USS Powhatan
Encyclopedia
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
.
, first ship of the name, was a sidewheel steam frigate
, launched in 1850 and scrapped in 1887.
Fiction
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...
have borne the name USS Powhatan or USNS Powhatan, named in honor of Powhatan
Powhatan
The Powhatan is the name of a Virginia Indian confederation of tribes. It is estimated that there were about 14,000–21,000 of these native Powhatan people in eastern Virginia when the English settled Jamestown in 1607...
(1550–1618), an Indian chief in tidewater Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
; the father of Pocahontas
Pocahontas
Pocahontas was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the head of a network of tributary tribal nations in Tidewater Virginia...
.
, first ship of the name, was a sidewheel steam frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
, launched in 1850 and scrapped in 1887.
- USS Powhatan, second ship of the name, was a sidewheel gunboatGunboatA gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
transferred by the War DepartmentUnited States Department of WarThe United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
to the Navy on 21 April 1861 and renamed USS King PhilipUSS King Philip (1845)USS King Philip was a steamer acquired by the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a dispatch boat, providing various services.-A commercial steamer seized by the Union Navy:...
on 4 November 1861., third ship of the name, was a tugboatTugboatA 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...
purchased in 1898. Her name was changed to Cayuga (YT-12) in 1917; she was scrapped in 1928., originally Hamburg, was built in 1899. Fourth ship of the name, she was commissioned as a troop transport and renamed Powhatan in 1917. She decommissioned in 1919 and was turned over to the Army Transport Service., fifth ship of the name, was a tugboat launched in 1938. She was reclassified YTM-128 in 1944. She was active until 1970, sold for scrap in 1976, and was subsequently lost while under tow by USNS San Juan to a scrapper in the Carolinas. - USNS Powhatan (T-ATF-166)USNS Powhatan (T-ATF-166)USNS Powhatan was a United States Navy in service from 1979 to 1999.Powhatan was laid down on 30 September 1976 by the Marinette Marine Corporation at Marinette, Wisconsin. Launched on 24 June 1978, and delivered to the U.S...
, sixth ship of the name, was a fleet ocean tug operated by the Military Sealift Command to provide the U.S. Navy with towing service which entered service on 15 June 1979 and left service on 26 February 1999. As of May 2008, ex-Powhatan was stricken from the Military Sealift Command and leased to a private towing and salvage company for 10 years. At the recent completion of that lease, the U.S. Navy transferred the vessel to the Turkish Navy. Due to the poor condition of the vessel upon termination of the lease, BAV has overseen the refit of the vessel to include completely rebuilding of all engines and generators. Located in a shipyard in Charleston, South Carolina, the ex-Powhatan was re-commissioned into the Turkish Navy as the TCG Inebolu recently after being completely prepped and repainted. As engine rebuilds near completion, preparations are being made for dock trials, sea trials, and then the long trek home to Turkey.
Fiction
- USS Powhatan (NCC-1967), a Constitution Class Starship of Star Fleet International Region One, Chesapeake, Virginia, in the Star Trek universe