USS Marl (IX-160), a Trefoil-class concrete barge designated an unclassified miscellaneous vessel, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for marl. Her keel was laid down under Maritime Commission contract (T. B7.D1) by Barrett & Hilp, Belair Shipyard, South San Francisco, California, on 16 November 1943. She was launched on 2 February 1944 sponsored by Mrs. J. M. Ryan, converted for Navy use as a cargo barge, acquired by the Navy under loan charter from the Maritime Commission on 29 August 1944; and placed in service at San Francisco the same day. USS Marl had no propulsion system and had to be towed.
| History | |
|---|---|
 US | |
| Name | USS Marl |
| Builder | Barrett & Hilp, Belair Shipyard, San Francisco, California |
| Laid down | 16 November 1943 |
| Launched | 2 February 1944 |
| In service | 29 August 1944 |
| Out of service | 2 August 1946 |
| Stricken | 15 August 1946 |
| Fate | Sold, 4 September 1948 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Trefoil-class cargo barge |
| Displacement | 5,281 long tons (5,366 t) light |
| Length | 366 ft 4 in (111.66 m) |
| Beam | 54 ft (16 m) |
| Draft | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
| Propulsion | None |
| Speed | Not self-propelled |
| Complement | 114 officers and men |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) • 1 × 40 mm AA gun • 4 × 20 mm AA guns |
Service history
Assigned to duty with Service Squadron 8, Sun. 24 Sept. 1944 Marl left San Francisco and was towed to Pearl Harbor, arrived on Fri. 16 October 1944, it then left Pearl harbor Sat. 21 Oct 1944 proceeded to Eniwetok Islands arriving on Tue. 7 Nov. 1944 where it remained until Sat 12 Nov 1944, then off to Guam arriving Sun. 19 Nov 1944. Sat. 10 March 1945 departed Guam, in route to Siapan, arriving on Sun. 11 March 1945, departed on Fri. 16 March 1945, headed to U lithe, arrived Mon. 20 March 1945, departed U lithe Mon. 24 March 1945 bound for Lay ta , A typhoon encompassed Marl's path. On Thur. 5 April 1945 arrived at Lay ta. In Aug. 1945 the war ended., Marl was towed to the Philippines where during the remainder of the war in the Pacific she provided facilities for storing and issuing United States Army and United States Marine Corps supplies at Lay ta. On 23 September 1945 she departed San Pedro Bay under tow by Lipan (ATF-85) and headed in convoy bound for Okinawa. A vicious typhoon dispersed the convoy north of the Philippines on 29 September, and mountainous seas parted Marl front her towline early the next day. She was recovered following the storm and towed to Subic Bay on 7 October. She underwent repairs to damaged machinery and continued duty as cargo stores barge until 2 August 1946 when she was placed out of service and delivered to War Shipping Administration. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 August 1946. Marl was sold by the Maritime Commission to the Asia Development Corporation on 4 September 1948.
References
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
Accurate hand written account with dates by anonymous crew member. Added 31, May 2011.
External links
- Photo gallery at navsource.org