USS Yuma (AT-94)

USS "Yuma" (AT-94) was a sclass2|Navajo|fleet tug constructed for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her purpose was to aid ships, usually by towing, on the high seas or in combat or post-combat areas, plus "other duties as assigned." She served in the Pacific Ocean and had a successful career marked by the winning of two battle stars during World War II, and two during the Korean War.

The second "Yuma" to be so named by the Navy was laid down on 13 February 1943 at Portland, Oregon, by the Commercial Iron Works; launched on 17 July 1943; sponsored by Mrs. W. J. Jones; and commissioned on 31 August 1943, Lt. W. R. J. Hayes in command.

World War II Pacific Theatre operations

Following shakedown in September and about 10 weeks of operations along the west coast, the tug departed San Francisco, California, on 12 December 1943, bound for the southwestern Pacific.

She arrived at Melbourne, Australia, on 1 February 1944 and operated in Australian waters for the next three months, also visiting the ports of Sydney, Fremantle, and Brisbane as a unit of the U.S. 7th Fleet. At the end of April, the ship was reassigned to the U.S. 3rd Fleet and moved to Noumea, New Caledonia. On 4 June, she returned to 7th Fleet jurisdiction at Milne Bay, New Guinea, to prepare for the landings on Noemfoor Island and at Cape Sansapor, both of which she supported in July. In August, she returned to the South Pacific area for duty in the Solomon and New Hebrides Islands. That assignment lasted until February 1945 when she headed for the Marianas and service in support of the U.S. 5th Fleet.

Invasion of the Ryukyus operations

She arrived at Saipan on 11 February and remained there until sailing for the invasion of the Ryūkyūs as a part of the Western Islands Attack Group, Task Group (TG) 51.1, during the third week in March. Attached to the unit assigned to the conquest of Kerama Retto for use as a forward base, she moved into that anchorage almost a week before the initial assault on Okinawa itself on 1 April and remained there until mid-May, supporting the forces afloat around the island. She towed several battle-damaged and kamikaze-crashed ships, including USS|Hinsdale|APA-120, crashed by a suicide plane on 1 April during a feigned landing operation along the island's southern coast. At mid-May, the fleet tug concluded her six-week tour of duty at the Okinawa inferno and set course, via Guam, for Ulithi where she arrived on the 24th. On 7 June, she stood out of Ulithi for a month of duty at Leyte which ended on 18 July with her departure for the Marshalls. She arrived at Eniwetok on 24 July and remained until the beginning of the second week in September. At that time, she departed the Philippines for occupation duty in Japan.

End-of-war activity

Arriving in Tokyo Bay on 18 September, she provided support services for American forces in Japan until the first week in April 1946. On the 5th, the tug left Japan, bound for Hawaii. She arrived at Oahu on 18 April and remained there until 26 August, when she headed back to the Far East. She arrived in Yokosuka, Japan, on 10 September and resumed duty with American occupation forces in Asia. Over the next six months, she provided towing services in Japan, Korea, the Philippines, China, and the Ryūkyūs.

Post-war operations

"Yuma" left the Far East again in May 1947, departing from Samar in the Philippines. She stopped at Pearl Harbor briefly in June and continued on to San Francisco, California, where she arrived on 10 June. In July, the tug voyaged to Pearl Harbor before returning to the west coast at Puget Sound on the 28th. From that time until February 1948, she operated along the western coast of the United States, visiting ports in Washington, Oregon, and California.

Late in February 1948, she sailed to Pearl Harbor and thence proceeded to the Aleutian Islands where she operated until late August. In September, she steamed to Tsingtao, China, making one round-trip run between Tsingtao and Yokosuka before departing the former port, bound for Oahu on 29 November. The tug entered port at Pearl Harbor on 27 December and remained there until 7 January 1949 at which time she got underway to return to the west coast. She spent February and March engaged in normal west coast operations and in April returned to the Aleutians where she served until late August. The tug resumed duty along the California coast upon her arrival in San Francisco on 27 August. In December, she made a round-trip voyage to Pearl Harbor and back to the west coast. On 9 February 1950, "Yuma" departed San Diego, California, for Oahu and arrived in Pearl Harbor 10 days later. After almost two months of duty at Pearl Harbor, the tug got underway on 10 April for a mission in the Pacific Trust Territories. Based at Guam, she performed duty at Taongi Atoll and Kusaie Island in the Carolines, at Koror in the Palaus, and at Saipan. On 9 July, she departed Guam and, four days later, arrived in Yokosuka, Japan.

Korean War operations

That move, however, did not presage her early participation in the war which had broken out in Korea just two weeks earlier for, after visits to Sasebo in Japan and to Subic Bay in the Philippines, she returned to Guam on 2 August and resumed duty in the Pacific Trust Territories for another year. During that 12-month period, she visited Japanese ports and, no doubt, performed missions in distant support for the United Nations forces fighting in Korea. She also made several voyages to Pearl Harbor and operated at various islands -- notably Kwajalein, Eniwetok, and Guam -- in the Trust Territories. In September 1951, she returned to Japan, arriving at Sasebo on the 17th. With that arrival, "Yuma" began her seven months of duty in the combat zone. She made numerous voyages between Japanese ports and Wonsan, Korea, in support of the troops and ships fighting in and around Korea. She concluded her brief interlude with the Korean conflict on 22 April 1952 when she departed Sasebo, bound for Pearl Harbor. She arrived in Oahu on 5 May and, for most of the year, made voyages from Pearl Harbor to Eniwetok and Kwajalein in the Marshalls in support of the nuclear testing in progress at those islands. She completed that service in November, returning to Pearl Harbor on the 21st. In January and February 1953, she operated at Midway Island with USS|Current|ARS-22 during the salvage of a grounded civilian ship, SS|Quartette. Following overhaul at Pearl Harbor during the spring and summer of 1953, she returned to the Aleutians once more for duty and, for the next 18 months, alternated between Alaskan and Hawaiian waters.

Reclassified USNS "Yuma"

In February 1955, the tug returned to the west coast where she operated until decommissioned on 11 November 1955. "Yuma" was berthed at Astoria, Oregon, until 17 January 1958 at which time she was placed in service as USNS "Yuma" (T-AF-94) and assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS). She cruised the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California for most of the year. On 3 December, she departed Astoria and headed -- via Pearl Harbor and Midway Island -- for the Far East. She arrived in Yokosuka, Japan, on 16 January 1959, at Hong Kong on 3 February, Singapore on 20 February, Ceylon on 27 February, Bombay on 7 March, and finally at Karachi, Pakistan, on 11 March.

Decommissioning

There, she was placed out of service and turned over to Pakistan on loan. She was struck from the Navy Vessel Register, 25 March 1959. On that day, she was transferred to Pakistan and renamed PNS "Madadgar" (A-234) Her ultimate fate is unknown.

Awards

"Yuma" earned two battle stars during World War II:

* Western New Guinea operations; Noemfoor Island operation, 2 July to 23 July 1944, Cape Sansapor operation, 30 July to 31 August 1944.
* Okinawa Gunto operation; Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 24 March to mid-May 1945

She earned another pair during the Korean War:

* UN Summer-Fall Offensive; 17 October to 1 November 1951
* Second Korean Winter; 1 December to 19 December 1951, 4 January to 7 January 1952, 11 January to 4 February 1952, 17 February to 14 March 1952, 11 April to 17 April 1952

References

See also

* List of United States Navy ships
* Tugboat

External links

* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/39/39094.htm NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - AT-94 / ATF-94 Yuma]