These photos are of the S.S. Lane Victory which is located at Berth 46 in the Port of Los Angeles at San Pedro, CA. A couple of weeks ago, Tanya and I were at a regional Chamber of Commerce mixer and I won a raffle prize of tickets for two to receive the President’s Tour of the ship as well as lunch in the Officer’s Mess. It was actually the one thing I wanted to win. Anyway, this morning we met with Anthony Broude, the current President at U.S. Merchant Marine Veterans of World War II, and he gave us a personal tour of the Lane Victory from the bridge to the engine room and everything in-between. We had a great time and I learned that the difference between the Officer’s Mess and the Crew’s Mess would be tablecloths.
The S.S. Lane Victory was built in 1944 at Terminal Island, which is right around the corner from where she currently sits. She launched in 1945 for World War II. After the war she was decommissioned until 1950 when she was recommissioned for the Korean Conflict. One of the highlights of her time in Korea was when she rescued more than 7,000 Korean men, women and children and safely transported them from North Korea to South Korea. In 1953 she was decommissioned once again only to be recommissioned in 1966 for service in Vietnam. After four years there she was decommissioned on last time in 1970. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan conveyed the Lane Victory to the Merchant Marine; and on December 14, 1991 the S.S. Lane Victory was designated a National Historic Landmark.
We had a great time I thank Mr. Broude and everyone we met on our tour. If you are a history buff or just enjoy maritime stuff, I highly suggest checking out the S.S. Lane Victory. They have self-guided tours which are only $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for kids 15 and under. It really is fun for the entire family. They are open every day except Thursdays and they have three cruises a year. My mom and dad took the cruise once and my dad said it was great. You can find out more details at the S.S. Lane Victory website.
After we finished the tour we made a quick stop by the battleship, USS Iowa; it is pretty massive, I will have to go on-board some day. The final photos are from the Whale & Ale, which is an English style pub on 7th Street in San Pedro. They have a few English beers that I have not had since my visit to London, so that was a nice treat.
