Historical Narrative

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Golden Bear (I) served as the California Maritime Academy’s (CMA) training ship for 25 years from 1946-1971. The Walsh-Kaiser Company laid the keel on September 25, 1944 in Providence, Rhode Island under a U.S. Maritime Commission contract. The vessel was launched on December 11, 1944 and commissioned on January 10, 1945 as the attack cargo ship USS Mellena (AKA-32).

Toward the end of the war, USS Mellena carried cargo to Hawaii, the Philippines, and to other locations in the western Pacific. After the Japanese surrender, the ship transported American troops to Japan as part of the Allied occupation. In October and November of 1945, USS Mellena carried U.S. Marines and Chinese Nationalist troops to support the Chinese Nationalist reoccupation of mainland China. In November 1945 the vessel returned American servicemen to the U.S. as part of Operation Magic Carpet, arriving in Portland, Oregon on December 12. The navy decommissioned USS Mellena on June 11, 1946 at Mare Island and the ship was subsequently transferred to the U.S. Maritime Commission for delivery to CMA in Vallejo, CA.

On September 7, 1946, CMA officially received the vessel as the Training Ship Golden Bear. During its career, Golden Bear sailed on 24 major ocean cruises. On May 14, 1971 the ship was sold to National Metal and Steel Corporation for scrapping.

Vessel Name History

1945 - 1946: Mellena (AKA-32)
1946 - 1971: Golden Bear (I)

Vessel Name History

GOLDEN BEAR (I)

MELLENA (AKA-32)