USS Algorab ( AKA - 8 ) USS " Algorab " ( AKA - 8 ) was an named after " Algorab , " a star in the constellation " Corvus " . She served as a commissioned ship for 4 years and 5 months . " Algorab " was laid down as ( AK - 25 ) under a Maritime Commission contract ( MC hull 20 ) on 10 August 1938 by the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co . , Chester , Pennsylvania ; launched on 15 June 1939 ; sponsored by Miss Mary Aldrich ; acquired by the Navy on 6 June 1941 ; and commissioned at Boston , Massachusetts , on 15 June 1941 , Comdr . Thomas B . Inglis in command . Service history . 1941 . Following her commissioning , the cargo ship held shakedown along the East Coast . On 4 October , she proceeded to Little Placentia Harbor , Newfoundland . There she joined an Iceland - bound convoy , sailed on 12 October , and reached Hvalfjörður on 9 November . After discharging her cargo , the ship returned to New York City , where she underwent repairs and alterations . She got underway again on 6 December and steamed to Norfolk . 1942 . On 5 February 1942 , " Algorab " sailed to the Caribbean with general cargo on board . She stopped at St . Thomas , U . S . Virgin Islands ; San Juan , Puerto Rico ; and Guantanamo Bay , Cuba . After loading raw sugar in Cuba , the ship carried it to Baltimore . She moved to New York City shortly thereafter and embarked Army troops for transportation to the $ 3 . She transited the Panama Canal ; made port calls at San Diego and San Francisco , California ; then continued on to Nukualofa , Tongatapu . " Algorab " reached Nukualofa on 27 June ; then retraced her course to San Francisco ; and , upon her return , began a period of repairs . " Algorab " left San Francisco on 9 August bound via the Panama Canal for Norfolk . While conducting a tactical maneuver in convoy on 11 September , she collided with and suffered extensive damage in the forepart of the ship . Twenty - three feet of her bow was sheared off and one of her bulkheads buckled . One of her crewmen was killed . However , the ship was able to continue unassisted and reached Norfolk on 13 September . Her repairs completed on 7 October , " Algorab " loaded and proceeded in company with Transport Division ( TransDiv ) 5 to Mehdia , French Morocco . She was scheduled to take part in the landings in North Africa . These began on 8 November , and " Algorab " provided landing boats for assault troops . Ten days later , after completing her role in the successful invasion , she left the area on 18 November bound for Norfolk , where she arrived on 30 November . She underwent a brief period of repairs , then sailed on 17 December for the South Pacific . 1943 – 1944 . " Algorab " reached Nouméa , New Caledonia , on 18 January 1943 and discharged her cargo . On 1 February , the ship was reclassified an attack cargo ship and redesignated AKA - 8 . She spent the period between January and June supporting consolidation operations in the southern Solomon Islands . " Algorab " made a total of five voyages between New Caledonia , Espiritu Santo , and Guadalcanal or Tulagi . On 30 June , " Algorab " took part in the landings on Rendova Island . While retiring to Tulagi that afternoon , her convoy was attacked by Japanese torpedo bomber s . Her gunners assisted in the destruction of five enemy planes , and the attack cargo ship proceeded to Tulagi . From 1 July to 17 August , she made more voyages carrying troops and equipment between Guadalcanal ; Hollandia , New Guinea ; New Caledonia ; and Espiritu Santo . " Algorab " sailed for Australia , on 22 August , arrived at Sydney on the 25th , and began repairs to her main engine . On 15 September , the attack cargo ship sailed to Newcastle , Australia , for amphibious warfare training exercises . After they were completed , she sailed to Moreton Bay , Australia , and remained at anchor there until 22 November . On that date , the ship entered drydock at Brisbane for a major overhaul . " Algorab " got underway for the West Coast on 5 September 1944 , under tow and operating on reduced power . She reached San Francisco on 30 September for major engine repairs and hull alterations at the Moore Dry Dock Company , Oakland , California . 1945 . She left drydock on 30 January 1945 and , following engine trials , sailed on 5 February en route to Leyte , Philippines . The ship paused at Eniwetok to join a convoy ; put in at Leyte on 4 March ; and , upon her arrival , began onloading ammunition , vehicles , and provisions earmarked for the Ryukyus campaign . " Algorab " sailed with TransDiv 37 on 27 March , arrived off Okinawa on 1 April , and sent off her boats at 0600 . Her cargo was completely unloaded by 9 April , and " Algorab " sailed that day for Hawaii . She made a brief stop in Saipan , reached Pearl Harbor on 24 April , and underwent another period of engine repairs before the vessel sailed on 10 May for San Francisco . Upon her arrival , on 18 May , " Algorab " received repairs at the General Engineering & Drydock Co . which continued through October . On 14 October , preparations were begun for deactivation . " Algorab " was decommissioned on 3 December , and her name was struck from the Navy List on 19 December . Sale . She was returned to the Maritime Commission on 30 June 1946 and sold to Wallem & Co . on 3 April 1947 for merchant service . Renamed " Kamran " , " Mongala " , and " Hellenic Sailor " , she was scrapped in 1973 . " Algorab " won four battle stars for her World War II service .