USNS Mohawk

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USNS Mohawk (T-ATF-170).jpg
USNS Mohawk at sea, 5 July 1989.
History
Flag of the United States.svgUnited States
NameUSNS Mohawk
NamesakeThe Mohawk people, a Native American tribe
BuilderMarinette Marine Corporation, Marinette, Wisconsin
Laid down22 March 1979
Launched5 April 1980
In service16 October 1980
Out of service15 August 2005
Stricken31 August 2015
Identification IMO number:  8834914
StatusUndergoing scrapping
General characteristics
Class and type Powhatan-class tugboat
Displacement2,260 tons
Length226 ft (68.9 m)
Beam42 ft (12.8 m)
Draft15.1 ft (4.6 m)
Propulsion2 GM EMD 20-645F7B diesels
Speed15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement16 civilians and 4 naval communications technicians

USNS Mohawk (T-ATF-170) was a United States Navy Powhatan-class tugboat operated by the Military Sealift Command from 1980 to 2005.

Contents

Construction and characteristics

USNS Mohawk passes under the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge between Maryland and Virginia on the Potomac River just south of Washington, D.C. USNS Mohawk (T-ATF 170) passes Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge.jpg
USNS Mohawk passes under the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge between Maryland and Virginia on the Potomac River just south of Washington, D.C.

The contract for the first four Powhatan-class tugs was awarded to Marinette Marine Co. on 12 September 1975. [1] The Navy exercised its option to buy an additional three ships under this contract on 27 February 1978. [2] Mohawk was the first ship delivered under the contract extension.

Mohawk was laid down on 23 March 1979 at the company's Marinette, Wisconsin shipyard. She was launched on 5 April 1980, and delivered to the Navy on 16 October 1980. [3]

Her hull was built of welded steel plates. She was 225 feet 11 inches (68.86 m) long at the waterline and 240 feet 1 inch (73.18 m) overall, with a beam of 42 feet (13 m), and a draft of 15 feet (4.6 m). She displaced 2,260 tons fully loaded. [2]

As originally built, Mohawk had two controllable-pitch Kort-nozzle propellers for propulsion. She had two 20-cylinder Diesel engines, GM EMD 20-645F7B, [4] which provided 4,500 shaft horsepower. These would drive the ships at 15 knots. She also had a 300-horsepower bow thruster to improve maneuverability. [2] [5]

Electrical power aboard the ship was provided by three 400 Kw generators. These were powered by four Detroit Diesel 8v-71 engines. [4]

Powhatan-class tugs had global range in order to support the U.S. fleet across oceans. Mohawk's tankage was consequently large. She could carry 206,714 U.S. gallons (782,500 L) of Diesel oil, 6,100 U.S. gallons (23,000 L) of lube oil, and 6,000 U.S. gallons (23,000 L) of drinking water. [4] Her unrefueled range at 13 knots was 10,000 miles (16,000 km) [2]

Mohawk's aft deck was largely open to accommodate a number of different roles. It had 4,000 square feet (370 m2) of working space. [6] One of the missions of a fleet tug was to tow disabled warships back to port. She was equipped with a SMATCO 66 DTS-200 towing winch for service as a towboat. [4] The towing system could accommodate either wire rope or synthetic-fiber hawsers and produce as much as 90 short tons of bollard pull. [7] [6] She had a 10-ton capacity crane for moving loads on the aft deck. [5] There were connections to bolt down shipping containers and other equipment.

Like all MSC ships, Mohawk was crewed by civilian mariners. At launch, her complement was 16 civilian crew and a 4-person military detachment of communications specialists. The ship could accommodate an additional 16 people aboard for transient, mission-specific roles. [2] [5]

All the ships of the Powhatan-class were named after Native American tribes. [7] Mohawk was named after the Mohawk people, of southeastern Canada and northern New York.

Service history

In February 1982 Mohawk was used as a dive platform to investigate the crash of an F-4E Phantom II in shallow water 30 miles southeast of Charleston, South Carolina. The sea was so stormy that two dives had to be abandoned because the ship was dragging her 2,500 pound stern anchor. She came back to Charleston and borrowed a 4-ton anchor from USCGC Escape before heading back to the crash site. [8] Mohawk was ultimately successful in recovering portions of the plane. [9]

She towed floating drydock pontoons from Charleston, South Carolina to Holy Loch, Scotland in 1982. [10]

During the Fall of 1985 and the winter of 1985-1986 Mohawk was deployed to the Caribbean to track and report on suspicious vessels as part of the war on drugs. [11]

Mohawk towing ex-Wisconsin in August 1986 USNS Mohawk towing battleship Wisconsin.jpg
Mohawk towing ex-Wisconsin in August 1986

Mohawk departed the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 1 August 1986 with ex-Wisconsin in tow. They were accompanied by USS Edenton. They arrived in New Orleans on 15 August where ex-Wisconsin was put into drydock at the Avondale shipyard as a step towards reactivation. [12] [13]

On 15 December 1987 the Kuwaiti oil tanker Qarouh collided with the Panamanian freighter Explorer about 700 miles off the coast of Florida. Mohawk was the first vessel on the scene of the accident and took all 29 members of the tanker's crew aboard since Qarouh appeared to be sinking. [14]

On 28 January 1989, Mohawk worked with USNS Grasp to pull the grounded USS Spruance off a coral reef near Andros Island, in the Bahamas. [15]

Public tours of Mohawk were offered on 24–25 March 1990 at the Port Canaveral Seafood Festival, [16] on 19 May 1991 at the Washington Navy Yard, [17] and in October 1992 as part of the Wilmington, North Carolina Riverfest. [18] This was an effort to recruit mariners into the Military Sealift Command.

In the fall of 1992, Mohawk exercised with the Royal Navy frigate HMS Lancaster off Virginia Beach. Mohawk towed Empress II, which generated high-power microwave pulses, in order to test the electronic hardening of the British ship. Over the course of 12 days, Lancaster was able to operate within 200 yards of Empress II without significant damage. [19]

Mohawk and USS Grasp pull USS Spruance off a coral reef in the Bahamas in 1989 USNS Mohawk and USS Grasp pull USS Spruance off a coral reef in the Bahamas.jpg
Mohawk and USS Grasp pull USS Spruance off a coral reef in the Bahamas in 1989

During the spring of 1993, Mohawk worked with USNS Grasp, USNS Grapple, and Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit Two to raise the coastal freighter Wendy. The wreck was leaking fuel which threatened the world's second largest coral reef system and blocked a harbor mouth on the Honduran island Roatan. [20]

On 3 April 1993, Mohawk recovered the wreckage of an F-15 that crashed in the Gulf of Mexico. The parts of the aircraft were loaded onto LCAC 058 which brought them to Tyndall Air Force Base for the crash investigation. [21]

In February 1995, Mohawk recovered the wreckage of a T-34C Turbo Mentor that crashed in the Gulf of Mexico off Corpus Christi. [22]

In June 1995, Mohawk towed ex-Inchon from Naval Station Ingleside, Texas to the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia. [23]

Mohawk towed ex-Mississippi from Norfolk to the Panama Canal in March 1998. Here the tow was taken over by USNS Navajo which took the ship on to Bremerton, Washington. [24] The ship returned to Norfolk to take USS Sam Rayburn (MTS-635) under tow on 31 March 1998. [25]

On 10 October 1999 Mohawk took ex-Guadalcanal in tow at the Naval Inactive Ship Facility in Philadelphia with the intent to move her to Hampton Roads, Virginia. The tow was mishandled and Mohawk's tow-guide assembly broke apart and injured one of her crew. [26]

Mohawk was dispatched to waters off Nantucket in November 1999 to investigate the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990. On this mission she teamed with USNS Grapple, and NOAAS Whittng. [27]

Mohawk towed ex-Guam from Norfolk Naval Shipyard to an exercise area in the Atlantic. The old amphibious assault ship was sunk by the carrier air wing of USS John F. Kennedy on 16 October 2001. [28]

During June 2004, Mohawk towed ex-Leahy from the Panama Canal to the Naval Inactive Shipp Maintenance Facility in Beaumont, Texas. [29]

Sixth Fleet deployments

Mohawk was regularly deployed to the Mediterranean to support Sixth Fleet operations as a towing, diving, and salvage asset.

1995: In September, Mohawk moored in Constanta, Romania in support of Exercise Poseidon '95. The embarked Detachment Bravo of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit Two trained with its Romanian counterparts on diving and salvage techniques. [30] Other port calls included Mahon, Spain. [31]

1998: Port calls included Rhodes, Greece. [31]

2000-2001: The deployment was for six months. Detachment Alpha of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit Two was embarked. [32] Mohawk completed a joint exercise with Bulgarian divers in the waters off Varna, Bulgaria, and similar exercises in Egypt, and Croatia. [33] [34] Other port calls included La Maddelena, Sardinia, [35] Valletta, Malta, [36] and Palma de Majorca. [31]

2003: Port calls included Valletta, Malta. [36]

2005: Port calls included La Spezia, Italy. [31]

Deactivation

Mohawk was taken out of service on 16 August 2005 and placed in reserve in the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [37] At one point, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency authorized her sale to the Chilean Navy for $3 million under the Excess Defense Article program. On 16 May 2016 this authority was revoked. [38] As of January 2018, the U.S. Maritime Administration, which manages retired Navy ships, was planning to scrap Mohawk. [39]

On 1 September 2023, Mohawk was removed from the Philadelphia NIMSF and began its journey to Brownsville, Texas, where it will be scrapped. [40]

Awards and honors

Mohawk and her crew earned a number of awards and honors. These include: [41]

Related Research Articles

Six ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Powhatan or USNS Powhatan, named in honor of Powhatan (1550–1618), an Indian chief in tidewater Virginia; the father of Pocahontas.

USNS <i>Grapple</i> Rescue and salvage ship

USS Grapple (ARS-53) is a Safeguard-class rescue and salvage ship in the United States Navy. Her home port is Norfolk, Virginia. On 13 July 2006 Grapple was decommissioned from US Navy service and converted to civilian operation by Military Sealift Command. She was redesignated as USNS Grapple.

USS <i>Munsee</i> Tugboat of the United States Navy

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USNS <i>Salvor</i> Safeguard-class rescue and salvage ship

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USS <i>Cree</i> 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.

USNS <i>Safeguard</i> Lead ship of her class

USNS Safeguard (T-ARS-50), formerly USS Safeguard (ARS-50), is the lead ship of her class and the second United States Navy ship of that name.

USNS <i>Catawba</i> Tugboat of the United States Navy

USNS Catawba is a Powhatan-class tugboat operated by the Military Sealift Command for the United States Navy. It is currently based in Manama, Bahrain. It was launched in 1979 and is the last ship of its class still in service. In December 2020, the Navy announced its intention to retire Catawba during fiscal year 2023.

USS <i>Navajo</i> (AT-64) Tugboat of the United States Navy

USS Navajo (AT-64) was an oceangoing tugboat in the United States Navy, and the lead ship of her class. She was named for the Navajo people. Originally called the Navajo-class of fleet tugs, they were later renamed the Cherokee-class after loss of the first two ships of the class.

USS <i>Lipan</i> Tugboat of the United States Navy

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USNS <i>Apache</i> Tugboat of the United States Navy

USNS Apache (T-ATF-172) was a U.S. Navy Powhatan-class fleet ocean tugboat that was operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC) from 1981 to 2022. She spent the bulk of her career in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

USNS <i>Narragansett</i>

USNS Narragansett (T-ATF-167) is a Powhatan-class fleet ocean tugboat of the US Navy. She was launched in 1979 and inactivated in 1999, but has since been employed in a number of roles. She is still in service as of 2023 as a training support vessel for Carrier Strike Group 4.

USNS <i>Grasp</i> Safeguard-class rescue and salvage ship

USNS Grasp (T-ARS-51) is a Safeguard-class rescue and salvage ship, the second United States Navy ship of that name.

USNS <i>Navajo</i> (T-ATF-169) Tugboat of the United States Navy

USNS Navajo (T-ATF-169) was a United States Navy Powhatan-class tugboat operated by the Military Sealift Command which was in service from 1980 to 2016. She spent the bulk of her career in the Pacific and is currently moored in Pearl Harbor, awaiting disposal.

USNS <i>Powhatan</i> Tugboat of the United States Navy

USNS Powhatan (T-ATF-166) was the lead ship of the United States Navy Powhatan-class fleet ocean tugboats. She was in service with the U.S. Navy from 1979 to 1999, and then was leased to a private towing and salvage company. At the end of the lease in 2008, the ship was sold to the Turkish Navy which recommissioned her as TCG Inebolu.

USNS <i>Sioux</i> US Navy Tugboat

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<i>Powhatan</i>-class tugboat U.S. Navy tugboat class

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The United States Navy Combat Logistics Force (CLF), formerly the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force (NFAF), is a subordinate component of the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command. CLF's 42 ships are the supply lines that provide virtually everything that Navy ships at sea needs to accomplish its missions, including fuel, food, ordnance, spare parts, mail and other supplies. NFAF ships enable the Navy fleet to remain at sea, on station and combat ready for extended periods of time. CLF ships also conduct towing, rescue and salvage operations or serve as floating medical facilities. All CLF ships are government owned and crewed by civil service mariners. Some of the ships also have a small contingent of Navy personnel aboard for operations support, supply coordination and helicopter operations.

<i>Navajo</i>-class rescue and salvage ship United States Navy salvage and rescue ship

The Navajo class is a class of Towing, Salvage and Rescue Ships for the Military Sealift Command of the United States Navy. They were ordered in 2017 as the planned replacement for the aging Safeguard-class rescue and salvage ships and Powhatan-class tugboats. A total of ten ships of the class have been planned and none have yet to be put in service.

References

  1. ↑ "Tug Contract Firm's Biggest". Milwaukee Sentinel. 17 September 1975. p. 23.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Polmar, Norman (1997). Ships and Aircraft of the United States Fleet (16th ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 252. ISBN   1-55750-686-8.
  3. ↑ "MOHAWK (ATF 170)". Naval Vessel Register.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "ATF-169 "NAVAJO"". Tugboat Information.com.
  5. 1 2 3 Ships, Aircraft, and Weapons of the United States Navy. United States Navy Department, Office of Information. 1980.
  6. 1 2 Paulus, Chris (2020). USNS NAVAJO (T-ATS 6) Class Towing, Salvage, and Rescue Ship (PDF).
  7. 1 2 Granger, Louis R. (January 1979). "USNS Powhatan Leads Way For New Class of Tugs". Military Sea Transportation Service Magazine. XXIX (1).
  8. ↑ "Tug Refitted For Search". The State. 13 February 1982. p. 18.
  9. ↑ "Phantom of the Phantom II". Tampa Times. 18 February 1982. p. 2.
  10. 1 2 "GOVERNMENT NEWS". Defense Transportation Journal. 39 (5): 57–59. 1983. ISSN   0011-7625. JSTOR   44119845.
  11. ↑ Wylie, Captain Elizabet G. (1 April 1986). "Military Sealift Command a demanding mission". The Jersey Journal. p. 9.
  12. ↑ Darby, Joe (16 August 1986). "Battleship: Wisconsin arrives for overhaul". Times-Picayune. p. 21.
  13. ↑ "U. S. Naval Operations in 1986". U.S. Naval Institute. 1987-05-01. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  14. ↑ Casey, jr., Joseph J. (18 December 1987). "Two merchant ships collide, navy tug rescues 29 at sea". The Jersey Journal. p. 21.
  15. ↑ "Crews reflect U.S. destroyer after three days aground". Anchorage Daily News. 30 January 1989. p. 4.
  16. ↑ "Merchant Marine Employment". Orlando Sentinel. 25 March 1990. p. 95.
  17. ↑ "Maritime Career Day". Baltimore Sun. 16 May 1991. p. 28.
  18. ↑ "PHOTOS: On the waterfront through the years". www.starnewsonline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  19. ↑ "Lancaster has her finger on the pulse" (PDF). Navy News. October 1992. p. 36.
  20. ↑ "Norfolk squadron to salvage freighter". Daily Press. 18 March 1993. p. 9.
  21. ↑ "Newsworthy Events" (PDF). On Cushion: 7. June 1993.
  22. ↑ Brooks, Karen (26 February 1995). "Navy completes recovery of plane". Corpus Christi Caller Times. p. 41.
  23. ↑ Jordan, Stephanie L. (22 June 2002). "Ex-Inchon begins long journey to sea burial". Corpus Christi Caller Times. pp. A-13.
  24. ↑ "Mississippi IV (CGN-40)". Naval History and Heritage Command.
  25. ↑ "COMMAND HISTORY FOR CALENDAR YEAR 1998" (PDF). 1999. p. 3.
  26. ↑ "In re Petition of McAllister Towing Transportation Co., Civil Action No. 02-858 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  27. ↑ "Experts doubt projection of doomed flight's descent". Sarasota Herald Tribune. p. 3.
  28. ↑ "USS Guam LPH-9 Amphibious Assault Ship Helicopter US Navy". www.seaforces.org. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  29. ↑ "The disposal of all nine "true" Leahy Class ships went like this" (PDF).
  30. ↑ "Poseidon". GlobalSecurity.org.
  31. 1 2 3 4 "T-ATF-169 'USNS Navajo'". TugboatInformation.com. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
  32. ↑ Perna, CWO3 Frank (March 2001). "In This Issue From the Supervisor of Diving - Supervisor of Salvage ..." yumpu.com. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-05-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  33. ↑ Baxter, Edward (9 July 2001). "Mohawk completes dive exercise off Bulgaria". United States Transportation Command.
  34. ↑ Baxter, Edward (3 December 2002). "Apache completes dive exercise off Croatia". United States Transportation Command.
  35. ↑ Baxter, Edward (10 January 2001). "Navy salvages sunken craft off Sardinia". United States Transportation Command.
  36. 1 2 "US Auxiliaries". www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  37. ↑ "Mohawk (ATF-170)". Naval Vessel Register.
  38. ↑ Santana, Roberto Sandoval (2016-11-09). "Cancelada la posible transferencia del remolcador USNS Mohawk a Chile-noticia defensa.com - Noticias Defensa defensa.com Chile". Defensa.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  39. ↑ ANNUAL REPORT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017 (PDF). Office of Ship Disposal Programs. 2018.
  40. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdK90ZyGMF8 [ bare URL ]
  41. ↑ MASTER LIST OF UNIT AWARDS AND CAMPAIGN MEDALS (PDF). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Navy. 2002.

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