USS Boulder Victory ( AK - 227 ) USS " Boulder Victory " ( AK - 227 ) was a " Boulder Victory " - class cargo ship acquired by the U . S . Navy during World War II . She carried ammunition into the Pacific Ocean war zone and , on 20 December 1944 at Manus , New Guinea , she struck a naval mine and suffered a very large hole in her side . Fortunately , her ammunition did not explode due to the sudden inrush of seawater ; however , her operations were somewhat limited after that unfortunate event and post - war she returned to the United States for disposal by the Navy and a continued maritime career . Victory built in Richmond , California . " Boulder Victory " ( AK - 227 ) was laid down on 18 June 1944 at Richmond , California , by Permanente Metals Corporation under a U . S . Maritime Commission contract ( MCV hull 536 ) ; launched on 31 August ; sponsored by Miss Elsa Maxwell ; transferred to the Navy on 12 October ; and commissioned the same day , Lt . Comdr . Francis E . Church in command . World War II service . On 17 October , the newly commissioned cargo ship sailed to San Francisco , California , to begin duty as an ammunition supply vessel . Her holds were filled by 2 November , and " Boulder Victory " got underway for the western Pacific . In order to support the Allied advances to the west and north , forward ammunition replenishment stations were established at Ulithi Atoll in the Western Caroline Islands and Kossol Passage in the Palau Islands . " Boulder Victory " received orders to transfer ammunition between these bases as needed . She made port at Eniwetok on 17 November to refuel , entered the lagoon at Ulithi on the 30th , and reached Kossol Passage on 8 December . Kossol Passage ultimately proved to be unsuitable for ammunition handling owing to chronic heavy swells , the lack of storage facilities ashore , and the shortage of personnel to unload the supplies , as well as its proximity to Japanese - held Babelthuap Island . Floating mines from that island were a constant danger . Striking a mine . On 20 December , as " Boulder Victory " set out for Manus , she struck one of those mines on her port side . The explosion tore a hole in her No . 3 hold that measured 18 feet by 32 feet . The hold contained 5 - inch projectiles , but the fires started by the explosion were extinguished by the rapid rush of seawater into the space . As a consequence , only two shells exploded , leaving two 16 - inch holes in the skin of the ship . " Boulder Victory " remained afloat , although low in the water ; and , after emergency repairs to the engines , managed to get into Palau again on her own power . Her crew suffered no casualties , but the damage to the ship was so severe that her wartime operations ended . The cargo ship remained anchored at Kossol Passage unloading ammunition and cleaning debris from the hold until 8 February 1945 . She then slowly steamed to Manus to unload the remainder of her cargo and to enter a floating drydock for further repairs . Finally , on 13 June , " Boulder Victory ' s " temporary repairs made her seaworthy again , and she set course via Pearl Harbor for San Francisco . On 30 June , the ship began a major overhaul by United Engineering Co . at Alameda , California , to complete the repairs . End - of - war operations . " Boulder Victory " was still in overhaul when the Japanese capitulated in August ; but , on 1 September , the cargo ship began shakedown and training exercises off San Diego , California . She got underway on 10 October to carry supplies to the occupation troops in Japan . After a refueling stop at Eniwetok , " Boulder Victory " continued on to Okinawa where she arrived on 30 October . She unloaded her cargo and embarked returning veterans . On 10 November , she set sail for the United States . Post - war decommissioning . After discharging her passengers , the ship sailed for San Francisco , where she commenced demilitarization on 5 December and was returned to the War Shipping Administration on 4 January 1946 . Her name was struck from the Navy list on 21 January 1946 . During 1946 and 1947 , " Boulder Victory " was operated by Parry Navigation Co . , Inc . She was then inactivated and laid up at Wilmington , North Carolina , until 1951 , when she began operations for the Isbrantsen Co . , Inc . , and then for the American - Hawaiian Steamship Company . The ship was once again deactivated in 1953 and placed in storage at Suisun Bay , California , where she remained until disposed of sometime in the mid - 1980s . Honors and awards . Qualified " Boulder Victory " personnel were eligible for the following :