California: World War II relic ready for face-lift

From Mercury News: World War II relic ready for face-lift
Getting 10,000 tons of vintage World War II steel from Richmond to San Francisco was far less tricky than the nuance needed to guide it into a dock Thursday morning.

Three tugboats took about two hours to guide the historic cargo ship SS Red Oak Victory across the bay and another hour to slowly nudge it into the slip where reconditioning and repairs will be done to its neglected and rusted hull.

It was a momentous day for the ship built nearly 67 years ago at Kaiser Shipyard No. 1 in Richmond, the first step in making it seaworthy again.

"I've been waiting 12 years to get to this. It's my dream come true" said 93-year-old San Leandro resident William A. Jackson, a retired Merchant Marine veteran of more than 60 years.

"The next time we leave we want to do it under our own power," said Jackson, esteemed among the Red Oak's dedicated volunteers as the chief engineer emeritus.

Phyllis Doering, a member of the Red Oak Victory board, made the voyage carrying the dog tags and service photo of her father, Herbert Allen Perry, who served on the ship as a machinist's mate first class.

The day was "kind of bittersweet," Doering said. "I'm so happy the ship's being restored -- it's a marvelous project -- but sad he's not here to see it all."

The send-off from the Port of Richmond didn't have the pomp and fanfare of a ship launching, but a contingent of early rising well-wishers showed up to watch the Red Oak depart and most of the regular volunteers and docents were on board.

The departure had been moved up an hour to better coincide with higher tides in the East Bay, said Lois Boyle, president of the Richmond Museum Association, which owns the ship.

The long-awaited repair project was made possible by a federal Save America's Treasures grant and local matching fundraising.

Harold Wagner, one of three Red Oak volunteers who served on Victory class ships during the war, always believed the work would happen even when he had to endure "all the negative people saying, 'Oh, that ship will never sail.' "

"We've been waiting a long time to get it into the dry docks, and I wouldn't miss it," said the 84-year-old San Ramon resident.

Plans call for the ship, a centerpiece of the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Park, to be done in time for the Oct. 15 Home Front Festival in Richmond.

The ship is a small but significant part of the shipbuilding output in Richmond during World War II, said historian and volunteer Steve Gilford.

"You get a sense of the scale of the war effort, of one part of it in Richmond," said Gilford, whose book on Henry J. Kaiser and the shipyards will debut next month. "They built more ships here, faster and better than anywhere in the world. It's not just World War II, these things were the backbone of the American Merchant Marine. It's really exciting for the people who put in so much time, so much effort."