Over 100,000 UNC soldiers were to evacuate the city of Hungnam on 193 ships bound for the southern port of Pusan.

On December 20, after arriving at the port of Hungnam, U.S. army colonels went on board and explained the current grave situation and proposed rescue of refugees.

Although the ship was built to accommodate only 12 passengers, besides the crew and staff, more than 14,000 Korean civilians were crammed aboard.

Meredith Victory departed shortly after 11 am on December 23 for Pusan, about 450 nautical miles (830 km; 520 mi) away,[8] as bombardment from UNC ships and explosives destroyed the port to deny its use to the enemy.

And, as I think, the clear, unmistakable message comes to me that on that Christmastide, in the bleak and bitter waters off the shores of Korea, God's own hand was at the helm of my ship.

Despite the fact that the refugees were "packed like sardines in a can" and most had to remain standing up, shoulder-to-shoulder, in freezing weather conditions during the entire voyage, there were no injuries or casualties on board.

J. Robert Lunney, Staff Officer on the ship and a navy veteran of World War II, stated: There's no explanation for why the Korean people, as stoic as they are, were able to stand virtually motionless and in silence.

[12] After the war, the South Korean government honored Captain Leonard LaRue with the Gold Star Eulji - Order of Military Merit (1955)[13] and the ship's crews with the Presidential Citation (1958).

[15] and the SS Meredith Victory was conferred the title of "Gallant Ship" by a special act of the U.S. Congress that was signed by President Dwight D.