|
At least we
weren’t attacked by the Luftwaffe.
Our cruise on
the S.S. Lane Victory was far better than we expected. We knew the ship was
supposed to be pretty nice, and we knew the schedule of activities for the
day, but that just did not prepare us for what a special occasion it was.
The plan was to raise the gangway at about 8:30 am, head out of Los Angeles
Harbor in San Pedro, sail to Catalina Island, have a catered lunch on board
ship, and then sail back to Los Angeles. Along the way we were supposed to
be attacked by members of Van Nuys airport’s Condor Squadron masquerading
as Luftwaffe fighters that would fortunately be driven off by other members
of the squadron posing as the USAAC. On paper, that looked like a fun day.
We got to the
pier in San Pedro a little before eight, and the passengers were already
boarding. The ship is berthed right under the Vincent Thomas Bridge and is
surrounded by massive container ships from all over the world. The Lane
Victory is a Victory Ship built in 1945 and has a rather glorious history in
the US Navy up into the Viet Nam War. At 455 feet in length, the Lane
Victory is not a big ship, but on one voyage she embarked 7000 Korean
refuges and carried them to safety. Those people must have been really
packed in. For some time, the ship has been listed as a National Historic
Landmark, and is open daily for tours. On three weekends each summer, the
all volunteer crew casts off from the moorings and takes this priceless gem
out into her natural environment. On Saturday, we were fortunate enough to
be passengers for one of those very special cruises.
When the last
of 800 passengers was aboard, the captain called for the gangway to be
raised. The ropes were cast off, a harbor tug came along side, and we
slowly edged out into the main channel. Our progress was deliberate, but at
the breakwater that is the limit to Los Angeles Harbor, the harbor pilot
departed from the ship, and we were on our way. We had a beautiful day.
The seas were very calm, there was no wind, and the overcast kept the sun
from baking us.
Once underway,
we took a tour of the ship. There is a museum in the main hold on front of
the superstructure, and down there we found all sorts of displays pertaining
to merchant marine activities and to cargos that were carried by this
wonderful ship. The Victory ship was an improved follow-on to earlier
Liberty ships: about the same size, but with a more modern hull, improved
cargo storage ability, and more than twice the power, which allowed Victory
ships to move far faster than Liberty ships ever could. In that front hold
was a display of military vehicles carried by this ship, articles about
people who served on board, and a steam engine used in critical scenes of
the movie “The Sand Pebbles.” We looked around and then climbed out of that
hold and moved aft. During these cruises, just about everything is open for
passengers to see. We clamored over antiaircraft gun emplacements, climbed
up several decks in the main superstructure, wandered into the bridge, then
climbed down to the aft deck, walked among all sorts of heavy machinery used
to lift stuff into and out of the holds, and then back to the fantail and
watched our wake disappear
straight as could be over the horizon.
There were lots
of people all around, but after the excitement of leaving the harbor,
everyone did as we did and investigated the ship. Somehow, that made the
crowd seem smaller, and we were able to find places special just to us.
The aft hold
had its own museum, an active radio room, and a small gift shop. Up on
deck, a band was playing music from other people’s youths, and some of the
passengers were looking into all sorts of things and places, while other
folks just sat and enjoyed the sea air.
For us, the day
slowly took on a magical air. I have seen so many old movies where sailors
head off to war on ships just like this one, that to actually be on such a
ship as it sailed on the Pacific Ocean was a bit overwhelming. The ship’s
interior passageways had a patina of age that unmistakable, but the feel of
the engine vibrating the deck plates beneath our feet said this ship was
more than a historical artifact: it was alive.
As we neared
the south end of Catalina Island, the pace slackened a bit and we turned to
the north and followed the coast. There was a bit of blue sky overhead as
the ship’s crew turned out a delightful hot lunch on deck. We were in
Catalina’s waters for a while and expected an “aerial onslaught,” but the
Condor Squadron was unable to find us under the mostly overcast skies, so we
were saved by the clouds. Eventually, we turned back toward the mainland
and steamed toward San Pedro.
When we neared
the breakwater at the edge of the harbor, a boat pulled along side, and
while our ship was under full steam, a harbor pilot stepped off the small
boat onto a rope ladder the Lane Victory had thrown over the side, and
climbed aboard to guide us back into our berth.
The sun was
coming out again, and just to our south, we saw a biplane flying. He slowed
way down, and then did a nice one turn spin to lose some altitude and then
headed our way. Soon he was down at our level and circled the ship several
times, very close in. First, he would fly down the port side, waving to the
passengers, and then he’d pull up into a steep wingover and turn to fly down
the starboard side to do the same thing. He buzzed around us for a while,
and then with a waggle of the wing, flew off toward some destination
inland.
By this time,
the harbor tug had come along the port side to guide us back to our berth.
We had found a great vantage point on a gun emplacement above the bridge,
and were able to see just about everywhere. As we entered the harbor’s main
channel, the
Los Angles Fire Boat Number Two pulled out in front of us, and
while the band played “God Bless America” on our ship, the fire boat turned
on all of its water canons and gave and incredible display, leading us up
the channel with water spraying to dizzying heights on all sides.
At the end of
the channel, the fire boat gave us three hearty blasts on its klaxon, and
the Lane Victory answered back with three booming reports from its whistle
right over our heads. The sturdy little tugboat at our side then slowly
turned us around, and nudged the ship into its berth.
We were back in
dock right at our scheduled time of 4:30 pm. The day was breathtaking. The
weather was perfect, and the ship was filled with marvelous shapes, smells,
and memories. For us, the cruise was far too short. We felt part of an
experience of a lifetime. Our faces were wind burned, and our feet sore
from walking on hard decks, but we left the harbor thrilled and excited, and
smiling from ear to ear.
S.S. Lane Victory Web Site
|
