USS ''Cyrene'' (AGP-13) was a motor torpedo boat tender for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. She was laid down as ''Cape Farewell'',See for the C9 Military Sealift Command Ready Reserve Force Ship. a

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 1950. The c ...

type (C1-A) hull under a Maritime Commission contract, at Pusey and Jones Corp., Wilmington, Delaware. ''Cyrene'' served in the Pacific from New Guinea to the Philippines from December 1944 to December 1945. The ship was decommissioned and placed in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in July 1946 then withdrawn from the reserve fleet after sale to American Ship Dismantlers in December 1976.

Construction

''Cape Farewell'',

hull 891, contract 1095, was launched 8 February 1944 sponsored by Mrs. G. L. Coppage. The ship was completed 28 April 1944, delivered to the Maritime Commission and immediately transferred to the Navy.

Service history

The ship was acquired by the Navy on 28 April 1944 and commissioned as ''Cyrene'' 27 September 1944. Departing

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

, 10 November 1944, ''Cyrene'' arrived at Manus on 13 December to escort two squadrons of motor torpedo boats to Hollandia,

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

. She then sailed on convoy duty to

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...

, arriving 1 January 1945. ''Cyrene'' served as tender for motor torpedo boats, and on 17 January 1945 became

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

for Commander, Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons, 7th Fleet. The actor and comedian

Don Rickles Donald Jay Rickles (May 8, 1926 – April 6, 2017) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He was known primarily for his insult comedy. His film roles include ''Run Silent, Run Deep (film), Run Silent, Run Deep'' (1958), ''Enter Laughing ...

served as a Seaman First Class aboard ''Cyrene''.

Fate

After the war ended, the ship sailed from

Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...

on 21 December 1945 and arrived at

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

on 7 January 1946, where it reported to the 12th Naval District for repair work in decommissioning small craft. ''Cyrene'' was decommissioned 2 July 1946 and delivered to the

War Shipping Administration The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the United States needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime C ...

for disposal and placed in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet the same day. The ship was purchased by American Ship Dismantlers, Inc., awarded under PD-X-1011 17 November 1976 for non transportation use at $85,166.82, and physically delivered to the company 7 December 1976 for scrapping. One of her lifeboats is now in use at Rochester, England, where it has been converted into a live-aboard vessel.

Notes

References

External links

Launching party for the C1-A freighter, ''Cape Farewell''
(Hagley Museum and Library)
The freighter, ''Cape Farewell'' after launching
(Hagley Museum and Library)
C1-A freighter, ''Cape Farewell'' Hold #3
(Hagley Museum and Library) *
"War on their Minds (2002)"
(WW2 Project crew member interview) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cyrene (AD-13) Type C1-A ships Ships built by Pusey and Jones 1944 ships Motor torpedo boat tenders of the United States Navy World War II auxiliary ships of the United States