BREAKING: Florida names WWII ship as flagship, replacing historic schooner after years of decline
The SS American Victory takes on new role as the Western Union — long tied to Key West’s maritime and communications history — falls into disrepair despite restoration efforts.
Florida is charting a new course for its maritime heritage, elevating a World War II-era cargo ship in Tampa while a storied schooner in Key West faces an uncertain future.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed House Bill 249, redesignating the SS American Victory as the state’s official flagship, replacing the Western Union. The change takes effect July 1.
Moored along Tampa’s waterfront, the American Victory is one of the few remaining Victory-class ships — rugged cargo vessels built to supply Allied forces during World War II. Now a museum ship for more than 20 years near the Florida Aquarium, it offers visitors a firsthand look at the engine rooms, radio equipment and tight quarters that defined life for Merchant Mariners.
“This historic steamship is one of just a few surviving Victory Class ships built during World War II,” DeSantis said in a statement. “As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding this year, it’s a great time to visit our new state flagship in Tampa.”
The designation also marks a turning point for the Western Union, a wooden schooner long tied to Florida’s maritime identity — particularly in Key West. Built in 1939, the vessel was designed to maintain and repair underwater telegraph cables, linking distant outposts at a time when global communication depended on lines laid across the ocean floor. For decades, it served as a working ship before becoming a cultural fixture in Key West, where it later sailed as a living reminder of the island’s seafaring past.
In recent years, however, the schooner has fallen into disrepair. Despite repeated efforts by preservation groups to raise funds and restore the vessel, progress has been slow, leaving the schooner largely sidelined and its future uncertain.
The shift in flagship status reflects both the prominence of the American Victory and the challenges facing the aging schooner.
For maritime historians, the change underscores a broader tension between preservation and practicality. While the American Victory stands as a rare, intact example of a wartime cargo ship — still accessible and operating as a museum — the Western Union represents an earlier, more fragile chapter of maritime history, one that requires constant and costly care to survive.
With its new designation, the American Victory is expected to draw increased attention from residents and tourists alike, particularly as the nation reflects on its 250-year history.
Still, in Key West, the weathered hull of the Western Union remains a symbol of another era — when communication traveled by cable beneath the sea, and a wooden schooner played a quiet but vital role in keeping the world connected.