USS Tyrrell

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USS Tyrrell (AKA-80) was a Tolland-class attack cargo ship that served in the U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1946. Named after Tyrrell County, North Carolina, she was built in Wilmington, North Carolina, converted to an attack cargo ship in Baltimore, and commissioned on December 4, 1944.

After training, she sailed to Hawaii and then into the western Pacific, delivering passengers and supporting the Okinawa invasion in April 1945. She landed assault troops and equipment off Hagushi Beach and remained off Okinawa for nine days. On April 2 she was attacked by a Japanese bomber that damaged her radio antenna but did not stop her mission. She finished unloading in April and returned to the U.S., arriving in San Francisco on May 11, 1945, then made two runs to Pearl Harbor.

In late 1945 Tyrrell helped move troops and materials to the occupation of Japan, including Nagasaki, Manila, and other ports. After the war she returned to the United States, was decommissioned in Norfolk on April 19, 1946, and struck from the Navy List on May 1. The ship was turned over to the War Shipping Administration.

Commercial life: She was sold in 1948 to the Pacific Far East Line and renamed California Bear, serving as a freight ship through 1961. She was renamed again several times—America Bear (1961), Green Lake (1963), and Oceanic Cloud (1967)—before being sold for scrap in 1967.

Awards: Tyrrell earned one battle star for World War II service.

General characteristics: Displacing about 14,160 long tons, Tyrrell was about 459 feet long with a 63-foot beam and a draft of 26 feet. Top speed was 16.5 knots. The crew numbered about 395. Armament included one 5-inch gun, four twin 40 mm guns, and 16 20 mm guns.