ship
• Type C2 ship
• Type C3 ship

References

Sources

• Sawyer, L.A. and W.H. Mitchell. Victory ships and tankers: The history of the ‘Victory’ type cargo ships and of the tankers built in the United States of America during World War II, Cornell Maritime Press, 1974, 0-87033-182-5.
• United States Maritime Commission:
• Victory Cargo Ships