SS James Iredell

SS James Iredell was a Liberty ship in World War II that was attacked in Naples and scuttled on June 8, 1944, to protect Omaha Beach.

History

SS James Iredell had its keel laid down on 25 October 1942, by the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, of Wilmington, North Carolina. She was launched on 29 November 1942. She suffered minor damage while in a convoy in 1943.
She was quickly repaired, and bombed in Naples, on 23 October 1943, with three direct hits. The gasoline the ship was transporting caught on fire and the ship was abandoned. The fire burned for 64 hours, but there were no casualties among the 44-man merchant crew, the 28-man United States Navy contingent, or the 28 passengers.
She was repaired, and was sunk as a blockship off Omaha Beach on 8 June 1944.