Built in 1945, the S.S. Lane Victory delivered cargo to battle sites during
World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. A designated national landmark,
the Lane Victory now serves as a local naval museum that also sails to Catalina Island several times during the summer.
Tim (former Navy) must have had a hankerin’ to go to sea, because he suggested
taking a daylong cruise this weekend. I agreed, desperate to get out of the
miserable heat that’s plagued L.A. the past few weeks. We made reservations to
sail aboard the Lane Victory yesterday.
The ship was leaving port
at 9AM, so I got up early and packed a bag: blanket, sweatshirt, camera, magazines,
water, baguette, and a big slab of cheese. The trip included continental
breakfast and lunch, but one can never be overly prepared for such occasions.
We both grew-up watching Gilligan’s Island, after all.
We arrived at Berth 46 a
little before 8AM. We could already see hundreds of people crawling all over
the ship. We boarded and staked our claim for a place to sit—well, actually
lean, as there are far fewer seats (i.e., folding chairs) than there are
travelers, so it’s first-come, first-served. Since we were among the youngest
people there, we decided to stand. We got a firsthand look at the tugboats as
they guided the ship out of the harbor and watched as the pilot debarked. By
9:30AM, we were on the open sea.
Waiting to launch
Our tug arrives
L.A. lighthouse and jet-skiers riding alongside
Heading toward Catalina
We’d done the cruise
before. Still, it’s fun to climb up and down the ladders and poke around in the
various rooms that are open to the public. A swing band and Andrews Sisters
cover group performed most of the day, so we settled in near them and joined
dancers who were dressed in 1940s outfits. We arrived at Catalina just as the
sun was starting to break through. The island looked tempting, but we stayed
outside its small harbor, moving in a wide circle while everyone ate lunch.
Land ho! Catalina straight ahead
Beautiful Avalon harbor
Lunch is served!
We were relaxing and
enjoying the cool sea breeze when suddenly a voice came over the ship’s
loudspeaker, warning that a German spy had been captured in the boiler room. A
few minutes later, our ship was under attack by WWII German airplanes! American
planes were in hot pursuit. An exciting dogfight ensued as Lane Victory gunners
shot at the enemy. A small boy standing next to me wondered why, with all the shooting going on, the Germans hadn’t crashed into the sea. His older brother patiently explained that it was just a
show, but the boy didn’t seem convinced.
German spy is captured
German plane is hit, but doesn't crash!
Lane Victory model
After the Germans were
subdued, the ship headed back to L.A. We spent some time below deck, looking
through the WWII artifacts in the museum, and then danced. We were back in port
by 3PM. It took a good hour, however, before the gangplank was lowered and we
were allowed to leave. By then we were famished. Thank goodness for our cheese and baguette!
Home: Port of Los Angeles
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