The vessel known as Mira (AK-84) was a Maritime Commission N-type coastal cargo ship, constructed under the Maritime Commission contract by Penn-Jersey Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey. Laid down on 22 May 1943 as MV William Nott, a type N3-M-A1 cargo vessel, she was launched on 31 October 1943 with Mrs. Clementine C. O’Brien serving as her sponsor. Shortly thereafter, she was acquired by the U.S. Navy on 6 November 1943, designated AK-84, but was never commissioned into naval service and thus never bore the USS designation. The following day, she was transferred to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and renamed Robert M. Emery in 1944, honoring First Lieutenant Robert M. Emery of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who was killed in action in Algeria in 1942 and posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. As Robert M. Emery, the ship was among the first four N3-M-A1 type vessels converted for use as port repair ships by Bethlehem Steel in Brooklyn, New York, during mid-1944. She operated in various ports across the United Kingdom, North Africa, and France, supporting Allied operations during World War II. Notably, she was the only ship of her group to operate in the Pacific theater, arriving in July 1945 and working in the Hawaiian Islands from September to November of that year. After her service in the Pacific, she returned to the U.S. West Coast for transfer back to the Maritime Commission. Sold for scrapping in 1966, the vessel was instead acquired by Canadian interests and towed to Victoria, British Columbia. There, she was reportedly docked at the foot of Fort Street until her resale in 1969. Subsequently, she was converted into an attraction at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, remaining there until 1970. Her final years saw her being towed to Astoria, Washington, and she was apparently scrapped in Tacoma, Washington, during late 1984. The Mira/Robert M. Emery thus played a notable auxiliary role during WWII, particularly in port repair and logistical support operations, reflecting her maritime significance as part of the broader Allied war effort.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.