Meredith Victory Carried 14,000 Refugees

In December 1950, the cargo ship SS Meredith Victory, built for 35 crew members and 12 passengers, took aboard more than 14,000 Korean refugees during the evacuation of Hungnam during the Korean War. The refugees packed themselves chest-to-chest across the deck and cargo holds, with some resting atop jet-fuel drums. The unescorted ship crossed an enemy minefield without a doctor and with little food or water. Nobody died during the voyage, and five babies were born before the refugees disembarked at Koje-Do on Christmas Day.

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