USS Hamul (AD-20) was the lead ship of a class of two destroyer tenders; she was most likely named after Hamal, the brightest star in the constellation Aries. Laid down on 6 March 1940 as SS Sea Panther, a Maritime Commission type (C3 Cargo) hull under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 40) by the Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Company of Kearney, New Jersey. Launched in April 1940 she was delivered to the Lykes Brothers Steamship Company of New Orleans and renamed Doctor Lykes. After two trips to the Orient she was acquired by the United States Navy and commissioned as a cargo ship, USS Hamul (AK-30), on 14 June 1941 at Charleston, South Carolina. Service history Cargo ship, 1941–1942 In July 1941, Hamul rendered logistical support for the occupation of Iceland, prior to America's involvement in World War II. After working with General Electric in experiments on night camouflage, Hamul departed Boston in January, 1942 to head a convoy of five ships with men and material to establish a base at Bora Bora, Society Islands. This mission completed, the cargo ship returned to the States via Chile, while she loaded 10,000 tons of nitrate. Hamul discharged the valuable cargo at Mobile, Alabama and remained there for conversion to a destroyer tender. Destroyer tender 1943–1946 Departing Mobile 7 January 1943 redesignated as AD-20, Hamul tended destroyers and other ships in Casco Bay, Maine until April and then sailed south to serve as flagship of the Destroyer-Escort Shakedown Task Group in Bermuda. In the following 19 months she tended some 348 DD's as well as removing demolition charges from . This German submarine was the first capture of a regular enemy warship on the high seas by the U.S. Navy since 1815. After overhaul at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Hamul sailed for the Pacific 1 January 1945 reaching Saipan 12 February via the Panama Canal, Pearl Harbor, and Eniwetok. She remained there preparing amphibious craft for the massive Iwo Jima invasion until 27 March, when she sailed to Ulithi. At Ulithi Hamul kept busy repairing damaged craft returning from the Okinawa campaign until 6 May, when she sailed for the scene of the Pacific war's last major struggle. Hamul reached Okinawa on 10 May 1945 and remained there until February, 1946 to repair battle-damaged ships. With over 400 homeward bound veterans aboard, she departed Okinawa 10 February 1946. After discharging them at