USS Atakapa
_underway_c1954.jpg) USS Atakapa (ATF-149) c1954
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Atakapa |
| Laid down | 17 February 1944 |
| Launched | 11 July 1944 |
| Commissioned | 8 December 1944 |
| Stricken | 21 February 1992 |
| Identification | ATF-149 |
| Honours and awards |
|
| Fate | Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 2000 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | fleet ocean tug |
| Displacement | 1,675 tons |
| Length | 205 ft 0 in (62.48 m) |
| Beam | 38 ft 6 in (11.73 m) |
| Draught | 15 ft 4 in (4.67 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) |
| Complement |
|
| Armament | 1 x 40-mm, 2 x 20-mm, 2 depth charge tracks |
USS Atakapa (ATF-149) was an
Construction history
The fleet ocean tug (ATF-149) was laid down on 17 February 1944 at
Operational history
World War II service
After shakedown in the
Atakapa engaged in towing and salvage operations until 11 August when she departed the Hawaiian Islands bound for the
The tug returned to Pearl Harbor on 23 April for repairs before heading for the United States late in May. She transited the Panama Canal on 14 June and reached Jacksonville, Florida, on the 25th. The ship reported to Orange, Texas, on 21 August for duty and ultimate transfer to the inactive fleet. She was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 8 November 1946.
Post-war service
Atakapa was recommissioned at Orange on 9 August 1951, slightly over a year after Communist forces invaded South Korea. She held shakedown training at Newport, Rhode Island, and Norfolk, Virginia, and made the first major tow of her new career in February 1952, when she pulled a large vessel from Panama to Philadelphia. From April to July, Atakapa was stationed at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and devoted herself largely to target towing. The vessel returned to Norfolk in July and spent the remainder of the year providing general towing and salvage services in the Norfolk area and along the East Coast.
For the next five and one-half years, Atakapa maintained a busy schedule of towing and salvage operations. She visited ports along the East Coast, in the
The tug spent 1959 and 1960 providing general services to East Coast ships. In early 1961, she spent six weeks in Puerto Rico participating in Operation "Springboard" and then crossed the
On 4 January 1963, Atakapa sailed to
After a brief period of local operations, Atakapa sailed in early 1965 to the Caribbean to participate in Operation "Springboard." Early in April, she returned to the Norfolk area for an overhaul at the
The ship's first major activity of 1967 was once again Operation "Springboard" in which she participated from 6 to 19 March. The tug entered restricted availability at Norfolk on 23 April and, soon after it ended, began a deployment to northern Europe on 15 May. She operated in the Norwegian Sea and visited ports in Norway, Scotland, and the Netherlands before returning to Little Creek on 1 October. She operated in the Virginia Capes area through the end of the year and into May 1967. On the 19th of that month, the tug got underway for Scotland, reached Holy Loch on 30 May, and on 6 June was underway again for Rota. She operated in the Mediterranean until late September and visited the ports of Suda Bay, Crete; Valletta, Malta; Naples, Italy; Piraeus, Greece; İzmir, Turkey; and Palma de Mallorca. Atakapa touched back at Little Creek on 29 September; completed a period of leave and upkeep: and, on 27 November, entered overhaul at the Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock Company. The overhaul was completed in mid-April 1968, and the vessel began refresher training. On 13 June, she got underway for operations in European waters and made port calls in Spain, England, Italy, Greece, and Crete. The tug left Rota on 12 October; returned to Little Creek on 22 October; and, on 17 December, began an availability alongside USS Vulcan.
On 25 February 1969, Atakapa shifted to Little Creek for upkeep. On 15 April, she was deployed to western Europe. She made port calls at
After one and one-half months of training, Atakapa deployed to Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, on 16 February 1972. She provided target services for units participating in Operation "Springboard," but was back in home port on 23 March. On 1 May, the tug towed USS Cache to Beaumont, Texas, and then pulled a vessel from that gulf port back to Norfolk, arriving there on 16 May. Local operations and availability occupied Atakapa through 21 July, when she got underway for Guantánamo Bay. She operated from that Cuban port for the next five weeks and then returned to Little Creek on 30 August for local operations through the rest of the year and the first months of 1973. On 11 April, Atakapa sailed for Guantánamo Bay, but was back in the Virginia Capes area on 15 May. Another Caribbean deployment occurred from 28 June to 9 August. After her return home, the tug operated along the East Coast. In early 1974, Atakapa sailed for the Caribbean for the annual "Springboard" operations. She operated along the East Coast for the last few months of her career as a commissioned Navy ship.
Decommissioning and disposal
On 1 July 1974, the tug was decommissioned and turned over to the
Following Congressional approval in 1996 for transfer to the Northeast Wisconsin Railroad Transportation Commission, she was handed over on 29 December 1997 to the Ontonagon County Economic Development Corporation on behalf of the Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad, along with five other obsolete sister tugs.[1] They were intended for a new trans-Lake Superior freight car barge service between Ontonagon and Thunder Bay, Ontario,[2] though it has been suggested that the company sought the tug's four General Motors engines (24 in all) to use in their locomotives.[3] The project was abandoned in October 1999, shortly before title would have passed to the railroad company.[2] Atakapa remained in lay-up between 1997 and 1999.
On 25 August 2000, Atakapa was sunk as a target in 20.40.80N 64.05W during a fleet training exercise.
References
- ^ "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997, Sec.1023" (PDF). US Congress. Washington DC. p. 216 (pdf). Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- ^ a b Tucker, Jan (14 October 1999). "Tug-barge project given up for dead". Ironwood Daily Globe. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- ^ Roberts, Stephen S. (17 May 2011). "Class: Achowami". Shipscribe: Data on U.S. Naval Auxiliary Ships. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.- This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
External links
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