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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Tyrrell (AKA-80)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Lima - Alpha
 NHLA
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
Tolland Class Attack Cargo Ship:
  • Laid down, 9 May 1944, as a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-AJ3) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1387), at North Carolina Shipbuilding Corp. Wilmington, N.C.
  • Launched, July 1944
  • Acquired by the US Navy, 30 July 1944, and towed to her conversion yard at Baltimore, MD.
  • Converted for naval service as to an Attack Cargo Ship
  • Commissioned USS Tyrrell (AKA-80), 4 December 1944 at Key Highway Plant, Bethlehem Steel Corp., Baltimore, MD., LCDR. John L. McLean, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS Tyrrell was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    TransRon Nineteen, COMO C.D. Edgar USN (12);
     TransDiv Fifty-Six, CAPT. G.F. Galpin USN (21) and participated in the following campaign:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates
    Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 10 April 1945

  • Following World War II USS Tyrrell was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 21 October to 13 November 1945
  • Decommissioned, 19 April 1946, at Norfolk, VA.
  • Returned to the Maritime Commission, 22 April 1946, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Lee Hall, VA.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 May 1946
  • USS Tyrrell earned one battle star for her World War II service
  • Merchant Service
    Sold, 26 May 1947, to Pacific Far East Line Inc. and renamed SS California Bear
     Renamed SS America Bear, 24 January 1961
     Sold, 15 June 1962, to Central Gulf Steamship Corp., renamed SS Green Lake
     Sold, 4 January 1965, to Oceanic Ore Carriers, Inc., renamed SS Oceanic Cloud
  • Returned to the Maritime Administration (exchange program),
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 13 October 1967, to Kuang I. Enterprises Co., Ltd., China
    Specifications:
    Displacement 8,635 t.(lt) 14,160 t.(fl)
    Length 459' 2"
    Beam 63'
    Draft 26' 4"
    Speed 16.5 kts.
    Complement
    Officers - 62
    Enlisted - 333
    Largest Boom Capacity 35 t.
    Armament
    one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount
    four twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    sixteen single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Boats
    fourteen LCVPs
    eight LCMs
    Cargo Capacity 5,275DWT
    non-refrigerated 380,000 Cu ft.
    Fuel Capacities
    NSFO - 10,425 Bbls
    Diesel - 805 Bbls
    Propulsion
    one General Electric geared turbine
    two Foster Wheeler header-type boilers, 450psi 750°
    double General Electric Main Reduction Gear
    three 300Kw 120V/240V D.C. Ships's Service Generators
    single propeller, 6,000shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    USS Tyrrell (AKA-80)
    Tyrrell 84k Christening of Tyrrell (AKA-80) by Miss Juanita Ogburn (President of the Cleveland 4-H Club of Johnston County, N.C.) and launching in July 1944 at North Carolina Shipbuilding Corp. Wilmington, N.C. Dale Hargrave
    Tyrrell 321k USS Tyrrell (AKA-80) under way off Norfolk, VA., 5 January 1945. Tyrrell is wearing camouflage scheme 32/6Ao. Photo taken by an airship from blimp squadron ZP-24 from NAS Weeksville, N.C.
    US National Archives, Photo No. 80-G-301930, a US Navy photo courtesy of C. Lee Johnson, usndazzle.com)    		 Mike Green
    Merchant Service Pacific Far East Lines
    Tyrrell 62k Ex-USS Tyrrell (AKA-80) under way as the Pacific Far East liner SS California Bear, circa early-1950s.
    ©Dick Markell.    		 Gerhard Mueller-Debus
    Tyrrell 222k SS California Bear moored pierside probably in San Francisco, CA., circa 1960s. Gerhard Mueller-Debus
    USS Tyrrell (AKA-80)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LCDR. McLean, John L. USNR4 December 1944 - 18 December 1945
    02LT. Bamford, Robert Charles USNR18 December 1945 - 21 December 1945
    03CAPT. Fortson, Robert Michael USNR21 December 1945 - 19 April 1946
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    USS Tyrrell (AKA-80) War Diaries, Ship's History and Action Reports, December 1944 to November 1945
    Action Report - Landing of Occupation Forces, Nagasaki Japan, September 1945
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 2 August 2019