5 /5 Evan Dwyer: We visited Red Oak Victory during the late summer. We drove up and spent the morning in Vallejo at LCS-102 and then toured Red Oak Victory in the afternoon. Red Oak Victory is one of the most internally immaculate museum ships Ive been on - the engine room is a marvel in particular, as well as the steering station aft (which I have never visited on another Victory or Liberty ship - and I have been on SS John W. Brown and SS American Victory on the east coast). We had the privilege of being shown around by the head docent, Alan, who was a wealth of knowledge. The setting for the museum is also excellent, the big eerie storage warehouse next door and the historic crane next to the ship all help the visitor envision what this shipyard looked like in WWII. It is the most intact site remaining of the storied Kaiser Shipyards. Parking was very easy, finding the ship was easy (driving around a massive lot of Subarus), and bathrooms were readily available. The exterior of the ship shows some rust due to the harsh salt & wind, but dont let that fool you - overall the ship is in great shape and walking the decks is an adventure worth taking. The ship is only open once per week so I recommend contacting them ahead of time to ensure your visit actually coincides with their open hours. This is a must-do if in the Bay Area whatsoever. It really gives you a feeling for what these merchant marines did during WWII, the marvel that Victory Ships were/are, and how Richmond contributed to the war effort. Plus, Red Oak Victory was actually a navy ship (for transporting ammo) in WWII, so thats an added bonus. Neatly enough, I found out that the 5-inch gun on the stern was actually the old training gun from Treasure Island that was displaced by the recent redevelopment there. Cool way to pass on some San Fran history to a ship that needed a more appropriate gun!
