The Notre Dame Victory was built for U. S. Maritime Commission as Class VC2-S-AP3 “Victory” class cargo vessel during World War II (registered at 7606gt/4549nt). It was laid up in the James River reserve fleet after the war, until being sold in 1950.
After being sold, it was converted to a bulk carrier in 1951 (188.7m, 9305gt/14473dw), by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, by adding a new midbody in the Sparrows Point, Maryland ship yard. Pontoons were added and the ship was moved up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to Chicago, where the American Ship Building Company completed the conversion. The Cliffs Victory entered service for the Cleveland-Cliffs Steamship Company in June, 1951.
In 1957 the American Ship Building Company (Chicago), lengthened the ship again (11151gt/18407dw).
Laid up for the last time at South Chicago, Illinois in 1981. It was sold for scrap in 1985 to Hai International Corporation of Monrovia, Liberia. The ship was renamed Savic (Panama) for the scrap voyage, that left Chicago on December 17, 1985, for Taiwan. The ship was resold to South Korean shipbreakers and it was moved to Inchon , South Korea, arriving on December 8, 1986 and then in Masan on December 22. |