CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Some remnants of little-known World War II history directly tied to Clarksville are now on display at the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center.
The Customs House recently unveiled the hull plate from the SS Clarksville Victory, a World War II ship built in 1945. In addition, the bottle that was used to christen that ship is now on display, providing a new story to tell future generations.
SS Clarksville Victory
Victory ships were 455 feet long and 62 feet wide, according to the Customs House. They could operate at 8,500 horsepower, which made them better equipped to outrun German U-boats, unlike the much-slower Liberty-class ships that preceded them.
These ships were either crafted in California, Washington, Oregon or Maryland and were named after member countries of the United Nations as well as cities and colleges across the United States.
The SS Clarksville Victory was built at the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1945. It was the first ship of its type to be named after a Tennessee town. According to the Customs House, clubs and citizens of Clarksville volunteered to stock the ship’s library.
On Jan. 30, Mayor William Kleeman and his family traveled to Baltimore for the christening. His daughter, Anne, and son, William Kleeman Jr., were both present, with Anne serving as the ship’s sponsor.
Liberty and Victory ships carried cargo and troops and also served as fuel tankers and hospitals when necessary. The SS Clarksville provided wartime assistance and post-war recovery missions.
Perhaps the most notable mission of this ship was its aid to European countries in repopulating livestock. It was one of 73 ships to participate in the “Heifers for Relief” project.
“The livestock were handled by farmhands. They became known as ‘seagoing cowboys,’ which I think is an interesting paradox. You don’t think cowboys being on the ocean,” Frank Lott, executive director of the Customs House, told Clarksville Now.
Following several missions, the ship was moved to the National Defense Reserve Fleet on the James River at Fort Eustis, Virginia, from 1948 until 1993. It served as an available vessel if one were needed, but it was retired from active duty, according to Lott.
History on display
The hull plate from the SS Clarksville Victory was unveiled Nov. 5 at the organization’s Director’s Appreciation event for upper-level members.
“The museum now has recovered, and has on display, what is called the builder’s haul plate, which is like an architect’s plaque on a building. It describes the vessel by name, the date of its launch, where it was launched from (and) who the ship’s builder was,” Lott said.
The ship was scrapped in 1994, and the haul plate was stored away in a warehouse, where it would remain for the next several years.
In May 2021, Lott said, the city was contacted by the US Maritime Administration by letter about the artifact.
“The Maritime Administration said, we have an artifact from this vessel, and we would like to know if you would like to have it. We obviously said yes. They sent it to me at the museum, and we felt like this was a story that needed to be told,” he said. “It’s a marvelous story of resilience and aid to the world in post-war recovery.”
The bottle
In addition to the hull plate, the museum has another piece of history on display: Pieces of the bottle that was used to christen the ship back on Jan. 30, 1945.
“We actually have on display the original christening bottle in a silk shroud that Mayor Kleeman’s daughter, Anne, used to christen this vessel on the launch date. We have that on display in the museum.”
That artifact has been in the museum’s possession for decades, but no one knew what it was. It was only after the existence of the hull plate was discovered that the organization knew what they had on hand.
“Anne Kleeman, who was a lifelong resident of Clarksville. She and her husband John Sites – she (later) became Anne Kleeman-Sites – she donated the christening bottle to the museum in 1988. It has been in our collection,” he said. “We just didn’t recall that we had it specifically, but once we got the research, we said, ‘You know what, we have that bottle,'” Lott told Clarksville Now.
He also explained that one of the leading authorities on this topic is going to be in Clarksville in the spring to give a lecture at the Customs House about the “seagoing cowboys.” The date has not been scheduled, but it was noted that they are hoping to welcome the presenter in late February or early March.