The full name of the ship was RALPH WALDO EMERSON and she was a Liberty ship, not a Victory ship. The Victory ship class was the successor to the Liberty ship class, with Victory ships being slightly larger and much faster than Liberty ships. About 2,700 Liberty ships were built, and about 530 Victory ships. Most Victory ships had the word VICTORY as part of their name (for example AMERICAN VICTORY, now a museum ship in Tampa, Florida) while most Liberty ships were named after prominent persons in American history.
Her wartime career was relatively uneventful. I can find indications that she made at least one trip to Murmansk, Russia, over the northern end of Norway, probably the most dreaded voyage of the war. She also served elsewhere in the North Atlantic, in the Mediterranean and in the Pacific. The only even remotely notable event I could find was that she went aground on a muddy shoal off the Philippine island of Mindanao, without serious damage, on Oct 25, 1945, which was actually after the end of the war. She may never have sailed again after her return to the U.S. following that incident.
Interestingly I found records of two men with the last name Twarkins aboard RALPH WALDO EMERSON on a voyage that began in New York City on August 16, 1944, to Oban, Scotland, departed Southend, England, on November 10 and arrived in New York on November 24, 1944. The two men were Stephen A. Twarkins, an able seaman, age 28, and Adam F. Twarkins, an ordinary seaman, age 20. Was one your father and the other an uncle?
If you're interested in obtaining a photograph of RALPH WALDO EMERSON, please see this web page for sources of photographs of World War II-era merchant ships: http://www.usmm.org/photosource.html. Your best bet would be Mr. William Hultgren, whose photographic collection concentrates on Liberty ships. I know enough about his collection to know that Mr. Hultgren apparently has an image of RALPH WALDO EMERSON. Mr. Hultgren is quite elderly but at last report was actively managing his collection. There will be a charge for a copy but I don't know the amount.
Best wishes.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster Armed Guard/Merchant Marine website www.armed-guard.com
Yes, this was my father,Adam,and my uncle Steve Twarkins that made this voyage. This was the only time they sail together. Previous to this voyage, my dad says he was aboard the Booker T. Washington Apr 43 to Sept 43(?) sailing from NY to England carrying troops and than Normandy. This is not reflected on his DD214 and I can not find and record of this event. Still searching. Thanks.
BOOKER T. WASHINGTON would not have been at Normandy in April-September 1943 since the invasion there didn't take place until June 1944. Information I have found shows BOOKER T. WASHINGTON departing Hampton Roads (i.e., Norfolk area) on May 14, 1943, destination Casablanca, Morocco, arriving there early June, then returning to Baltimore on June 27, 1943. This was followed by another Mediterranean voyage departing Hampton Roads July 27 to Oran, Algeria, returning to Baltimore September 14, 1943.
At the time of the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944, BOOKER T. WASHINGTON was in transit from the Mediterranean to Hampton Roads on a still later voyage. It seems BOOKER T. WASHINGTON served primarily in the Mediterranean, not making a voyage to England until March 1945.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster Armed Guard / Merchant Marine website www.armed-guard.com
My error. The dates are Apr 44 to Aug 44. There is a hole in my dad's DD214 service record for this period. He says he was aboard a troop carrier from NY to Eng then Normandy. Dec43-Mar44 James W Nesmith; Apr44-July44 (?); Aug44-Nov44 Ralph W Emerson; Jan45-Apr45 Henry H Richardson.