USS Lakewood Victory

USS Lakewood Victory (AK-236) at anchor, probably when she returned to San Francisco, in March 1946, after a postwar voyage to the Western Pacific. Her armament had been removed, probably during repair work at Puget Sound, in October and November 1945.
History
United States
Name	Lakewood Victory
Namesake	Lakewood, California, Lakewood, Colorado, Lakewood, New Jersey, Lakewood, New York, and Lakewood, Ohio
Ordered	as type (VC2-S-AP2) hull, MCV hull 545
Builder	Permanente Metals Corporation, Richmond, California
Yard number	Yard No.1
Laid down	16 September 1944
Launched	17 November 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. Edward A. Fitzgerald
Commissioned	11 December 1944
Decommissioned	16 May 1946
Stricken	5 June 1946
Identification	Hull symbol: AK-236 IMO number: 5202718
Honors and awards	two battle stars during World War II
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 9 August 1993, to California Import Export Inc., for $368,512
General characteristics
Class and type	Boulder Victory-class cargo ship
Displacement	4,480 long tons (4,550 t) (standard) 15,580 long tons (15,830 t) (full load)
Length	455 ft (139 m)
Beam	62 ft (19 m)
Draft	29 ft 2 in (8.89 m)
Installed power	6,000 shp (4,500 kW)
Propulsion	1 × Westinghouse turbine 2 × Foster Wheeler header-type boilers, 525psi 750° double Westinghouse Main Reduction Gears 1 × shaft
Speed	15.5 kn (17.8 mph; 28.7 km/h)
Complement	99 officers and enlisted
Armament	1 × 5 in (130 mm)/38-caliber dual-purpose gun 1 × 3 in (76 mm)/50-caliber dual-purpose gun 8 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannons anti-aircraft gun mounts

USS Lakewood Victory (AK-236) was a Boulder Victory-class cargo ship acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Pacific Ocean theatre of operations through the end of the war, earning two battle stars, and then returned to the United States for disposal.

Victory built in California

Lakewood Victory (AK-236) was laid down 16 September 1944, by Permanente Metals Corporation, Richmond, California, under a U.S. Maritime Commission contract; launched 17 November; sponsored by Mrs. Edward A. Fitzgerald; and commissioned 11 December.

World War II operations

After shakedown, Lakewood Victory departed San Francisco, California, 18 January 1945 loaded with a cargo of ammunition, booms, and aircraft. Steaming via Pearl Harbor and Eniwetok, she reached the Mariana Islands in convoy 19 February and supplied combat ships with shells and powder.

Departing Saipan the 26th, she headed for Iwo Jima with Task Group 50.8. While the battle for Iwo Jima raged, she arrived the 28th and began supplying cruisers, destroyers, and landing craft with ammunition. She continued discharging her cargo until 8 March; then she sailed for the western Caroline Islands, arriving Ulithi the 11th.

On 3 April Lakewood Victory cleared Ulithi for logistics support operations off Okinawa. After reaching Kerama Retto 13 April, she supplied waiting destroyers, LSTs, and smaller landing craft with explosive cargo. She was the target of multiple Japanese Zero kamikaze attacks which war thwarted when American Destroyers and Battleships shot them out of the sky before they reached their targets. Her crew worked under cover of protective smoke to transfer ammunition before sailing 23 April for Ulithi, where she arrived the 28th.

Lakewood Victory sailed 20 May for the New Hebrides. Steaming via Manus, Admiralty Islands, she reached Espiritu Santo 28 May; loaded ammunition and fog oil; and departed 19 June for Leyte. She arrived San Pedro Bay the 28th and operated off Leyte for more than 2 months. After the Japanese surrender, she returned to the United States via the Mariana Islands and Pearl Harbor, arriving Puget Sound, Washington, 8 October.

After unloading her cargo, she sailed for the western Pacific Ocean 18 November. From 6 December to 2 March 1946 she loaded ammunition at Guam and Saipan.

Post-war decommissioning and career

Returning to San Francisco 15 March, Lakewood Victory decommissioned 16 May and was turned over to the War Shipping Administration (WSA). Final disposition, sold for scrapping, 9 August 1993, to California Import Export Inc., for $368,512, removed from the Reserve Fleet anchorage, 25 September 1993.

Honors and awards

Lakewood Victory received two battle stars for World War II service. Lakewood Victoryalso earned the American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal and the Philippines Liberation Medal.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - AK-236 Lakewood Victory