Lane Victory
The Lane is still seaworthy, and it offers several cruises from the San Pedro harbor to 26 miles out to Catalina Island during the year. The cruises are typically big events with fire-tug escorts and fake, vintage-aircraft “attacks” along the way.
Familiar Old Passageways
Llined with plaques and stories about all the various victory ships built in the ‘40’s. Included are crew rosters and details about the fate of each vessel.
Berthing Area
There’s a contingent of old MSC crewmen who live on board the Lane and work on her daily.
Berthing Area
There’s another group of volunteers who work on the ship when they can. This is a Day Worker berthing area.
Looking Aft
A group of the ship’s maintenance crew swapping lies in the sun on the hatch cover forming the ceiling of Hold No 4. Underneath them is one of the two great museums on board.
Weaponry
Like many Vics, the Lane was equipped with a suite of weaponry for defense at sea. There’s a plaque beside each gun to explain in detail its capabilities and how it was used.
Pilot House
Because of ongoing maintenance on the day I visited, all the ship’s mechanical and navigational spaces were closed to visitors. This is a shot thru the smudged window of the bridge.
Number 3 Hold
A view down into Hold #3. This is the area on the TAGS ships that became our berthing and survey spaces. It was a hoot to see how it looked before the TAGS conversion. Note the heavy metal truss forming the edge of the opening down in the hold. Also note the little “u” in the center of the rear edge of the opening where a similar truss could be inserted. Multiple trusses and wooden floorboards formed multiple levels within the hold. These internal levels had to be completely assembled and disassembled every time cargo was loaded into and removed from the ship.
On Deck
Hold No. 3 open to the sun. Visible beside the rim are two of the beefy hatch cover sections that protected cargo in the hold at sea.
Hatch Covers
A closer look at the beefy cargo hatch covers. Lashed aside them is one of the trusses used down inside the hold to create and support multiple, floored levels for cargo storage.
The Armed Guard
Along with most Vics came a Navy contingent aboard for the sole purpose of protecting the ship and its cargo. This team was called the “Armed Guard.” It was responsible for operating and maintaining all the weaponry aboard. See http://www.usmm.org/men_ships.html and http://www.armed-guard.com/
Not So Private Privy
The Lane was used during the Korean conflict to evacuate large numbers of civilians. To accommodate the toileting needs of a large shipboard population, this privy was rigged on a gunwale under the fantail. At one point in 1950, the ship set sea with over 7,000 civilians aboard.
Armed Guard Berthing
Berthing for the Navy Armed Guard. Their spaces were confined to the deck under the fantail and the big 20mm guns above them. Probably not the most comfortable place to be in a pitching sea.
Another View of the Privy Off the Fantail
