The Richmond City Council has approved a study to explore relocating the SS Red Oak Victory, a historic WWII cargo ship currently docked in the Port of Richmond. The ship, which now serves as a floating museum, has sparked debate due to a $20 million relocation cost and concerns about losing its historical context. Some advocate moving it to Marina Bay to boost tourism, while others argue it should remain in its original location.
Ship keeper Desiree Heveroh patrols the exterior of the SS Red Oak Victory ship docked in Richmond, Calif. , on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. The Red Oak Victory ship is currently undergoing two weeks of renovations by volunteers who are mostly female.
The Red Oak Victory ship is a Boulder Victory-class cargo ship that was used during WWII to transport ammunition. RICHMOND — The Richmond City Council has agreed to a study that may offer guidance on a divisive question that has vexed the city for quite some time: what to do with its historic World War II ship. The SS Red Oak Victory has sat in the Port of Richmond for decades.
Some community members have advocated for moving the vessel, which now serves as a floating museum, in order to generate revenue for the city, its port and the ship’s nonprofit owner, but efforts have stalled due to $20 million relocation cost. Some opponents of the move also believe that if the ship is taken out of its current location, its historical context will be lost.was one of hundreds of ships built in the Kaiser Shipyards in the 1940s, and, after serving a number of missions,Returned to Richmond in 1998, it has functioned as a wartime museum and monument to the thousands of men and women who answered the call.
Hoping to see a boost in visitors, the Richmond Museum Association — which owns the the Red Oak Victory — and many long-time volunteers would like to see the ship moved from its current location down a windy road to a new spot near Richmond’s more frequented Marina Bay.
“The Red Oak Victory has already demonstrated its value as a national and international tourist asset,” SS Red Oak Victory Ship Director Mark Epperson said during a council meeting Tuesday. “Preserving and strengthening the Red Oak Victory access and presence in Richmond aligns both with economic development goals and the city’s identity as a center of American home front history.
”Today in History: May 3, ‘Gone with the Wind’ author wins Pulitzer PrizeIf moved to the preferred location, the ship would be staged near the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park, the Craneway Pavilion, Richmond Ferry Station, small restaurants and other local businesses. While nearby attractions could drive revenue growth for the museum, vacating the berth it currently occupies would also enable the port to lease out the space to generate additional income of its own, bringing in tax revenue that would benefit the city, Port Director Charles Gerard has said.
The cost of studying the proposal has already been accounted for in the port’s budget, Gerard said. The port plans to contract with Liftech Consultants Inc., an engineering firm in Oakland, to do the work for $299,797. A majority of councilmembers agreed Tuesday to allow the port to pursue the study after expressing optimism for the Red Oak Victory’s potential.
Volunteers gather to discuss how to cut an exhaust stack while aboard the SS Red Oak Victory ship docked in Richmond, Calif. , on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. The Red Oak Victory ship is currently undergoing two weeks of renovations by volunteers who are mostly female. The Red Oak Victory ship is a Boulder Victory-class cargo ship that was used during WWII to transport ammunition.
Volunteer Virginia Herte, of Fair Oaks, paints the bottom portion of a capstan while aboard the SS Red Oak Victory ship docked in Richmond, Calif. , on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. Herte use to work at the shipyards in Long Beach installing insulation on Naval ships. She felt compelled to volunteer when she heard about the renovation work on the SS Red Oak Victory .
The Red Oak Victory ship is currently undergoing two weeks of renovations by volunteers who are mostly female. The Red Oak Victory ship is a Boulder Victory-class cargo ship that was used during WWII to transport ammunition. Steamfitter Annie Blevins, of Vallejo, uses a hydraulic pipe bender to bend a pipe while aboard the SS Red Oak Victory ship docked in Richmond, Calif. , on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025.
The Red Oak Victory ship is currently undergoing two weeks of renovations by volunteers who are mostly female. The Red Oak Victory ship is a Boulder Victory-class cargo ship that was used during WWII to transport ammunition. Steamfitter Courtney Montano uses a saw to cut an exhaust stack while aboard the SS Red Oak Victory ship docked in Richmond, Calif. , on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025.
The Red Oak Victory ship is currently undergoing two weeks of renovations by volunteers who are mostly female. The Red Oak Victory ship is a Boulder Victory-class cargo ship that was used during WWII to transport ammunition.
Project manager for the Rosie the Riveter WWII Homefront National Historical Park Elizabeth Falkner, right, places a red and white polka dot scarf on Project leader Rennae Ross before boarding the SS Red Oak Victory ship docked in Richmond, Calif. , on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. The Red Oak Victory ship is currently undergoing two weeks of renovations by volunteers who are mostly female.
The Red Oak Victory ship is a Boulder Victory-class cargo ship that was used during WWII to transport ammunition.
The Red Oak Victory ship is a Boulder Victory-class cargo ship that was used during WWII to transport ammunition. Francisco Mijango, of Richmond, dressed in a WWII military uniform, leaves a birthday message for Jeanne Gibson and Marian Sousa during a celebration for their 100th birthday held on the SS Red Oak Victory ship docked in Richmond, Calif. , on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026.
Jeanne Gibson and Marian Sousa, who were both former Rosie the Riveters, were honored today with a celebration honoring their 100th birthday. A photograph of former Rosie the Riveter, Jeanne Gibson, of Pinole, is displayed on the wall as friends and family attend a celebration for her 100th birthday held on the SS Red Oak Victory ship docked in Richmond, Calif. , on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026.
Jeanne Gibson and Marian Sousa, who were both former Rosie the Riveters, were honored today with a celebration honoring their 100th birthdays. Boilermaker apprentice Salena Durrell, of Concord, works on grinding gussets aboard the SS Red Oak Victory ship docked in Richmond, Calif. , on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. The Red Oak Victory ship is currently undergoing two weeks of renovations by volunteers who are mostly female.
The Red Oak Victory ship is a Boulder Victory-class cargo ship that was used during WWII to transport ammunition. Steamfitter Melissa Tanzillo, left, measures an exhaust stack as Project leader Rennae Ross advises while aboard the SS Red Oak Victory ship docked in Richmond, Calif. , on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. The Red Oak Victory ship is currently undergoing two weeks of renovations by volunteers who are mostly female.
The Red Oak Victory ship is a Boulder Victory-class cargo ship that was used during WWII to transport ammunition. Volunteers work to secure the historic SS Red Oak Victory ship in her new home at Basin 5 in Richmond, Calif. , on Friday, March 4, 2016. After months of planning, the SS Red Oak Victory ship moved a short distance to the very spot she was outfitted before her maiden voyage in 1944.
The move allows clear views for the new Riggers Loft Wine Company. Alan Burns, left, leads a tour aboard the SS Red Oak Victory ship in Richmond, Calif. , on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014. Alan Burns, right, leads a tour aboard the SS Red Oak Victory ship in Richmond, Calif.
, on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014. Mayor Eduardo Martinez said delegates from South Korea have expressed an interest in fixing up the ship and sharing it on a bi-annual basis. The city could celebrate the partnership with an “extravaganza” when the ship docks and departs. Councilmember Soheila Bana said she could see the ship being used for overnight stays or as an emergency center.
Councilmember Cesar Zepeda acknowledged the ship’s storied history and the dedication of those who have dedicated years to stewarding the historic vessel.
“This ship has always been there for our various communities — ready to go, ready to help — and I think the least we could do is try to pay that back to this ship,” . A key sticking point, aside from parking and equipment storage restraints, is that the project is estimated to cost between $16 million and $20 million with the development of a new dock. Gerard said the port has applied for funding from U.S. Rep.
John Garamendi’s office that would help rehabilitate Berth 5, where the Red Oak Victory is currently stationed. The port’s project is one of the finalists being considered, he said. With support from Garamendi’s office, the Port of Richmond was recently awarded $11.2 million in federal Maritime Administration funding through the Port Infrastructure Development Program for separate infrastructure upgrades.
No funding for the ship’s relocation has been guaranteed, Gerard acknowledged, and a funding plan would not be part of the initial study. But, the study will help develop a preliminary design and more accurate project cost estimates, which would move conversations about finances forward, he said.needed for the study.
Concerned the port would pay for a study that would go nowhere, they said they wanted more information on how the funds would be raised to actually build the dock and move the ship. Councilmember Sue Wilson, the lone vote against permitting the study, and Councilmember Claudia Jimenez, who ultimately supported the proposal, said they still wanted clearer details on how exactly the project would be paid for.
Jimenez said Garamendi, who has been an advocate for the ship’s relocation, should be offering financial support for the initiative. Wilson said she was hoping to see at least some ideas of different grant or funding opportunities that could help cover the costs.
“I think we’re going to spend $300,000 to reach a conclusion that I’m sort of reaching tonight, is that people love this ship but no one is coming forward to pay for it and I don’t think it’s the Port of Richmond that should close that gap,” Wilson said. Richmond’s collection of WWII infrastructure is unique and is the reason the city was selected as the host of a national home front park, said Elaine Jackson Rando, acting superintendent of the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park.
By keeping the ship in the port where it was built, visitors can get a fuller sense of what it was like to work in the shipyard during the time period, said Isabel Zeigler, Resource Stewardship and Planning Division manager.
“Separated from context, the ship tells a smaller story,” Zeigler said. “The rationale is straightforward. The current location of the ship provides authentic context. Visitors experience a real World War II ship yard setting, not a ship in isolation.
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SS Red Oak Victory Richmond City Council WWII Ship Museum Relocation Historical Preservation
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