18. June 2025
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American Victory Ship Mariners Memorial Museum

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

American Victory Ship Mariners Memorial Museum

15 USD
American Victory Ship Mariners Memorial Museum
4.4

Rating

 4.4/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Great opportunity to visit a vessel of that era
  • Wide exhibition with a lot of original items
  • Great view of Tampa from upper deck
  • Still able to maneuver

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Too patriotic presentation

I still have quite a backlog of reviews of places and attractions in Florida. Thus, I am very happy to finally share you an interesting place in Tampa. Right at the Tampa Bay, there is the SS American Victory. Thirty years after the cargo ship was taken out of service, it became a museum ship in 1999. Here is the review of my visit there.

 

 

SS American Victory Museum – Location & Admission

The SS American Victory is located in the Ybor Turning Basin in Tampa. It is thus a direct neighbor of The Florida Aquarium and Amelie Arena, home of Tampa Bay Lightning. You can use the iconic TECO Line Streetcar to get there. Typical stops are The Florida Aquarium and Amalie Arena. Due to the arena and the convention center around, there are also numerous parking options around.

The historic ship is opening daily from 10:00 to 17:00. On Mondays, you can visit from noon, though. Adult admission is 15 USD, including taxes and fees. You can also book the tickets online.

 

SS American Victory Museum – The Visit

You visit the SS American Victory on a self-guided tour. The vessel has been launched in May 1945 and served in the final months of WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. In 1969, it turned out of service. It has a length of 139 meters and could travel up to 37,800km at a maximum speed of 32.4 km/h. Directions on the vessel are given, I split the review into under deck and on deck items. The vast size of the ship allows to display several items in the SS American Victory nowadays. This includes original nautical instruments, but also a lot of ship models. By the way, the ship is still able to maneuver. There is a lot of information given by signs and QR codes. However, I have to state that I felt that the museum has an extremely patriotic touch, even compared to other US military museums I have visited before.

The sheer size of the ship becomes very obvious when you run into the eleven meter German tiny Seehund submarine during your visit. You can also explore the life onboard the SS American Victory. However, some key parts of the vessel cannot be visited (also because the ship could still navigate). Other parts of your visit, like the cabins, are obviously a bit of repetitive. Nonetheless, the visit under deck is absolutely fascinating. You should be able to climb the staircases in the vessel, though.

 

On Deck of the SS American Victory

Part of you visit is of course also to walk on deck of the ship. It is interesting to explore the facilities in there, but I also enjoyed the view of Tampa and the Tampa Bay from that unusual perspective.

 

SS American Victory Museum – Services

The staff was friendly and helpful. There is a shop close to the entrance which sells patriotic gear, as they call it by themselves.

 

SS American Victory Museum – My View

There are not that many opportunities to visit a vessel like that. As there are other key Tampa attractions in the area, you should add the SS American Victory Museum to your bucket list for the Florida city. The value for money is definitely amazing, even though some parts of my visit bothered me. Visiting time should at least be 90 minutes, better two hours.

 

Museums with Maritime Background

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