USS Wenatchee | |
History | |
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United States | |
Name | Wenatchee |
Namesake | Wenatchee |
Builder | United Engineering Co. |
Laid down | 12 January 1944 |
Launched | 7 September 1944 |
Sponsored by | Mrs. Hart A. Aaron |
Commissioned | 24 March 1945 |
Decommissioned | 19 May 1947 |
Reclassified | ATF-118, 1944 |
Stricken | 1 September 1962 |
Identification |
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Honours and awards | See Awards |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Abnaki-class tugboat |
Displacement |
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Length | 205 ft 0 in (62.48 m) |
Beam | 38 ft 6 in (11.73 m) |
Draft | 15 ft 4 in (4.67 m) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) |
Range | 15,000 nmi (28,000 km; 17,000 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) |
Complement | 85 officers and enlisted |
Armament |
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USS Wenatchee (ATF-118) was an Abnaki-class tugboat during the World War II. Her namesake was a tribe of Indians of the Salishan language group, who lived in the area that is now central Washington state, principally around Lake Chelan. [1]
The ship displaced 1,589 tonnes (1,564 long tons) at standard load and 1,675 tonnes (1,649 long tons) at deep load The ship measured 205 feet (62.5 m) long overall with a beam of 38 feet 6 inches (11.7 m). It had a draft of 15 feet 4 inches (4.7 m). The ship's complement consisted of 85 officers and ratings.
The ship had two General Motors 12-278A diesel engines, one shaft. The engines produced a total of 3,600 shaft horsepower (2,700 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). It carried a maximum of 10 tonnes (10 long tons) of fuel oil that gave it a range of 15,000 nmi (28,000 km; 17,000 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph).
The Abnaki class was armed with a 3"/50 caliber gun anti-aircraft gun, two single-mount Oerlikon 20 mm cannon and two twin-gun mounts for Bofors 40 mm gun.
The ship was built at the United Engineering Co. at Alameda, California. She was laid down on 12 January 1944 and launched on 7 September 1944. The ship was commissioned on 24 March 1945. She was re-designated as ATF-118 on 15 May 1944. [2]
Wenatchee conducted her shakedown training in the San Pedro-San Diego-San Francisco area, before departing the west coast on 15 May, bound for the Hawaiian Islands. Reaching Pearl Harbor on 30 May, the fleet tug remained there through mid-June and then sailed for the Marshalls. She reached Eniwetok on 5 July.
The fleet tug performed ocean towing and screening duties supporting the 3rd Fleet's drive against the Japanese homeland and, after hostilities ended, participated in the initial occupation of Japan. She was present in Tokyo Bay on 2 September, the day of Japan's formal surrender. That autumn, she engaged in salvage work at the former Japanese naval base at Yokosuka.
Wenatchee operated there through the end of 1945 and into the following year, finally departing that port in company with Conserver (ARS-39) on 20 February 1946, bound for Hawaiian waters. Reaching Pearl Harbor on 3 March, Wenatchee stayed there for over a month before she sailed for Bikini Atoll on 13 April to take part in Operation Crossroads.
As part of Task Unit 1.8.1, a repair and service unit, Wenatchee supported the atomic test operations there into the summer and then left Kwajalein on 20 August and headed for Pearl Harbor, reaching that port on 5 September. The fleet tug subsequently towed AFDB-7 from Pearl Harbor to San Francisco, reaching the west coast in late October.
After transiting the Panama Canal in mid-December and reporting for duty with Service Force, Atlantic Fleet, Wenatchee reached New Orleans on 21 January 1947. Shifting to Orange, Texas, in mid-March, the fleet tug was decommissioned and placed in reserve there on 19 May 1947.
Struck from the Navy list on 1 September 1962, the ship was transferred to the Maritime Administration for lay up and preservation. Berthed at Beaumont, Texas, she remained there into the late 1970s, awaiting final disposition.
The ship earned 1 battle star throughout her career.
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 Achomawi (AT-148/ATF-148) was an Abnaki-class fleet ocean tug in the service of the United States Navy, and was named for the Achomawi tribe of Native Americans.
USS Quapaw (ATF–110/AT-110) was a Abnaki-class fleet ocean tug in the United States Navy. She was named after the Quapaw.
USS Yuma (AT-94/ATF-94/T-ATF-94) was a Navajo-class fleet tugboat constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the second U.S. Navy ship named for the Yuma tribe of Arizona.
USS Wateree (ATF-117/AT-117) was an Abnaki-class fleet ocean tug acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Wateree was sent to the western Pacific Ocean to perform towing services; however, during a typhoon, she was damaged beyond repair and lost, with eight crew members missing.
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 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.
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.
USS Chimariko (ATF-154) was an Abnaki class Fleet Ocean Tug of the United States Navy and the first to be named Chimariko after the Native American tribe in California.
USS Molala (AT-106/ATF-106) was a US Navy Abnaki-class tugboat, named after the Molala people of Oregon.
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.
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 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 Hidatsa (ATF-102) was Abnaki-class tugboat during the World War II. The ship was later sold to Colombia as ARC Rodrigo de Bastidas (RM-74). Her namesake is an Indian group of the Sioux Tribe of North Dakota, now living on the Fort Berthold Reservation.
USS Jicarilla (ATF-104) was Abnaki-class tugboat during the World War II. The ship was later sold to Colombia as ARC Sebastián De Belalcázar (RM-73). Her namesake is a group of the Apache tribe found in the southwestern United States.
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.
USS Shakori (ATF-162) is an Abnaki-class tugboat that saw service during the World War II and Cold War. She was later sold to Republic of China as ROCS Da Tai (ATF-563). Her namesake was a small Indian tribe which originally inhabited an area near the present site of Durham, North Carolina.
USS Tolowa (ATF-116) was Abnaki-class tugboat during the World War II. She was later sold to Venezuela as ARV Felipe Larrazábal (R-11). Her namesake is an Athabascan Native American tribe of northwestern California that formerly occupied the coast from the Klamath River to the Oregon border.