According to the website, they should have been open today at 10 AM. We waited for about 30 minutes. The ship is only run by volunteers, so maybe someone was running late. We didn't notice a sign earlier that had all the days taped off except Sunday. We were very disappointed. We tried the number on the website and it was no longer in service. We came from Oregon to see this ship, so we were VERY DISAPPOINTED.

The Red Oak Victory is one of the Liberty Ships that was built at the shipyard in Richmond during WWII. These huge ships were built incredibly quickly, most within a few weeks and some took just a few days. The Red Oak is only open on Sundays. There are self-guided audio and guided tours available. As it's just a cargo ship, it's pretty basic and not nearly as interesting as WWII warships, notwithstanding its critical role in supplying the Allied Armies. This particular ship is only partially maintained in original condition. Much of the cargo area is now event space, and other rooms in the ship are office and storage space. It's fine for what it is, but not something I'd plan a trip around.

We visited Red Oak Victory during the late summer. We drove up and spent the morning in Vallejo at LCS-102 and then toured Red Oak Victory in the afternoon. Red Oak Victory is one of the most internally immaculate museum ships I've been on - the engine room is a marvel in particular, as well as the steering station aft (which I have never visited on another Victory or Liberty ship - and I have been on SS John W. Brown and SS American Victory on the east coast). We had the privilege of being shown around by the head docent, Alan, who was a wealth of knowledge. The setting for the museum is also excellent, the big eerie storage warehouse next door and the historic crane next to the ship all help the visitor envision what this shipyard looked like in WWII. It is the most intact site remaining of the storied Kaiser Shipyards. Parking was very easy, finding the ship was easy (driving around a massive lot of Subarus), and bathrooms were readily available. The exterior of the ship shows some rust due to the harsh salt & wind, but don't let that fool you - overall the ship is in great shape and walking the decks is an adventure worth taking. The ship is only open once per week so I recommend contacting them ahead of time to ensure your visit actually coincides with their open hours. This is a must-do if in the Bay Area whatsoever. It really gives you a feeling for what these merchant marines did during WWII, the marvel that Victory Ships were/are, and how Richmond contributed to the war effort. Plus, Red Oak Victory was actually a navy ship (for transporting ammo) in WWII, so that's an added bonus. Neatly enough, I found out that the 5-inch gun on the stern was actually the old training gun from Treasure Island that was displaced by the recent redevelopment there. Cool way to pass on some San Fran history to a ship that needed a more appropriate gun!

We went to see the historic World War II ship - the SS Red Oak Victory. Its an interesting ship to explore Its fun to read about its history. Its located in Richmond by the bay.

An actual Victory Ship that helped the United States win WW2. I recommend going for the Pancake Breakfast & tour or the Swing Dance nights... very cool and right in our back yard.