USS Sonoma (AT-12)
Encyclopedia
USS Sonoma (AT-12) was a Sonoma-class fleet tug which had the distinction of serving her country during World War I
and World War II
. For her work as a tugboat
in some very dangerous battle areas, she earned five battle stars during World War II. She ended her battle career gallantly, sunk by a crashed Japanese
bomber.
The second U.S. Navy warship to be named Sonoma, the tug was laid down on 7 November 1911, at Camden, New Jersey
, by the New York Shipbuilding
Co.; launched on 11 May 1912; and commissioned on 6 September 1912, Chief Boatswain
William Darrington in command.
as a tender, and she served in that capacity through World War I. In 1919, the tug was transferred to the U.S. Pacific Fleet and, on 17 July 1920, was designated AT-12. Sonoma was assigned to Train Squadron 2 of the newly organized Base Force during the winter of 1923 and 1924 and remained with the Base Force through the early years of World War II.
to Pearl Harbor
: and, after a voyage to Canton Island and back in February and March of 1942, she remained at Pearl Harbor until October, serving as a channel guard vessel. At that time, she departed Pearl Harbor in company with Ellet
(DD-398) and Turkey
(AM-13) to tow ARD-2 and YO-24 to New Caledonia
.
The group arrived at Noumea
on 3 November and, after two weeks of repairs and upkeep, Sonoma sailed for Sydney, Australia, with Alhena (AK-26) in tow. She returned to Nouméa on 6 December and stayed there until 2 January 1943. On that date, she put to sea to aid damaged Army workboat P-111 to limp into port. She and her charge made Nouméa on the 5th.
. Based at Noumea
, New Caledonia
, she visited the Fiji Islands, the New Hebrides Islands, Australia
, and New Guinea
, both at Milne Bay
and Buna
. On 3 September 1943, she arrived off Lae
, New Guinea
, to participate in her first combat operation and, in the afternoon, was straddled by four bombs-near misses-and sprayed by shrapnel during a raid by seven Japanese twin-engine bombers. Later on, she cleared the area for Morobe
Bay, Papua New Guinea
. Sonoma's scrapes with Japanese air power continued through the month of September as she operated in the vicinity of Lae
. She came under attack on the 12th, the 21st, and the 22d, and assisted in splashing one enemy on the 12th. For the remainder of 1943, she operated in and around Buna
Harbor at Papua, New Guinea.
. Her formation came under automatic weapons fire on the following day and Sonoma was hit by several .50 caliber machine gun bullets. The fire had come from friendly shore batteries which mistook the ships for enemy barges known to be operating in the vicinity. The echelon made Dreger Harbor on 15 January; then headed on to Milne Bay. From there, Sonoma towed APC-4 to Brisbane, Australia, arriving on 1 February. Following overhaul and repairs, she got underway on 15 February to return to Milne Bay. After spending most of March 1944 around Milne Bay, she headed for Manus
in the Admiralty Islands
on 31 March.
“leapfrog” operation up the back of the New Guinea bird. On 15 May 1944, Sonoma was redesignated ATO-12 and, later that month, she moved to the Hollandia
area in the vicinity of Biak
Island, where she did salvage, fire fighting, and towing duty for the landing craft which had been bombed and strafed by the enemy. She spent the month of June in Humboldt Bay, New Guinea
, then lent her support to the Noemfoor attack
during the first week in July. By the 15th, she was back at Milne Bay for repair and upkeep.
Island in the Netherlands East Indies. She remained there for 10 days-again providing salvage, fire fighting, and towing services. During that period, she suffered a broken crankshaft
and had to put in at Gila Bay for repairs. On the 21st, she sailed back to Humboldt Bay where she went into availability for a week; then resumed salvage duty around Jautefa Bay.
invasion. Sonoma entered San Pedro Bay
, Leyte Gulf
, on the 20th. On the morning of the 24th, she opened fire on several enemy planes with her starboard guns.
on 27 November 1944.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and 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...
. For her work as a 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...
in some very dangerous battle areas, she earned five battle stars during World War II. She ended her battle career gallantly, sunk by a crashed Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
bomber.
The second U.S. Navy warship to be named Sonoma, the tug was laid down on 7 November 1911, at Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
, by the New York Shipbuilding
New York Shipbuilding
The New York Shipbuilding Corporation was founded in 1899 and opened its first shipyard in 1900. Located in Camden, New Jersey on the east shore of the Delaware River, New York Ship built more than 500 vessels for the U.S...
Co.; launched on 11 May 1912; and commissioned on 6 September 1912, Chief Boatswain
Boatswain
A boatswain , bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The boatswain supervises the other unlicensed members of the ship's deck department, and typically is not a watchstander, except on vessels with small crews...
William Darrington in command.
World War I operations
Upon commissioning, Sonoma was assigned to the U.S. Atlantic FleetU.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
as a tender, and she served in that capacity through World War I. In 1919, the tug was transferred to the U.S. Pacific Fleet and, on 17 July 1920, was designated AT-12. Sonoma was assigned to Train Squadron 2 of the newly organized Base Force during the winter of 1923 and 1924 and remained with the Base Force through the early years of World War II.
World War II Pacific Theatre operations
At the outbreak of war between the United States and Japan, Sonoma was in transit from Wake IslandWake Island
Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
to Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
: and, after a voyage to Canton Island and back in February and March of 1942, she remained at Pearl Harbor until October, serving as a channel guard vessel. At that time, she departed Pearl Harbor in company with Ellet
USS Ellet (DD-398)
USS Ellet was a Benham-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for five members of the Ellet family of Pennsylvania who rendered service during the American Civil War: Colonel Charles Ellet, Jr.; Brigadier General Alfred W. Ellet; Colonel Charles R. Ellet;...
(DD-398) and Turkey
USS Turkey (AM-13)
USS Turkey was an acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing....
(AM-13) to tow ARD-2 and YO-24 to New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
.
The group arrived at Noumea
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
on 3 November and, after two weeks of repairs and upkeep, Sonoma sailed for Sydney, Australia, with Alhena (AK-26) in tow. She returned to Nouméa on 6 December and stayed there until 2 January 1943. On that date, she put to sea to aid damaged Army workboat P-111 to limp into port. She and her charge made Nouméa on the 5th.
Dangerous operations in the South Pacific
For the next eight months, Sonoma towed ships between the ports of the South Pacific OceanPacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. Based at Noumea
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, she visited the Fiji Islands, the New Hebrides Islands, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, both at Milne Bay
Milne Bay
Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, southeastern Papua New Guinea. The bay is named after Sir Alexander Milne.The area was a site of the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942....
and Buna
Buna, Papua New Guinea
Buna is a village in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea. It was the site in part, of the Battle of Buna-Gona during World War II, when it constituted a variety of native huts and a handful of houses with a airstrip...
. On 3 September 1943, she arrived off Lae
Lae
Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, to participate in her first combat operation and, in the afternoon, was straddled by four bombs-near misses-and sprayed by shrapnel during a raid by seven Japanese twin-engine bombers. Later on, she cleared the area for Morobe
Morobe
Morobe may refer to several places in Papua New Guinea:*Morobe Province*Morobe, Papua New Guinea*Morobe Goldfield *Morobe Bay...
Bay, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. Sonoma's scrapes with Japanese air power continued through the month of September as she operated in the vicinity of Lae
Lae
Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...
. She came under attack on the 12th, the 21st, and the 22d, and assisted in splashing one enemy on the 12th. For the remainder of 1943, she operated in and around Buna
Buna, Papua New Guinea
Buna is a village in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea. It was the site in part, of the Battle of Buna-Gona during World War II, when it constituted a variety of native huts and a handful of houses with a airstrip...
Harbor at Papua, New Guinea.
Struck by “friendly fire”
On the second day of 1944, she got underway for Saidor, New GuineaNew Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. Her formation came under automatic weapons fire on the following day and Sonoma was hit by several .50 caliber machine gun bullets. The fire had come from friendly shore batteries which mistook the ships for enemy barges known to be operating in the vicinity. The echelon made Dreger Harbor on 15 January; then headed on to Milne Bay. From there, Sonoma towed APC-4 to Brisbane, Australia, arriving on 1 February. Following overhaul and repairs, she got underway on 15 February to return to Milne Bay. After spending most of March 1944 around Milne Bay, she headed for Manus
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
in the Admiralty Islands
Admiralty Islands
The Admiralty Islands are a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of Manus Province, the smallest and...
on 31 March.
New Guinea area operations
For the next three months, Sonoma supported General Douglas MacArthur'sDouglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
“leapfrog” operation up the back of the New Guinea bird. On 15 May 1944, Sonoma was redesignated ATO-12 and, later that month, she moved to the Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
area in the vicinity of Biak
Biak
Biak features a tropical rainforest climate with nearly identical temperatures throughout the course of the year. The average annual temperature in the city is 27 degrees celsius, which is also generally the average temperature of each day in Biak...
Island, where she did salvage, fire fighting, and towing duty for the landing craft which had been bombed and strafed by the enemy. She spent the month of June in Humboldt Bay, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, then lent her support to the Noemfoor attack
Battle of Noemfoor
The Battle of Noemfoor was a battle of World War II that took place on the island of Noemfoor, in Dutch New Guinea, between 2 July and 31 August 1944. United States and Australian forces attacked to capture Japanese bases on the island.-Background:...
during the first week in July. By the 15th, she was back at Milne Bay for repair and upkeep.
Dutch East Indies operations
On 11 September, she got underway for the assault area off MorotaiMorotai
Morotai Island Regency is a regency of North Maluku province, Indonesia, located on Morotai Island. The population was 54,876 in 2007.-History:...
Island in the Netherlands East Indies. She remained there for 10 days-again providing salvage, fire fighting, and towing services. During that period, she suffered a broken crankshaft
Crankshaft
The crankshaft, sometimes casually abbreviated to crank, is the part of an engine which translates reciprocating linear piston motion into rotation...
and had to put in at Gila Bay for repairs. On the 21st, she sailed back to Humboldt Bay where she went into availability for a week; then resumed salvage duty around Jautefa Bay.
Supporting the Philippine Islands invasion
On 14 October, she sailed in company with echelon LI, as Task Unit 78.2.9, bound ultimately for the LeyteLeyte
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
invasion. Sonoma entered San Pedro Bay
San Pedro Bay (Philippines)
San Pedro Bay is a bay in the Philippines, at the northwest end of Leyte Gulf, about 15 km east-west and 20 km north-south. The bay is bounded on the north and east by Samar and on the east by Leyte Island. It is connected by San Juanico Strait to Carigara Bay of the Samar Sea. The...
, Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at . The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of Samar, which is separated from Leyte on the west by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the south by...
, on the 20th. On the morning of the 24th, she opened fire on several enemy planes with her starboard guns.
Crashed into by a Japanese bomber
As she cast off from merchant freighter SS Augustus Thomas, next to whom she had been moored, a flaming enemy bomber crashed Sonoma on the starboard side amidships. Two explosions followed immediately, and she began taking water at an alarming rate. LCI-72 and Chickasaw (ATF-83) came alongside the stricken tug, extinguished the fires on her starboard side, and removed casualties.Sunk after attempt to save her
Chickasaw then made an unsuccessful attempt to beach her on Dio Island. That afternoon, Sonoma sank in 18 feet of water off Dio Island. Her name was struck from the Navy listNavy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
on 27 November 1944.