.jpg) USSLyra (AK-101) (broadside view) at anchor inSan Francisco Bay, 4 August 1943. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake |
|
| Ordered | as aType EC2-S-C1 hull,MCE hull 1555[1] |
| Builder | Permanente Metals Corporation,Richmond, California |
| Yard number | 1555[1] |
| Way number | 2[1] |
| Laid down | 25 April 1943 |
| Launched | 28 May 1943 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Harry N. Nelson |
| Acquired | 10 June 1943 |
| Commissioned | 22 July 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 3 May 1946 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sold, 7 January 1947 |
 Greece | |
| Name | Virginia |
| Namesake | US State ofVirginia |
| Owner | A. G. Pappadakis,Piraeus, Greece |
| Acquired | 7 January 1947 |
| Fate | Sold, 1951 |
| Greece | |
| Name | Virginia |
| Owner | Freighters & Tankers Agency Corp,New York City |
| Acquired | 1951 |
| Fate | Sold, 1953 |
| Greece | |
| Name | Virginia |
| Owner | J. J. Culucundis, Piraeus and Freighters & Tankers Agency Corp, New York |
| Acquired | 1953 |
| Fate | Sold, 1954 |
| Greece | |
| Name | Virginia |
| Owner | J. J. Culucundis, Piraeus and A G Pappadakis & Co Ltd,London |
| Acquired | 1954 |
| Fate | Sold, 1964 |
| Greece | |
| Name | Virginia |
| Owner | Amedeo - Marfrontera Cia Nav. SA,Republic of Panama |
| Acquired | 1964 |
| Fate | Sold to Taiwanbreakers arrivedKaohsiung, 3 April 1967 |
| General characteristics[2] | |
| Class & type | Crater-classcargo ship |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 441 ft 6 in (134.57 m) |
| Beam | 56 ft 11 in (17.35 m) |
| Draft | 28 ft 4 in (8.64 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 12.5 kn (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement | 255 |
| Armament |
|
USSLyra (AK-101) was aCrater-classcargo ship in the service of theUS Navy inWorld War II. It was the only ship of the Navy to have borne this name. It is named after the constellationLyra.
Lyra was laid down 25 April 1943 asLiberty ship SSCyrus Hamlin, MCE hull 1555, byPermanente Metals Corporation, Yard No. 1,Richmond, California, under aMaritime Commission (MARCOM) contract; renamedLyra 27 May 1943; launched 28 May 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Harry N. Nelson; acquired by the Navy 10 June 1943; converted byGeneral Engineering & Drydock Co.,San Francisco, California, completed 22 July 1943; and commissioned 22 July 1943.[3]
Lyra departed San Francisco 28 August 1943, with 8,000 tons oflend-lease cargo forNew Zealand. En route she towed one unit of a sectional dock toEspiritu Santo,New Hebrides, and arrivedWellington, New Zealand, 19 October. The cargo ship returned to San Francisco 24 November. On 17 December she began a three-day experimental run to help perfect towing techniques.[3]
Two days afterChristmas, she again departed for Espiritu Santo towing Auxiliary Repair Dry DockARD-12. The ship then proceeded toTulagi andMunda,Solomon Islands, embarking 200 troops from the latter for transport toGuadalcanal, which she reached 29 February 1944.Lyra returned to Tulagi and Guadalcanal, and was back in San Francisco 2 April after steaming 13,567 miles (21,834 km). From 29 April to 30 June, she made two short voyages between the west coast andPearl Harbor.[3]
The cargo ship's next assignment was a towing operation toManus,Admiralty Islands, between 21 August and 15 January 1945. On 26 February she voyaged toSamar,Philippine Islands, and returned to home port 1 June. Her seventh voyage, 17 June to 24 August, took her toHonolulu andSaipan. She sailed from San Francisco 26 September to Samar for her last assignment before decommissioning inNorfolk 3 May 1946.Lyra was redelivered toWar Shipping Administration (WSA) 5 days later.[3] She was sold 7 January 1947,[4] toA. G. Pappadakis and operated out ofPiraeus, Greece, asVirginia.[3]
Online resources
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