USAT Winchester Victory
From Our Contribution
 Typical Victory ship | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | USAT Winchester Victory |
| Owner | US War Shipping Administration |
| Builder | Bethlehem Steel, Fairfield, Baltimore MD |
| Launched | 6 Mar 1945 |
| Completed | 30 Mar 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Converted Victory ship |
| Tonnage | 7,612 tons |
| Length | 455'3" (138.8m) |
| Beam | 62' (18.9m) |
| Depth | draft 28'6" (8.7m) |
| Speed | 16 knots (29.6 km/h) |
| Capacity | 1597 troops |
Remarks
This Victory ship belonged to a class of cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace losses caused by German submarines. They were a more modern design compared to the earlier Liberty ships, 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, 97 of them converted to carry troops, as was Winchester Victory'.
Victory ships were armed with a 5-inch (127 mm)/38 caliber stern gun for use against submarines and surface ships, and a bow-mounted 3-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber gun and eight 20 mm cannon for use against aircraft. These guns were manned by United States Navy Armed Guard personnel.