Explore the ship
Step aboard Red Oak Victory and into a piece of living history
Victory ships were designed to carry cargo—ammunition, supplies and equipment—needed to support the war effort. From her cavernous cargo holds to the cramped crew cabins, every part of the ship served a purpose with no wasted space.
Today, those same spaces bring her story to life. Visitors can explore the ship and discover what life and work were like aboard a Victory ship, while some of her historic spaces have found new life hosting dances, dinners, presentations and special events.
Cargo Holds
Walk into one of Red Oak Victory’s cargo holds and you begin to appreciate just how much these ships could carry.
Victory ships had five multi-level cargo holds—three forward of the midship house and two aft. To put it in perspective, the ship could hold 1,800 Jeeps or the equivalent of 60–70 railroad cars full of cargo!
Today, Red Oak Victory’s cargo holds still convey the impressive scale of a working wartime cargo ship. Two of them have also been adapted as unique gathering spaces, enabling the ship to continue serving the community in an entirely new way.
Cargo Hold No. 4
Once filled with ammunition and other cargo, Hold No. 4 now welcomes visitors for dances, dinners and special events. Museum exhibits and tables line the sides, leaving plenty of room for a dance floor in the middle. The area also features the Ship’s Store, where visitors can purchase Red Oak Victory merchandise and other unique items for children and adults.
The steel walls, overhead beams and massive cargo hatch are reminders of the hold’s original purpose. It’s certainly not your typical place for a dance or private party! (Capacity: 150 persons)
Cargo Hold No. 3
Night.
Cargo Hold No. 3 offers another chance to experience the remarkable interior scale of a Victory ship—with a few modern surprises.
Today the hold is configured as a theater, with 90 theater seats, additional space for tables and chairs, and an audio-visual system with a large screen and projector. There’s even a festive Tiki bar tucked into one corner.
It’s a historic setting that has found a lively second life as a place for films, presentations, meetings and special gatherings. (Capacity: 125 persons)
Weather Decks (Exterior Decks)
Head outside and you’ll see Red Oak Victory from an entirely different perspective.
The ship’s weather decks weren’t simply places to enjoy the view. They were working spaces where crew members handled lines, stood lookout, supported cargo operations, maintained deck equipment and moved between different parts of the ship—all while exposed to wind, weather and sea conditions.
Walking the decks today gives visitors a sense of the ship’s enormous size and how its cargo hatches, gun positions, lifeboats and other working areas all fit together.
And when the weather cooperates, these historic decks take on yet another role as a dramatic open-air setting for public programs and special events.
Engine Room
Victory ships were designed to be faster and more powerful than the Liberty ships that preceded them. Red Oak Victory is approximately 455 feet long and 62 feet wide, and ships of her type were capable of speeds of 15–17 knots, about 40% faster than a Liberty Ship.
Steam-powered machinery transformed boiler-generated steam into the power needed to turn the propeller shaft and drive the ship across the ocean. Steam turbines, reduction gear and the propeller shaft all worked together to keep the vessel moving.
Visitors can tour the engine room with one of our docents. Standing among this machinery today, it’s easy to appreciate Red Oak Victory not simply as a place where cargo was stored, but as a working steamship built to carry that cargo across thousands of miles of ocean.
Chartroom and Wheelhouse
Crossing an ocean required more than a powerful engine. The crew also had to know exactly where the ship was going—and how to get there safely.
In the chartroom, the crew used charts and navigational instruments, such as parallel rulers and protractors, to determine the ship’s position and plot the course ahead, while the helmsman in the wheelhouse followed their directions to keep the ship on the proper compass heading.
These instruments may seem simple compared with modern electronic navigation, but they were part of the everyday work of getting a ship, her crew and her cargo safely from one destination to the next.
Radio Room
The Radio Room was Red Oak Victory’s lifeline to the outside world, enabling the ship to communicate while thousands of miles from home.
Red Oak Victory still has her original 1944 radio, now fully restored and operational. Unlike the voice communications we take for granted today, this radio communicates by Morse code. Radio operators sent and received messages as a series of dots and dashes, connecting the ship with the world beyond the horizon.
Visitors can see this remarkable piece of original equipment in the place where it was used more than 80 years ago—and discover how ships communicated long before satellites, cell phones and the internet.
Guns and Gun Mounts
Red Oak Victory was built to carry cargo—but during World War II, she also had to be prepared to defend it.
Ships carrying ammunition and vital supplies could face threats from enemy aircraft, submarines and surface vessels. Red Oak Victory therefore carried defensive armament, including a five-inch/38 caliber gun, a three-inch/50 caliber gun and eight 20 mm guns.
The wartime guns were removed during her service as a merchant ship. The ship has been re-fitted with a three-inch/50 caliber gun at the bow and a five-inch/38 caliber gun and two 20 mm guns aft.
Standing at these positions is a reminder that Red Oak Victory’s wartime mission was not an ordinary cargo run. The ship, her crew and the supplies they carried were part of a much larger—and often dangerous—effort to keep Allied forces supplied across the Pacific.
Living Spaces
Red Oak Victory was more than a workplace. For the sailors who served aboard her, she was also home. From where they slept to where meals were prepared and shared, the ship’s living spaces offer a glimpse into everyday life at sea.
Officers’ Wardroom
Today, visitors can step inside and imagine those officers sitting around the table during the ship’s working years. The wardroom is routinely used for crew meetings and can be rented for private parties and meetings, giving guests the unusual opportunity to gather in a space that looks much as it did more than 80 years ago. (Capacity: 15 persons)
Crew Cabin
The crew cabin gives visitors a sense of the compact accommodations provided for enlisted sailors. The crew worked in four-hour shifts, and even the beds were shared—while one sailor was on duty, another slept in the bed. It’s a vivid reminder of how differently sailors lived aboard a working ship.
Captain’s Cabin
The captain had more space than the enlisted sailors, with an office and adjoining sleeping cabin. The arrangement enabled him to work and rest close at hand while at sea.
Galley
The galley was the ship’s kitchen, but unlike a kitchen ashore, its work didn’t end after dinner. The ship’s crew worked in four-hour shifts, which meant there were always sailors awake and on duty—and always people working in the galley to keep them fed.
A Ship With a New Mission
Red Oak Victory was built to serve during an extraordinary moment in history. More than eight decades later, she is still serving.
Her cargo holds, decks, machinery and living spaces now give visitors a chance to experience maritime history in a way no photograph or textbook can reproduce. At the same time, dances, dinners, presentations and community events bring people aboard and give some of the ship’s historic spaces a new purpose.
From wartime cargo ship to museum, educational resource and one-of-a-kind gathering place, Red Oak Victory continues to bring people together—and to keep her history alive.