Lawmakers want to make the SS American Victory, which floats behind the Florida Aquarium, the state's flagship to honor merchant marines.
By JOHN BALZ
Published May 9, 2003
CHANNEL DISTRICT - During World War II, German torpedoes struck merchant marine vessels off Florida's Gulf Coast. From the shore, high school students sitting in class watched the flames as the ships loaded with supplies perished into the sea.
The cargo ships formed the backbone of the military's supply line and went on to perform similar duties in Korea and Vietnam. They played dangerous, invaluable roles.
Thousands of mariners died.
One of those vessels, the SS American Victory, floats in the Ybor Channel behind the Florida Aquarium. Its current captain and a handful of Florida lawmakers want to honor the ship and the merchant marines by making it the state's official flagship.
"In terms of national treasures, we think no ship better represents Florida's maritime history," said Capt. John Timmel, president and founder of the American Victory Mariners Memorial and Museum Ship Inc.
Sen. Victor Crist, R-Tampa, sponsored a bill to convey the ship's flagship status. Lawmakers won't approve it this year because of other priorities, he said. But he plans to reintroduce it next year.
Timmel expects it will pass.
The SS American Victory was built in a Wilmington, Calif., shipyard and launched on June 20, 1945. Part of the Victory class of swifter cargo ships, it was one of 534 built between mid-1944 and mid-1946.
More than 450 feet long, the ship holds up to 100,000 tons of cargo and moves at a maximum speed of 15 knots. As the workhorses of World War II, the U.S. merchant fleet transported an estimated 85 percent of the troops, ammunition and supplies used by the Allies.
Following its service in the Vietnam War, the Navy deactivated the American Victory and placed it on reserve near Norfolk, Va.
Almost 20 years later, Timmel learned that several reserve Victory ships were headed to the scrap yard if no one took possession of them to create memorials.
In 1998, Congress agreed to donate the SS American Victory to a nonprofit agency set up by Timmel, who found a tugboat company willing to tow the ship to Tampa.
Timmel spent four years raising $4.5-million in private in-kind donations to restore the ship to full working order. Renovations ranged from cosmetic repainting to restoring the steamship engines. The process, he said, is about 95 percent complete.
In March, a crew took the American Victory out for a test run. On May 17, military officials will hold their annual National Maritime Day and Armed Forces Observance on the ship's deck.
Currently, the ship serves as a tourist attraction. Visitors tour the captain's quarters and mess halls, and learn how long it took to unload cargo (five or six days).
Ultimately, Timmel's group wants to open a museum inside the ship with navigational exhibits and education programs. Starting in July, it plans to offer local day cruises that give passengers a taste of life aboard a World War II cargo vessel.
If named the state's flagship, the ship would serve as a traveling "ambassador," visiting other Florida and Southeastern ports.
Timmel also hopes to house the maritime book collection, now located at the Port of Tampa public library.
As expected, finding money to make it happen poses the greatest challenge. The group has approached Hillsborough County to pay for the move, but the county says it can't afford to.
The Tampa Port Authority and City Council have sent letters to Gov. Jeb Bush supporting the flagship proposal.
John Thorington, the port's director of government relations, said the flagship designation would bring more attention to the Channelside area.
Crist said the ship is a floating reminder of the state's past.
"What better way for Florida to display its pride, support and gratitude to the men and women who gave their lives through the merchant marines than with a flagship," he said.
