Hamul (AD 20) - Naval Cruise Book

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y homul history The single fact that the U.S.S. HAMUL CAD-205 is the only ship in the United States Navy with a mispelled name gives promise of a unique background, but add to this the events surrounding her three commissionings, two unfulfilled decommissionings, three names, and an itinerary that stretches from the Holy Land to the battlefields of Korea, and you have the story of a most extraordinary lady of our modern Navy. Built as a cargo ship at Kearney, New Jersey by the Federal Ship Building and Drydock Company for the U.S. Maritime Commisson, our ship bore the name U.S.S. PANTHER when she was completed in May T940 at at cost of 52,500,000 After her commissioning she was operated by the Lykes Brothers Steam- ship Company under a new name, S.S. DOCTOR LYKES. When the ship was comissioned by the Navy Department immediately prior to World War II, she received her third and present name, the U.S.S. HAMUL-but with the designator AK-30. This renaming created HAMUL's favorited legend, as AK's IAttack Cargo shipsl are customarily named for stars, the letter signed by the Secretary of the Navy giving her the name HAMAL, a star of the second magnitude in the constellation Arietas, was mispelled HAMUL , and this mispelled name has stayed with her. As I the AK-30, the HAMUL rendered logistical support for the initial occupation of Iceland. Subsequent assignments found the HAMUL at Borabora Island, Autofogasta and Tocopilla, Chili. After seven months of conversion in Mobile, Alabama, the HAMUL received her third commissioning as the AD-20 on December T8, T942. Her first assignment as a destroyer tender was as flagship for Com- ma-nder Destroyers Atlantic Fleet in Casco Bay, Maine. Next stop was Bermuda in April T943 where she tended 348 destroyer escorts in a nineteen month period in addition to removing booby-traps from the first captured German submarine. HAMUL's participation in the Pacific Theatre included Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok, Saipan, Ulithi, and Buckner Bay where she was the target of Kamikaze pilots. The HAMUL remained at Buckner Bay after the close of World War II until February T8, T946. 'In November of the same year, a team decommisson- ing the HAMUL in Orange, Texas was halted when the need arose for a station ship at Plymouth, England and the HAMUL was selected. Arriving at Plymouth in April T947 in what the New York Times termed the Pilgrims Return , HAMUL began a stay that was to last over three years. During this period she made good will tours to Le Harve, Belfast, Amsterdam, Glasgow, Bergen, Bremerhaven, Lisbon, Edinburg, Beirut, Port Said, Algiers, Casablanca, Cherbourg, and Brest-fiften ports in twelve foreign countries. In June T950, the HAMUL received decommissioning orders for a second time. Many men of the HAMUL had married English girls and the ship had become a part of community life in Plymouth. In fact, she was often referred to as the HMS HAMUL . The Korean War saved the HAMUL's active duty life. She was rushed to Norfolk for a brief yard period and was underway again on September TT, T950 to the Western Peieifiq, The HAMUL was diverted enroute to serve as communications ship for the meeting of General Douglas MacArthur and President Truman at Wake Island. On October 24, T95T, with her arrival at Sasebo, Japan, HAMUL began another, as yet unfinished, chapter in her role of Service to the Service ..... H Equus Laboratus Classis occupies a big place in the mosaic of accomplishment that is the United States Navy.