By Kathy Chouteau
The S.S. Red Oak Victory—a WWII Victory ship built at the historic Richmond Kaiser Shipyards—needs to make additions to its all-volunteer crew.
The ship is on the lookout for an executive director and also a collections manager, both senior level volunteer positions. Other volunteer roles needing to be filled, per the ship’s website, include: Docents and greeters to present the ship, lead tours, accept tickets, etc. to the public; general maintenance, such as painting and cleaning (familiarity with hand tools is helpful); regulatory and compliance manager to handle all compliance procedures and documentation with the Coast Guard, EPA, etc.; welders to climb masts and work on upper ship sections; painters with experience working on steel and willing to work high up; riggers to repair and maintain the ship’s lifting gear; and content producers for marketing.
The website noted that the Red Oak Victory has engineering and deck work done on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while on Sundays, it opens up to the community. School field trips, dances, musical events and the ever-popular Pancake Breakfasts also happen throughout the year with the help of volunteers.
According its website, the Red Oak Victory “is the last remaining ship of the 747 vessels built at California’s Richmond Kaiser Shipyards during World War II.” The crew added that shipyards “were vital to American victory in the war [and] were also a spawning ground for modern civil rights and equal opportunity movements.”
The Red Oak Victory is located at 1337 Canal Blvd., Berth 5, in Richmond. Learn more about volunteer opportunities here. Anyone able to volunteer for the ship can express their interest by emailing [email protected].
