CDR Tyrone G Martin, USN, Ret. passed away at White Oak of Tryon on February 26, 2026, at the age of 95.

He was born in Greenwich, CT on June 5, 1930 to Gladys (Alsop) and Gabriel Martin, a French-Canadian immigrant. He grew up on the 200-acre Gimbel Estate where his father was the chauffeur and later estate manager. When he was five, he presented his mother with a drawing of the USS Constitution and made the prophetic statement that he was going to go to sea and serve in the Navy. He was active in Boy Scouts as a teen and received medals from the Office of Civilian Defense for his work on scrap drives and victory gardening during World War II. He made Eagle Scout before attending the University of Rochester, where he received a BA in English. He went through the NJROTC program in college and received his commission as LT-JG in the Navy in 1952. During his naval career he saw action in both Korea and Southeast Asia. He Served as Executive Officer on the USS Somers, CO of USS Higbee, and Chief of Staff of Amphibious Squadron 7. He spent time in Naval Intelligence during the early 70's at the Pentagon. In a turn of events that can only be called destiny, he finished his career as the 58th commanding officer of USS Constitution in Boston, MA where he oversaw a major restoration and guided the ship through the nation's bicentennial, establishing standards for future restorations and bringing the ship back to historical accuracy. The highlight of his command came on July 12, 1976 when he greeted HRH Queen Elizabeth II on board the ship during her visit to Boston. After retirement at the rank of Commander in 1978, he followed his avocation as a naval historian. He authored several books, pamphlets and a website, the best known being the book A Most Fortunate Ship, which continues to be recognized as the definitive history of the USS Constitution. He has served as an advisor to the USS Constitution Museum in Boston for years. More recently, he received the Commodore Dudley W. Knox Naval History Lifetime Achievement Award from the Naval Historical Foundation for his significant contribution to naval history research.

He and his wife, Mary (Meadow), of Elberton, GA, whom he married in 1957, relocated to Tryon in 1985 and settled on Devils Ridge. Ty was active as a volunteer with the town, St Luke's Hospital, and the Barbecue Festival. He served on the board of Mountain Water, which made vast improvements to the water system of the Dug Hill Trail area before the TWD took the system over. Mary sadly passed away unexpectedly in 2007.

Ty is survived by his son Cameron (Susan) of Tryon, NC; and his son Guy (Julie) of Conway, SC; and his Grandson, Theo, of Washington, NC. Donations may be made in Ty's name to the USS Constitution Museum, P.O. Box 291812 Boston, MA 02129-0215.

An online guest register is available at mcfarlandfuneralchapel.com

McFarland Funeral Chapel & Crematory

Tryon, North Carolina