USNS Powhatan (T-ATF-166) was the lead ship of the United States NavyPowhatan-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.
The contract for the first four Powhatan-class tugs was awarded to Marinette Marine on 12 September 1975. Powhatan was the first of these vessels to be launched. The contract price for the four ships was $30.5 million.[1]Powhatan was laid down on 30 September 1976 at Marinette Marine's Marinette, Wisconsin shipyard. She was launched on 24 June 1978. The ship was christened at a ceremony in Marinette on 28 October 1978. Her sponsor was Alice Stratton, who was a Navy wife for 19 years at the time, including six during which her husband, Lieutenant Commander Richard Stratton was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.[2] Commander Stratton was the principal speaker at the ceremony.[3]Powhatan was delivered to the U.S. Navy on 15 June 1979, and was assigned to the Military Sealift Command (MSC).[4]
Powhatan's hull was built of welded steel plates. The ship is 225feet 11inches (68.86m) long, with a beam of 42 feet (13m), and a draft of 15 feet (4.6m). She displaces 2,260 tons fully loaded.[5]
Powhatan has two controllable-pitchKort-nozzle propellers for propulsion. As originally built, she had two 20-cylinder Diesel engines, GM EMD 20-645F7B,[6] which provided 4,500 shaft horsepower. These could drive the ship at 15 knots. She also had a 300-horsepower bow thruster to improve maneuverability.[5][7]
Electrical power aboard the ship was provided by three 400 Kw generators. These were powered by four Detroit Diesel 8v-71 engines.[6]
USNS Powhatan in 1983
The ship was expected to have global range in order to support the U.S. fleet across oceans. Her tankage is consequently large. She can carry 206,714 U.S. gallons (782,500L) of Diesel oil, 6,100 U.S. gallons (23,000L) of lube oil, and 6,000 U.S. gallons (23,000L) of drinking water.[6]
Like all MSC ships, Powhatan was crewed by civilian mariners. Her complement included 16 civilian crew. There was also a 4-person military detachment of communications specialists aboard. The ship could accommodate an additional 16 people aboard for transient, mission-specific roles.[5][7]
Powhatan's aft deck is largely open and accommodates a number of different roles. One of the original missions of a fleet tug was to tow damaged warships back to port. The ship's aft deck is equipped with a SMATCO 66 DTS-200 towing winch for service as a towboat.[6] She has a 10-ton capacity crane for moving loads on her aft deck.[7] There are connections to bolt down shipping containers.
All the ships of the Powhatan-class were named after Native American tribes.[8]Powhatan's namesake was the Powhatan people, a leading tribe of eastern Virginia. A notable member of this tribe was Pocahontas. The tug was the sixth U.S. Navy ship to bear this name.[9]
A dive team was embarked, and in July 1985 Powhatan assisted in refloating the beached USS Boulder.[11]
In November 1985 Powhatan was assigned to tow ex-Salmon from Panama to Norfolk, Virginia where the decommissioned submarine was to be used for testing antisubmarine techniques and equipment. While en route, off the coast of Haiti, the rudder locking device on the submarine broke, threatening the tug's ability to tow the hulk. Temporary repairs were made at sea and the two vessels made port at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where permanent repairs were completed. The two ship departed Cuba on 20 November 1985.[12]
In October 1986 the ship was in the area of Soviet ballistic missile submarine K-219 that had suffered an explosion and fire approximately 480 miles northeast of Bermuda. The Pentagon announced that Powhatan was standing by to assist, if asked, but the Soviets ordered the tug to stand clear of the sub. The sub sank as Powhatan watched. Water samples taken by the ship showed no release of radioactive elements.[13][14][15]
Budget cuts forced the Navy to reduce the number of fleet tugs it operated. Powhatan was leased to Donjon Marine Company, Inc of Hillside, New Jersey on 26 February 1999. The initial lease term was five years, but it was ultimately extended a further four years. The terms of the lease allowed the Navy to recall the ship if needed.[18]
Donjon Marine Company service (1999—2008)
The government of Turkey contracted with Donjon Marine to tow four decommissioned U.S. Navy ships from ports on the east coast of the United States to the Gölcük Naval Shipyard. In 1999, Powhatan was responsible for at least two of the tows, including that of ex-Miller.[19]
Powhatan, in Donjon Marine colors, tows ex-John F. Kennedy out of Mayport, Florida in 2007
In September 1999 the 750-foot-long container barge San Jaun Jax Bridge broke loose from her towboat during Hurricane Floyd. Powhatan sailed from Charleston, South Carolina and recovered the barge.[20]
Powhatan participated in evacuation of stranded commuters from Manhattan in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks.[21]
The chemical tanker Bow Mariner exploded and sank off the Virginia coast in February 2004. Powhatan was chartered to assist in the clean-up efforts. A remotely-operated vehicle was embarked to examine the condition of the wreck.[22]
In early 2005 Powhatan towed ex-America out to sea where she was sunk by a series of explosions intended to evaluate aircraft carrier vulnerabilities.[23] Later in 2005, the tug was dispatched with a crane-barge to Louisiana as part of the recovery effort from Hurricane Katrina.[24]
Upon completion of the lease, Powhatan was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 25 February 2008 and sold to Turkey on 26 February 2008 through the Security Assistance Program. A ceremony commemorating the handover was held in Charleston.[25] Due to her poor condition upon termination of the lease, she underwent a refit which included complete rebuilding of all engines and generators at Charleston. During the refit, the ex-Powhatan was commissioned into the Turkish Navy as TCG Inebolu (A-590).[26]
Inebolu was involved in the search and rescue operations for the downed Turkish F-4 reconnaissance jet in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The aircraft was shot down by Syrian Armed Forces in international airspace on 22 June 2012 killing two pilots. Inebolu joined the research vessel EV Nautilus, and was tasked with the salvage operation for the aircraft's wreckage from the 3,000m (9,800ft) deep seabed after the bodies of the pilots were brought up to the surface.[27]
The ship participated in the 2017 NATO submarine rescue exercise "Dynamic Monarch", as part of a nine-nation fleet.[28]
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.
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 Atakapa (ATF-149) was an Achomawi class of fleet ocean tug. It was named after the Atakapa Native American tribe that once inhabited territory which is now southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas.
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 Catawba is a Powhatan-class tugboat operated by the Military Sealift Command for the United States Navy. She is currently based in Manama, Bahrain. She was launched in 1979 and is the last ship of her class still in service. In December 2020, the Navy announced its intention to retire Catawba during fiscal year 2023.
The second USS Bluebird (ASR-19) was a Penguin-class submarine rescue ship in the United States Navy.
USS Lipan (AT-85) 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 Pacific Ocean during World War II and the Korean War. She was awarded two battle stars for World War II and four battle stars for the Korean War.
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 Salinan (ATF-161) was an Achomawi-class tug built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after the Salinan peoples, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
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 Mohawk (T-ATF-170) was a United States Navy Powhatan-class tugboat operated by the Military Sealift Command from 1980 to 2005.
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 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 Sioux (T-ATF-171) was a United States Navy Powhatan-class tugboat operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC). She was in service from 1981 to 2021 and spent the bulk of this time supporting the Pacific Fleet.
The Powhatan class of fleet ocean tugs consists of seven ships built for the United States Navy, and operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC). The lead ship of the class was launched in 1978 and the last ship in MSC service will be deactivated in 2023. During their service life, the Powhatan's were the most powerful tugs owned by the Navy.
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.
The Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force is a division of the US Navy. The 42 ships of the Military Sealift Command's Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force are the supply lines to U.S. Navy ships at sea. These ships provide virtually everything that Navy ships need, 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. NFAF ships also conduct towing, rescue and salvage operations or serve as floating medical facilities. All NFAF 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.
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.
1 2 3 Polmar, Norman (1997). Ships and Aircraft of the United States Fleet (16thed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p.252. ISBN1-55750-686-8.
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