USS Kiowa (AT-72)

Last updated

USS Kiowa (ATF-72).jpg
USS Kiowa (ATF-72) towing a target sled into Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, in a photograph taken from the anti-submarine warfare carrier USS Intrepid (CVS-11) on 27 February 1963.
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameKiowa
NamesakeThe Kiowa, a Native American people
Builder Charleston Shipbuilding & Drydock Company, Charleston, South Carolina
Laid down22 June 1942
Launched5 November 1942
Sponsored byMrs. Hilda Howe Edwards
Commissioned7 June 1943
ReclassifiedFrom "fleet tug" (AT-72) to "fleet ocean tug" (ATF-72) 15 May 1944
Stricken15 September 1979
Honors and
awards
One battle star for World War II service
FateSold for scrapping 12 December 1994
Naval Ensign of the Dominican Republic.svgDominican Republic
NameMacorix (RM-21)
NamesakeThe Macorix, a Neo-Taino people of the Dominican Republic
Acquired1972
Decommissioned1986
FateReturned to United States for disposal
General characteristics
Class and type Navajo-class fleet tug
Displacement1,164 tons (light)
Length205 ft (62 m)
Beam38 ft 6 in (11.73 m)
Draft
  • 14 ft 3 in (4.34 m)
  • 15 ft 4 in (4.67 m) (limiting)
Propulsion
Speed16.5 knots (30.6 km/h)
Complement85 (5 officers, 80 enlisted men
Armament
NotesLargest boom capacity 20 tons

The third USS Kiowa (AT-72), later ATF-72, was a fleet tug, later fleet ocean tug, that served in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1972.

Contents

Construction and commissioning

Kiowa was laid down by the Charleston Shipbuilding & Drydock Company at Charleston, South Carolina, on 22 June 1942 and launched there on 5 November 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Hilda Howe Edwards. She was commissioned on 7 June 1943 as the fleet tug USS Kiowa (AT-72).

World War II

After shakedown off Key West, Florida, Kiowa proceeded to Norfolk, Virginia. She departed Norfolk on 26 July 1943 for operations off Newfoundland. Kiowa towed all kinds of ships and floating equipment, including towing targets for the new battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) during the summer of 1943, before arriving at New York City on 2 March 1944, to prepare for overseas operations.

Departing New York three weeks later, Kiowa arrived at Falmouth, England, in the United Kingdom on 19 April 1944 as the Allies were in the final planning stages for the invasion of Normandy. On 15 May 1944, she was reclassified as a "fleet ocean tug" and redesignated ATF-72.

Loaded with firefighting and salvage equipment, Kiowa departed England on 3 June 1944; joining a convoy of tank landing ships (LSTs), she made her way toward the largest amphibious operation of World War II. The Normandy landings came three days later on D-Day, 6 June 1944, and as a unit of Task Group 122.3 – Salvage and Fire Fighting Group (Wreck Dispersal Vessel) – Kiowa was engaged actively in repairing landing craft, assisting disabled ships, and performing general salvage duty. She remained off Normandy until 25 July 1944 and then operated in British waters before returning to Norfolk on 30 September 1944.

For the rest of World War II, Kiowa operated along the United States East Coast, towing and assisting disabled ships and escorting Allied merchant ships to the convoy lanes. During the late spring of 1945, she commenced operations as a tanker, fueling a number of ships at sea.

Kiowa received one battle star for her World War II service, for her operations from 6 to 24 June 1944 during the invasion of Normandy.

1946-1959

Following World War II, Kiowa arrived at Naval Station Argentia in the Dominion of Newfoundland on 21 December 1945 for duty in the North Atlantic Ocean. From 1946 to 1959 she conducted operations along the coast of North America from the Panama Canal Zone to Newfoundland, engaged in salvage work and the towing of targets and ships.

Arriving at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, on 9 April 1959, Kiowa prepared for an assignment in the Caribbean Sea in support of the United States space program. She cleared San Juan, Puerto Rico, on 26 May 1959 and took station off Antigua as recovery ship for what was to be the beginning of space flight. On 28 May 1959, she recovered the nose cone of the Jupiter AM-18 medium-range ballistic missile which contained two "monkeys in space," the rhesus monkey Able and squirrel monkey Miss Baker, who were the first living creatures the United States launched into space and returned alive to Earth.

1959-1972

From 1959 until early 1965, Kiowa continued towing operations out of Norfolk, and also performed extensive services at Guantanamo Bay. During the latter part of June and all of July 1965, Kiowa operated as a unit of a task force patrolling the West Indies during the second Dominican Republic Crisis, her primary task being to maintain the off-shore pump for petroleum products to besieged Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. En route to the United States East Coast after these operations, Kiowa recovered experimental naval mines off San Juan, Puerto Rico, before arriving at her home port, Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia, early in August 1965.

On 7 September 1965, Kiowa departed Little Creek for the Mediterranean Sea to join the United States Sixth Fleet. Arriving off Naval Station Rota, Spain, on 20 September 1965, she began target-towing, diving support, and salvaging duties which continued into 1966.

From 26 January to 26 February 1966, Kiowa participated in the search for a hydrogen bomb that fell into the Mediterranean Sea off Palomares, Spain, following the crash of a United States Air Force B-52G Stratofortress bomber after a collision with a tanker aircraft. After this search, Kiowa proceeded to South Wales in the United Kingdom and then to San Juan, Puerto Rico, ultimately arriving home at Little Creek on 16 April 1966.

Kiowa spent the next five months towing targets in the Virginia Capes area before entering drydock at Norfolk on 27 September 1966. Her overhaul completed in late January 1967, Kiowa returned to operations off the United States East Coast, completing a cruise from Bermuda to Canada and back in late 1967.

Transfer to the Dominican Republic

In 1972, Kiowa was loaned to the Dominican Republic under the terms of the Security Assistance Act; she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 September 1979. Renamed Macorix (RM-21), she operated in the Dominican Navy until decommissioned in 1986.

Disposal

After the Dominican Navy decommissioned her, Macorix was returned to the custody of the United States. The Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service sold her for scrapping on 12 December 1994

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Munsee</i> (ATF-107) Tugboat of the United States Navy

USS Munsee (AT/ATF-107) was an Abnaki-class fleet ocean tug. She is the only ship of the United States Navy to hold the name Munsee, which is the name of a subtribe of the Delaware Indians, still living in Wisconsin and Kansas.

USS Arikara (AT-98) was an Abnaki-class of fleet ocean tug. It was named after the Arikara, a loose confederacy of sub-tribes of American Indians related to the Pawnee. The Arikara inhabited villages in the Missouri River valley.

USS <i>Cree</i> (ATF-84) Tugboat of the United States Navy

USS Cree (AT/ATF-84), a Cherokee-class fleet tug, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the Cree, an indigenous people of North America whose people range from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean.

USS <i>Brant</i> (AM-24) Minesweeper of the United States Navy

USS Brant (AM-24) was a Lapwing-class minesweeper in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named by the U.S. Navy for the brant, a small goose.

USS Tekesta (AT-93) was Navajo-class fleet tug built during World War II for the United States Navy. Shortly after being built, it was crewed by trained Navy personnel and sent into the Pacific Ocean to provide tug service to damaged ships in battle areas. For successfully performing this dangerous work, she was awarded four battle stars by the war's end.

USS <i>Chickasaw</i> (AT-83) Tugboat of the United States Navy

USS Chickasaw (AT-83/ATF-83) was a Navajo-class fleet tug constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. She served in the Pacific Ocean in World War II and the Korean War, and was awarded six battle stars for World War II and two battle stars during the Korean War.

USS <i>Moreno</i> (AT-87) Tugboat of the United States Navy

USS Moreno (AT-87) was a Navajo-class fleet tug constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. Her purpose was to aid ships, usually by towing, on the high seas or in combat or post-combat areas, plus "other duties as assigned." She served in the Atlantic Ocean and, at war's end, returned home with three battle stars to her credit.

USS Pinto (AT-90) was an Navajo-class fleet tug constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. Her purpose was to aid ships, usually by towing, on the high seas or in combat or post-combat areas, plus "other duties as assigned." She served in the Atlantic Ocean and, at war's end, returned home with three battle stars to her credit.

USS <i>Seneca</i> (AT-91) Tugboat of the United States Navy

USS Seneca (AT-91) was a Navajo-class fleet tug constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. Her purpose was to aid ships, usually by towing, on the high seas or in combat or post-combat areas, plus "other duties as assigned." She served in the Atlantic Ocean performing various tasks.

USS <i>Kewaydin</i> (AT-24) Tugboat of the United States Navy

USS Kewaydin (AT-24) was an Bagaduce-class fleet tug laid down for the U.S. Navy in the closing days of World War I and continued in operation throughout World War II.

USS Arapaho (AT-68/ATF-68) was a Navajo-class fleet ocean tug which served the U.S. Navy during World War II with her towing services. She was assigned initially to support the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and was eventually assigned to support Allied forces in the war zones of the Pacific Ocean, resulting in her crew returning home after the war with four battle stars to their credit.

USS <i>Apache</i> (ATF-67) Tugboat of the United States Navy

USS Apache (AT-67/ATF-67) was a Navajo-class fleet tug, later fleet ocean tug, in commission in the United States Navy from 1942 to 1946 and from 1951 to 1974. She saw service in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

USS Chippewa (AT-69) was a Navajo-class fleet tug constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. Her purpose was to aid ships, usually by towing, on the high seas or in combat or post-combat areas, plus "other duties as assigned." She served in the Atlantic Ocean.

USS Cherokee (AT-66) was a US Navy fleet tug of the Navajo class, later renamed the Cherokee class. She was launched on 10 November 1939 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Staten Island, New York and sponsored by Miss E. Mark; and commissioned 26 April 1940, Lieutenant Commander P. L. F. Weaver in command. Cherokee served during World War II in the North African campaign. She was redesignated ATF-66 on 15 May 1944.

USS <i>Molala</i> (ATF-106) Tugboat of the United States Navy

USS Molala (AT-106/ATF-106) was a US Navy Abnaki-class tugboat, named after the Molala people of Oregon.

USS <i>Choctaw</i> (AT-70) Tugboat of the United States Navy

USS Choctaw (AT-70) was a Navajo-class fleet tug constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. Her purpose was to aid ships, usually by towing, on the high seas or in combat or post-combat areas, plus "other duties as assigned." She served in Bermuda during the end of World War II where she was primarily responsible to aiding in the assembly of convoys and ships taking part in training. On 15 May 1944, she was redesignated ATF-70. She continued to serve for 3 more years before being decommissioned on 11 March 1947.

USS <i>Paiute</i> (ATF-159) Tugboat of the United States Navy

USS Paiute (ATF-159) was an Abnaki-class tug of the United States Navy during World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, and Persian Gulf War. She served a total of 44 years before being scrapped.

USS <i>Moctobi</i> (ATF-105) Abnaki-class fleet ocean tug in the US Navy

USS Moctobi (ATF-105) was an Abnaki-class of fleet ocean tug. She served in World War II, Vietnam, and Korea, the last two of which she received battle stars. She was scrapped in 2012.

USS <i>Hitchiti</i> (ATF-103) Abnaki-class tugboat

USS Hitchiti (ATF-103) was Abnaki-class tugboat during the World War II, Korea and Vietnam. The ship was later sold to Mexico as ARM Chac (R-55). Her namesake is a tribe of Creek Indians who lived in Florida and Georgia. The word "Hitchiti" means "to look up the stream."

USS <i>Mosopelea</i> (ATF-158) Abnaki-class tugboat

USS Mosopelea (ATF-158) was Abnaki-class tugboat during the World War II and Cold War. Her namesake is an Indian tribe which inhabited the area near the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.

References