USS Narragansett (AT-88)

	Former USS Narragansett, ROCS Ta Feng at Keelung harbor, 28 September 2019
History
United States
Name	USS Narragansett
Builder	Cramp Shipbuilding Co., Philadelphia
Yard number	543
Laid down	31 January 1942
Launched	8 August 1942
Commissioned	15 January 1943
Decommissioned	21 December 1946
Reclassified	ATF-88, 15 May 1944
Stricken	1 September 1961
Identification	AT-88
Honors and; awards	3 battle stars (World War II)
Fate	Sold to Republic of China, 20 June 1991
Taiwan
Name	ROCS Ta Feng
Acquired	20 June 1991
Decommissioned	1 Oct 2021
Identification	ATF-555
Fate	Sunk as target, 15 August 2023.
General characteristics
Class and type	fleet tug
Displacement	1,235 long tons (1,255 t)
Length	205 ft (62 m)
Beam	38 ft 6 in (11.73 m)
Draft	15 ft 4 in (4.67 m)
Propulsion	Diesel-electric; four engines driving four General Electric generators and three General Motors 3-268A auxiliary services engines; single screw; 3,600 shp (2,685 kW);
Speed	16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement	85
Armament	1 × 3 in (76 mm) gun; 2 × twin 40 mm gun mounts; 2 × single 20 mm guns;

USS Narragansett (AT-88) was a

battle stars

to her credit.

The fourth Narragansett to be so named by the U.S. Navy, AT-88 was laid down on 31 January 1942 by the

Cramp Shipbuilding Co., Philadelphia

; launched on 8 August 1942, sponsored by Miss Lois Kinehen Hill, and commissioned on 15 January 1943.

World War II Atlantic Ocean operations

Following

ComNavNAW

.

Supporting the invasion of Sicily

On 6 July, she was detached from those duties and ordered to

Operation Husky", the invasion of Sicily. On the 8th, she departed Bizerte, and by the 10th she was off Seaglitti with "Cent" Force as that force landed near the mouth of the Aeate River on the Camerina Plain

.

Heavy tolls among the landing craft, caused by heavy surf indefinite landmarks, and inexperienced boat crews, kept the tug busy for the next weeks: at first in the Seaglitti area; then with "Joss" Force at Licata, and finally with "Dime" Force at Gela. By the end of the month she had moved her operation to Palermo, whence she operated until the end of August.

Under attack by Luftwaffe aircraft

On the 10th of that month she departed Sicily to tow the disabled Mayrant (DD-402) to Malta, returning in mid-month. At 0430 on 23 August, the Luftwaffe raided Palermo, with bombs scoring on nearby service craft and a near miss wounding two of AT-88's crew. Narragansett's remaining crew immediately set to work to aid the damaged vessels despite explosions which exacted a heavy toll among the fire fighters and damage control sections. Six were dead and 12 seriously wounded before it was over.

Supporting the invasion of Italy

On 30 August Narragansett returned to North Africa to stage for the invasion of

task unit TU 85.1.1. Soon after midnight, on 9 September, she stood into the Gulf of Salerno. At 0330, the Northern Attack Force sent its assault troops onto the Unnele beaches. By 0507, Narragansett was hard at work aiding the burning Nauset (AT-89) and various landing craft and larger vessels in need of assistance. On the 14th she gained a brief respite from beachhead operations with an assignment to tow the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Uganda to Malta

. Until the end of October she continued to operate in support of the Italian offensive; completing several runs to Malta towing both British and American vessels, salvaging vessels of various types and pulling landing from the beaches.

From November 1943, through to 22 February 1944, Narragansett once again operated off North Africa performing general duties at

drydock in tow. and then resumed salvaging landing craft in the Naples

area. During April, she performed towing services along the North African coast to Italy and to Sicily resuming in May, duties as general utility ship at Oran.

Invasion of Southern France operations

On 16 June, the hard working tug, now reclassified ATF-86 (effective 15 May), again departed for Naples, this time to join in the preparations for "Operation Dragoon", the invasion of Southern France. For the next month and a half, she frequently transited the waters between Bizerte, Naples, Sardinia and Corsica, as harbors on the latter island were turned into supply stations, repair facilities and beaching craft convoy staging areas.

By 18 August she was off the

Third Reich

.

Returning Stateside for overhaul

Narragansett returned to

Charleston Navy Yard for overhaul prior to sailing for the Panama Canal and a new assignment, the Pacific Fleet

.

Transferred to the Pacific Fleet

On 21 January 1945 she departed for

starboard side at the waterline. Effecting temporary repairs with mattresses and miscellaneous pieces of metal, she remained in the area until the ARDC was taken in tow by the Coast Guard cutter Bibb (WPG-31), after which she proceeded into Manzanillo, Mexico, for emergency repairs. On 8 March, she continued on up the coast, arriving at her new home port. Mare Island

, on the 20th, to complete the job.

On 5 May, she departed for

Philippine, Marshall, Mariana, Volcano and Hawaiian Islands

.