This week's trip took me aboard a ship. Not the usual massive cruise liner of over 100,000 tons, that I enjoy once a year, but a cargo vessel of 10,750 tons. The U.S.S. Lane Victory is a veteran of three wars; WWII, Korea and finally Vietnam. It was mothballed in 1970, but given a new lease of life by being released in 1988 by President Reagan. It was designated a national monument in 1991. It required a tremendous amount of effort to restore her to full working order.

Walking around the ship you have a great feel for the life that the men on board endured during their voyages moving cargo around the world's oceans. It was not an easy life, and one where the crew must have always been waiting for an explosion from a mine or a torpedo.

The Lane still sails and takes paying enthusiasts out from Los Angeles harbor five times a year for a day's trip.

Next to her berth is the World Cruise Center where the big cruise ships dock. It is hard to make a comparison of the two types of vessels.