S.S. Lane Victory in port!

The S.S. Lane Victory, a WWII supply ship, cruised through the sparkling, blue waters off the Pacific Ocean near Catalina Island.

Suddenly, the captain announced over the loud speakers that a spy had gained access to the radio room and signaled the ship’s position to the enemy. An aerial attack was imminent.

Within minutes, a squadron of fighter planes came roaring overhead. The ship’s crew manned the 20mm, 40mm and 5-inch guns and staccato bursts pierced the air, as the enemy planes made repeated strafing passes on the ship. Soon after, American fighters arrived, determined to show the adversary their prowess. They triumphantly drove the attacking planes from the sky.

This wasn’t 1942 but the summer of 2008, on this floating museum sailing out of Los Angeles. On board for the reenactment was a boisterous crowd, from young children to seasoned military veterans, all thrilled to be part of the experience.

The real victory though, lies in the creation of this living memorial and the Merchant Marine veterans who got it started. “This museum almost didn’t happen, especially when we tried to bring it into port,” said Bob Simpson, of the U.S. Merchant Marine Veteran’s of WWII.

In 1988, the USMMVWWII received this Victory ship, in a donation made by President Reagan in tribute for their service. The Victory ships were built to supply the war effort and served from Europe to the Pacific. There were only 534 built and about 40 of them were rusting in San Francisco bay. The veterans went up and chose the best of the lot, which happened to be the “Lane”.

According to Simpson, the Navy towed their ship down to Los Angeles and the men went out to greet it, just beyond the breakwater. As they were about to enter port, the Harbor Department came roaring up and informed them they weren’t allowed to bring this corroded vessel into their jurisdiction. They said it was an eyesore and felt these aging veterans weren’t going to commit to its restoration.

Nevertheless, the men convinced the department officials to allow them a trial period and it was reluctantly given. It wasn’t easy though. They were forced to pay $5,000 a month in port fees, on top of the funds needed for the refurbishment. After several more altercations with the department, they were finally allowed a permanent berth.

When new officers were put in charge of the Harbor Department, the veterans were given a reprieve. The officials noted the significance of the project and the men’s devotion to it so they waived the port fees and moved them to a more strategic location. In December of 1990, it was designated a National Historic landmark.

Today, the ship sits under the Vincent Thomas Bridge. It sails six times a year on weekends from July to September. The last cruises for this year will be on September 27th and 28th. However, the ship is open daily from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm when it’s in port.

This ship is often rented by Hollywood for films and television shows such as Alias, JAG and Flags of Our Fathers. Most recently, it was used in a movie starring Brad Pitt called The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

The stories told by these veterans, though, may be more compelling than these Hollywood tales. Motivated by patriotism, most of the veterans joined the Merchant Marines when they were still teenagers.

Issie Dietsch tells his war memories.

One of them, Issie Deitsch, was only fifteen when he signed up, using an altered birth certificate. He had two ships torpedoed out from under him. One in the freezing Barents Sea in the Arctic Circle near Russia and the other in warm, shark-infested waters off the coast of North Africa.

The captain of the Lane Victory, J.D. Itson, was only seventeen when he joined. He served in the Pacific, off Okinawa and still recalls the harrowing Kamikaze attacks made by the desperate Japanese pilots.

One fascinating account came from Simpson himself, who was eighteen when he signed on. He and several friends made the rounds of the recruiters after Pearl Harbor. When they came to the Merchant Marines, they discovered it was the least military of the armed services. With no uniforms or saluting, they decided it was the right service for them.

At the time of their signing though, they didn’t know it wasn’t the least dangerous. After they joined up, it was revealed to them that one out of every three seamen either lost their lives or were wounded in the line of duty. Despite being the smallest of the armed forces, this was the highest casualty rate, even over the U.S. Marines.

Simpson ended up on the same ship, off North Africa, with two of his buddies, Kurt and Hollis. They decided to flip a coin to see which one would be the casualty. Kurt lost the coin toss.

That night, off the darkened coast of Morocco, there was a U-boat alarm and they manned their battle stations. Kurt joined Simpson at the guns and said, “If I’m going, I’m taking you with me!” Luckily they both survived the war, as did Hollis but others weren’t so lucky, as 6,795 mariners died in WWII.

These veterans are often down at the ship, as it takes a great deal of effort to keep the “Lane” seaworthy. If you’d like to hear more of their fascinating stories, come down to the port and take a trip through time on the S.S. Lane Victory!

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