USS Nokomis, one of the tugs assisting USS Fulton (AS-11) to enter Pearl Harbor after the Battle of Midway. | |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | USS Nokomis |
Namesake | Grandmother and nurse of Hiawatha |
Builder | Puget Sound Navy Yard, Washington |
Laid down | date unknown |
Launched | 29 November 1939 |
Completed | March 1940 |
Commissioned | March 1940 |
Decommissioned | c. 1973 |
Reclassified | YTB-142 in May 1944 and YTM-142 in February 1962 |
Stricken | May 1973 |
Homeport | Pearl Harbor, Hawaii |
Honors and awards | one battle star for World War II service |
Fate | Sold, 1 September 1974; scrapped 2010 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Woban-class |
Type | District Harbor Tug |
Displacement | 218 tons |
Length | 100 ft 10 in (30.73 m) |
Beam | 25 ft (7.6 m) |
Draft | 9 ft 7 in (2.92 m) |
Propulsion | 1000hp diesel-electric, two Enterprise engines |
Speed | 12 knots |
Complement | 8 crew members |
Armament | not known |
USS Nokomis (YT-142/YTB-142/YTM-142) was a Woban-class harbor tug built in Bremerton, Wash, and assigned to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1940. Nokomis was present during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941. She was the first vessel on scene at the USS Arizona, and was called off by the officers on deck because of the imminent explosion of the battery below deck. It then left and helped beach the USS Nevada, with Hoga (YT-146), and YT-153. The beaching of the Nevada saved Pearl Harbor's mouth from being blocked. After that the USS Nokomis fought fires and dewatered the battleship USS California, for 3 days. This effort made the California salvageable, to be recommissioned again later in the war. Nokomis was also the last vessel to move the surviving YC-699 barge prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Post-war she continued serving Pearl Harbor ships until she was decommissioned in May 1973, and eventually sold for "scrap" to Crowley, in San Francisco. She was renamed Sea Serpent and served many years in the San Francisco Bay as a tug and fire boat. In 1989, after the Loma Prieta earthquake in the SF Bay area, Nokomis and Hoga (which had been serving the City of Oakland as a fireboat) fought fires alongside each other again.
Nokomis (YT–142), a diesel electric tug, was built at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington; launched 29 November 1939; completed in March 1940; and allocated to the 14th Naval District for duty. [1]
Upon her arrival at Pearl Harbor, Nokomis assumed the duty of providing towing and berthing services, and was available for waterfront fire protection and inner harbor security. [2]
Reclassified YTB–142, in 1944, she remained active as a service craft based at Pearl Harbor into the 1970s. [2]
Nokomis was decommissioned and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in May 1973 and sold by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service to Crowley Maritime Corporation in September 1974. [3] [4] NAVSEA states the date of removal was 18 April 1975. [5]
According to the Historic Tugboat Education and Restoration Society, the Nokomis was purchased in April 1975 by Crowley Maritime Corporation, and her name was changed to Sea Serpent. She operated in the San Francisco Bay as a commercial tugboat to assist docking vessels. Crowley Maritime terminated their operations in the San Francisco area in the early 1990s and the Nokomis was reflagged Panamanian and abandoned along with many other tug boats, to decay and rust. [6] [7]
She was rediscovered in mid 2002, in the mudflats of Hunters Point, San Francisco, by Tugboat Master Melissa Parker. [8] She was purchased at an auction for $50 for the Historic Tugboat Education and Restoration Society (HTERS) and initially was tied up at Pier 80 in San Francisco. [7] [9]
The 501(c)3 educational non-profit worked on historical research, practical engineering educational programs for underprivileged youth in the Bay Area, and cooperative programs between historical ship organizations in the SF Bay, and beyond. HTERS acquired an operational sister tug, USS Wenonah, intending that Wenonah be used as a floating classroom to solicit interest in HTERS in order to help raise funds to restore Nokomis. [10] After falling behind on dock rental fees, the two tugs were moved to Treasure Island, but dock rental and insurance fees continued to pile up, eventually costing the Historic Tugboat Education and Restoration Society both vessels.
While tied up at Treasure Island, Wenonah sank in August 2009 and spilled oil into San Francisco Bay. [11] The Coast Guard contracted Global Diving to recover the vessel to prevent further leaks, and Global Diving turned to the American Bridge/Fluor Joint Venture for use of the Left Coast Lifter sheerleg crane to recover the vessel. [12] Wenonah was turned over to the Coast Guard for disposal, and Bay Ship & Yacht in Alameda assumed the lease of Pier 1 in Treasure Island, which included taking possession of Wenonah and Nokomis. Both vessels were scrapped in 2010 in Alameda. [1] [13]
Wenonah was an identical sister to Hoga. She would have been a great resource of parts to restore her. Nokomis was the oldest surviving naval vessel from the attack on Pearl Harbor. The YC-699 barge on the SF Bay and the YT-153 tug on the east coast, with Hoga, are now the last remaining Naval Pearl Harbor surviving vessels.
USS Pocahontas (YT/YTB/YTM-266), was a type V2-ME-A1 harbor tug that entered service in the United States Navy in 1943, and was sold in 1976. She was the third ship to bear the name Pocahontas.
Hoga (YT-146/YTB-146/YTM-146) is a United States Navy Woban-class district harbor tug named after the Sioux Indian word for "fish." After World War II, the tug was known as Port of Oakland and then City of Oakland when she was a fireboat in Oakland, California.
USS Awatobi (YTB-264) was a harbor tugboat acquired by the United States Navy during the close of World War II. She was outfitted with two .50-caliber machine guns and assigned to the San Francisco Bay area where she provided tug services, and other harbor services as required.
USS Wenonah (YT-148/YTB-148/YTM-148) was a Woban-class district harbor tug which served during World War II in California ports, and continued her service until she was struck by the Navy in 1974. On 17 August 2009, the Wenonah sank while berthed at Treasure Island, CA, and was raised by the floating crane Left Coast Lifter on 28 August 2009.
USS Acoma (YTB-701/YTM-701) was a Hisada-class district harbor tug built during the end of World War II. She was placed into reserve until 1962, when she was released to the 1st Naval District, where she served as a tugboat for the next 40 years before being disposed of, as excess to Navy needs.
USS Kittaton was a Sassaba-class district harbor tug that served the U.S. Navy at the end of World War II. She served in the Pacific Ocean, often in the Japan and Philippine Islands area and was eventually struck from the Navy list at an unspecified date.
USS Tensaw (YT-418/YTB-418/YTM-418) was a Sassaba-class district harbor tug that served the United States Navy at the end of World War II. She remained in the Pacific Ocean to support the U.S. Pacific Fleet during the Korean War, and continued to serve until she was struck in 1967.
The third USS Osceola (YT-129), previously USS YT-129, later YTB-129, later YTM-129, was a United States Navy harbor tug commissioned in 1938 and sold for scrapping in 1973.
USS Waneta (YT-384), later YTB-384, later YTM-384, was a United States Navy harbor tug in commission from 1944 to 1946 and from 1953 to 1974.
USS Washakie (YTB-386), laid down as YT-386, later YTM-386, was a United States Navy tug in commission from 1944 to 1946 and from 1953 to probably 1975.
USS Hiawatha (YT-265), later YTB-265, later YTM-265, was a type V2-ME-A1 harbor tug that entered service in the United States Navy in 1942, and was sold in 1987. She was the third ship to bear the name Hiawatha.
USS Menoquet (YTM-256) was laid down as YT‑256 by Anderson and Cristofani, San Francisco, California 11 September 1943; named Menoquet 5 January 1944; launched 5 February 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Alfred Cristofani; reclassified YTB‑256 on 15 May 1944; and completed and placed in service at Mare Island, California., 7 June 1944. Harbor tugs (YT) were named after American Indian tribes.
USS Oneyana (YTB-262) was a U.S. Navy tugboat laid down as YT–262, 20 June 1943 at J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp., Tacoma, Washington launched 27 March 1944; reclassified YTB 262, 15 May 1944: and placed in service 23 August 1944.
Iona (YT/YTB/YTM-220), a wooden tugboat originally classified YT-220, was launched by Greenport Basin and Construction Company, Greenport, New York, 26 August 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Martina E. Swanson; and placed in service 2 February 1945. She was the second United States Navy ship of that name.
USS Wingina (YTB-395) is a tugboat that was laid down as District Harbor Tug YT-395. She was re-classified while still under construction as District Harbor Tug, Large YTB-395. After her commissioning, she served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1980.
USS Sassacus (YT-193) was a tugboat built for the U.S. Navy during World War II.
The Natick class is a class of harbor tugboats that have been active since the 1960s. Members of the class are named for Native American peoples and their members, USS Redwing excepted. As of 1 April 2015, five to eight Natick-class tugs remain in active service. Members of this class were designed under project SCB 147A.
The Type V ship is a United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) designation for World War II tugboats. Type V was used in World War II, Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Type V ships were used to move ships and barges. Type V tugboats were made of either steel or wood hulls. There were four types of tugboats ordered for World War II. The largest type V design was the sea worthy 186-foot (57 m) long steel hull, V4-M-A1. The V4-M-A1 design was used by a number of manufacturers; a total of 49 were built. A smaller steel hull tugboat was the 94-foot (29 m) V2-ME-A1; 26 were built. The largest wooden hull was the 148-foot (45 m) V3-S-AH2, of which 14 were built. The smaller wooden hull was the 58-foot (18 m) V2-M-AL1, which 35 were built. Most V2-M-AL1 tugboats were sent to the United Kingdom for the war efforts under the lend-lease act. The Type V tugs served across the globe during World War II including: Pacific War, European theatre, and in the United States. SS Farallon, and other Type V tugs, were used to help built Normandy ports, including Mulberry harbour, on D-Day, 6 June 1944, and made nine round trips to Normandy to deliver Phoenix breakwaters.
The YT-86-class harbor tugboat was a wood-hulled tugboat design ordered by the U.S. Navy during World War I. 15 ships of the type were launched and completed, 12 as harbor tugs and three as ambulance boats. All were launched at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California except for one at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Hawaii. In 1920, after the Navy's adoption of alpha-numeric hull designations, the ships were classified as yard tugs YT-86 though YT-90 and YT-92 through YT-99 and ambulance boats YH-1, YH-2, and YH-3.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help)