USS Tackle

Last updated
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameUSS Tackle
Builder Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newport News, Virginia,
Launched1912, as SS W.R. Chamberlain, Jr.
Acquired1943
Commissioned5 August 1943, as USS Tackle (ARS-37)
Decommissioned13 September 1945
RenamedTackle (ARS-37), 8 June 1943
Reclassified
  • ARST-4 (Salvage Craft Tender), 1 February 1945
  • IX-217 (Miscellaneous Unclassified), 13 February 1945
Stricken11 October 1945
Honours and
awards
2 battle stars (WWII)
General characteristics
Class and type Tackle-class rescue and salvage ship
Displacement6,500 long tons (6,604 t)
Length310 ft 2 in (94.54 m)
Beam44 ft 6 in (13.56 m)
Draft22 ft 6 in (6.86 m)
Propulsion Diesel-electric, twin screws, 2,780 hp (2,073 kW)
Speed10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement65
Armament

USS Tackle (ARS-37) was a Tackle-class rescue and salvage ship acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in North Atlantic waters, and returned home at war's end with two battle stars.

Contents

Acquisition for the war effort

Built as SS W. R. Chamberlain, Jr. in 1912 by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, Virginia, the ship was owned and operated by the shipping company W. R. Chamberlin & Company. of Portland, Oregon.

The ship was acquired through the War Shipping Administration in 1943. She was renamed USS Tackle (ARS-37) on 8 June 1943; was taken over by the Navy at Oran, Algeria, on 19 June 1943; and commissioned on 5 August 1943 at Palermo, Sicily.

World War II North Atlantic Operations

Tackle was assigned to the Salvage Force, U.S. 6th Fleet, and operated between Algerian ports until early 1944. She took a load of salvage equipment to Bizerte, Tunisia, on 30 March and moved to Palermo, Sicily, on 4 April. The ship shuttled between Sicily, Naples, and North African ports until mid-August.

Invasion of southern France operations

Tackle sailed with Task Force 84, on 21 August, to participate in the landings in southern France. She arrived at Cavalaire-sur-Mer on the 24th and moved to Port-de-Bouc on 1 September.

Damaged by an exploding mine

On 4 September, Tackle was being towed to the fueling and watering berth in the Basin Petrolier by the French tug Provencal. At 14:25 hours, a mine exploded between the two ships. The French tug was sunk, and Tackle suffered considerable damage to her port side and engine rooms. She was towed to Toulon on the 8th for temporary repairs and, five days later, thence to Palermo. Permanent repairs were completed there on 20 October, and she sailed for Toulon five days later.

Tackle made a voyage from Algeria to Marseilles in November and spent December 1944 shuttling between Algerian ports. On 30 January 1945, she returned to Marseilles. Her designation was changed to ARS(T)-4 (Salvage Craft Tender) on 1 February. The ship steamed to Palermo on the 13th. While she was there, her designation was changed to IX-217 (Miscellaneous Unclassified). She returned to Algeria on 20 March.

Too damaged to remain in service

Tackle stood out of Oran on 17 April en route to the United States. She arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, on 18 May; and, on 27 June, it was determined that the ship was unfit for further naval service. Tackle was decommissioned on 13 September and struck from the Navy list on 11 October 1945. Her ultimate fate is unknown.

Awards

Tackle received two battle stars for World War II service.

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Susan B. Anthony</i> Troop ship of WW2 sunk off Normandy

USS Susan B. Anthony (AP-72) was a turbo-electric ocean liner, Santa Clara, of the Grace Steamship Company that was built in 1930. Santa Clara was turned over to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) on 28 February 1942 and operated by Grace Lines as agent for WSA as a troop ship making voyages to the South Pacific. The ship was chartered to the Navy on 7 August 1942 for operation as a United States Navy transport ship. The ship was sunk 7 June 1944 off Normandy by a mine while cruising through a swept channel with all 2,689 people aboard being saved.

USS <i>Abnaki</i> US Navy fleet ocean tug in service 1943-1978

USS Abnaki (ATF-96) was the lead ship of the Abnaki class of fleet ocean tugs in the service of the United States Navy, named after the Abenaki tribe of Native Americans. She was laid down on 28 November 1942 at Charleston, South Carolina by Charleston Shipbuilding & Drydock, launched on 22 April 1943, sponsored by Mrs. James Mayon Jones, and commissioned at the Charleston Navy Yard on 25 November 1943. Abnaki earned three battle stars for service during the Korean War and 10 battle stars during the Vietnam War.

USS <i>Knight</i> Gleaves-class destroyer

USS Knight (DD-633), a Gleaves-class destroyer, is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Admiral Austin M. Knight.

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 Nauset (AT–89) was a Navajo class tug in the United States Navy

USS <i>Seer</i> Minesweeper of the United States Navy

USS Seer (AM-112/MSF-112/MMC-5) was an Auk-class minesweeper of the United States Navy that served during World War II and the Korean War, and was sold to Norway in 1962.

USS <i>LST-389</i>

USS Boone County (LST-389) was an LST-1-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for counties in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, and West Virginia, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.

USS Sway (AM-120) was an Auk-class minesweeper acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

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 <i>Redwing</i> (AM-48) Minesweeper of the United States Navy

USS Redwing (AM-48) was an Lapwing-class minesweeper commissioned by the United States Navy for service in World War I. She was responsible for removing mines from harbors, and, in her role as rescue and salvage ship, she was responsible for coming to the aid of stricken vessels. She was laid down 5 August 1918 by the Baltimore Drydock & Shipbuilding Co., Baltimore, Maryland; launched 7 June 1919; sponsored by Mrs. Fred A. Plagemann, wife of the prospective commanding officer; and commissioned 17 October 1919.

USS <i>Moreno</i> 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 <i>Narragansett</i> (AT-88) Tugboat of the United States Navy

USS Narragansett (AT-88) 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>Thomas Jefferson</i> (APA-30) President Jackson-Class Attack Transport Ship

USS Thomas Jefferson (APA-30), serving from 1 May 1942 until 18 July 1955, was a transport and then reclassified on 1 February 1943 as a President Jackson-class attack transport. She was laid down under Maritime Commission contract as President Garfield on 5 February 1940 at Newport News, Virginia, by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company for the American President Lines. The ship was launched on 20 November 1940, sponsored by Miss Eugenia Merrill. President Garfield was completed 26 March 1941 and acquired by the War Shipping Administration (WSA) 29 November 1941 with American President Lines, the WSA agent, operating the ship as a troop transport. On 1 May 1942 the United States Navy purchased the ship and commissioned her USS Thomas Jefferson, named for Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, on 31 August 1942.

USS Extricate (ARS-16) was an Anchor-class rescue and salvage ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels.

USS <i>Restorer</i>

USS Restorer (ARS-17) was an Anchor-class rescue and salvage ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels.

USS <i>Weight</i>

USS Weight (ARS-35) was a Weight-class rescue and salvage ship acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels. This narrative provides a detailed account of such a task conducted under battle conditions.

USS Hackberry (YN-20/AN-25) was an Aloe-class net laying ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was originally ordered and laid down as USS Maple (YN-20) but renamed shortly before her October 1941 launch. She was later transferred to the French Navy as Araignée (A727).

USS <i>Majaba</i> Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Majaba (AG-43/IX-102) was the Design 1049 cargo ship Meriden built in 1919 by the Albina Engine & Machine Works, Portland, Oregon. All the ships were requisitioned by the United States Shipping Board (USSB) for World War I service. The ship was bought by the E. K. Wood Lumber Co., of San Francisco, California in 1923 and renamed El Capitan. The ship was chartered by the U.S. Navy through the War Shipping Administration (WSA) in April 1942 and commissioned as Majaba.

USS <i>Mosopelea</i> 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

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .The entry can be found here.