Abnaki class fleet ocean tug
Encyclopedia
The Abnaki class is a class of United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
fleet ocean tugs which began construction in November 1942. The class comprises 22 ocean going tugboat
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
s. The ships were constructed in response to the needs of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but members of the class served in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
as well. The Navy no longer has any ships of this class in active duty.
Ships
- USS Abnaki (ATF-96)USS Abnaki (ATF-96)USS Abnaki 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....
- commissioned: 1943; decommissioned: 1978; fate: transferred to MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... - USS Alsea (AT-97) - commissioned: 1943; decommissioned: 1962; fate: scrapped
- USS Arikara (AT-98) - commissioned: 1944; decommissioned: 1971; fate: transferred to ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
- USS Cocopa (ATF-101)USS Cocopa (ATF-101)USS Cocopa was an Abnaki class fleet ocean tug that served on active duty with the U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1978, seeing action in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. After thirty-four years of service, she was sold to the Mexican Navy, where she continues in service to this day...
- commissioned: 1944; decommissioned: 1978; fate: transferred to MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... - USS Moctobi (ATF-105) - commissioned: 1944; decommissioned: 1985; fate: transferred to other government agency in 1997, still afloat as Lion (as of April 2011)
- USS Molala (AT-106) - commissioned: 1943; fate: transferred to foreign government in 1978
- USS Munsee (AT-107) - commissioned: 1948; fate: unknown
- USS Pakana (AT-108) - commissioned: 1945; decommissioned: 1948; fate: assigned to U.S. Bureau of MinesUnited States Bureau of MinesFor most of the 20th century, the U.S. Bureau of Mines was the primary United States Government agency conducting scientific research and disseminating information on the extraction, processing, use, and conservation of mineral resources.- Summary :...
for use in AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait... - USS Potawatomi (AT-109) - commissioned: 1944; decommissioned: 1948; fate: transferred to ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, sunk in 1965 - USS Quapaw (ATF-110) - commissioned: 1944; decommissioned: 1985; fate: Sold private 1998, still afloat as Tiger (as of April 2011)
- USS Sarsi (ATF-111)USS Sarsi (ATF-111)USS Sarsi was an Abnaki-class fleet ocean tug commissioned in California in 1943. She served during World War II in North Pacific waters, and during the Korean War, she performed her towing services until she was sunk during Typhoon Karen in 1952 by a drifting naval mine off the coast of Korea.-...
- commissioned: 1944; lost 27 August 1952 (naval mineNaval mineA naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
) with 4 men killed - USS Seranno (ATF-112) - commissioned: 1944; decommissioned: 1970; fate: scrapped
- USS Takelma (ATF-113) - commissioned: 1944; fate: transferred to Argentine NavyArgentine NavyThe Navy of the Argentine Republic or Armada of the Argentine Republic is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force....
in 1993, renamed ARA Suboficial Castillo (A-6) - USS Tawakoni (ATF-114)USS Tawakoni (ATF-114)The USS Tawakoni was an Abnaki class Fleet Ocean Tug that served on active duty with the U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1978, seeing action in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War...
- commissioned: 1944; decommissioned: 1978; fate: transferred to TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following... - USS Tenino (ATF-115) - commissioned: 1944; decommissioned: 1947; fate: transferred to U.S. Maritime AdministrationU.S. Maritime AdministrationThe United States Maritime Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation that maintains the National Defense Reserve Fleet as a ready source of ships for use during national emergencies, and assists the NDRF in fulfilling its role as the nation's fourth arm of...
- USS Tolowa (ATF-116) - commissioned: 1944; decommissioned: 1947; fate: unknown
- USS Wateree (ATF-117)USS Wateree (ATF-117)USS Wateree 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.-Built in California:The...
- commissioned: 1945; lost 9 October 1945 (typhoonTropical cycloneA tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
) with 8 men killed - USS Wenatchee (ATF-118) - commissioned: 1945; decommissioned: 1947; fate: transferred to U.S. Maritime AdministrationU.S. Maritime AdministrationThe United States Maritime Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation that maintains the National Defense Reserve Fleet as a ready source of ships for use during national emergencies, and assists the NDRF in fulfilling its role as the nation's fourth arm of...