USS Mataco (AT-86)

USS "Mataco" (AT-86) was a sclass|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, after a successful career, her crews returned home proudly displaying five battle stars for World War II, four battle stars for the Korean War, and seven campaign stars for Vietnam War service.

Mataco was laid down 27 June 1942 by United Engineering Co., San Francisco, California; launched 14 October 1942; sponsored by Miss Evelyn B. Piper; and commissioned 29 May 1943, Lt. William G. Baker in command.

World War II Pacific Theatre operations

Following shakedown off San Diego, California, "Mataco" early proved her endurance when she towed a floating drydock 43 days nonstop from San Francisco to Brisbane, Australia, arriving 1 October 1943. This passage accounted for 6,800 of 55,000 miles steamed her first year.

Salvage in combat areas

She underwent her first air attack in the Ellice Islands 17 November, and 3 days later stood by to aid ships invading the Gilberts. Training and target towing in Hawaiian waters preceded her joining task force TF 53 for the invasion of the Marshalls. She stood off Kwajalein 31 January 1944 to screen transports, free beached landing craft, and send her divers to recover documents from sunken Japanese ships. She carried out escort and towing missions in the Marshalls and to the Gilberts, Marianas, and Pearl Harbor until 3 December, when Ulithi became her base for the next 6 months.

Missed by a torpedo

In January 1945 she carried out a major salvage assignment at Leyte, in February she made a tow to Saipan and Guam, and in April she joined the assault on Okinawa. There on 2 April an aerial torpedo passed harmlessly beneath her keel.

End-of-war operations

Redesignated ATF 86 on 15 May 1944, she pitched in on the enormous amount of salvage work to be done around Okinawa, and at war's end began tows to Japan. She returned home as she had come to war, towing a drydock from Guam via Pearl Harbor to San Francisco, California, where she moored 25 July.

Korean War service

Five months later, 19 December, she returned to the western Pacific on the first of the annual deployments to the U.S. 7th Fleet which alternated with U.S. West Coast and Alaskan duty. She was in the Philippines at the outbreak of the Korean conflict, and after investigating smuggling in the Ryūkyūs, sailed to Korea, where she performed combat salvage and air sea rescue missions beginning with the 15 September Inchon landings. In mid October she rounded the peninsula, extending those services to Wonsan. Target towing missions in Japan and between Guam and Pearl Harbor completed this tour, and she arrived in San Diego, California, 12 August 1951. "Mataco" began her next western Pacific deployment 10 January 1952 and during the next 14 months supported United Nations forces in Korea, in October twice rendering fire support at Pippa Kotsu. The next year she reported for 3 continuous years of Far Eastern service, and from 1956 to 1966, made five additional U.S. 7th Fleet cruises as well as serving in Alaskan waters for four extended periods.

Vietnam War operations

On 29 February 1967 she began a tour which brought her for the first time to the coast of embattled Vietnam. On 21 April "Mataco" brought YFR-890 in tow to Vung Tau, and in May took up fishing trawler surveillance on Yankee Station. After towing a damaged LST from Da Nang to Guam in July, she trained Korean navy men in salvage in Chinhae, then returned San Diego 6 November. The hard working fleet tug remained an active unit of the U.S. Pacific Fleet into 1969.

Awards

Mataco received five battle stars for World War II:

* Gilbert Islands operation, November 1943
* Marshall Islands operation, Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, January 1944
* Marianas operation, June 1944
* Leyte operation, January 1945
* Okinawa Gunto operation, Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, April 1945

Four battle stars were awarded during the Korean War:

* North Korean Aggression, 18 September to 2 November 1950
* Inchon Landing, 13 September to 17 September 1950
* Communist China Aggression, 3 November to 28 November 1950
* Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952, 14 September 1952, 28 September to 16 October 1952

She received seven campaign stars for her participation in the Vietnam War:

* Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II, 19 April to 22 April 1967, 5 May to 31 May 1967
* Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III, 1 June to 12 June 1967, 5 July to 10 July 1967
* Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV, 18 May to 30 May 1968, 7 June to 11 June 1968
* Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V, 10 August to 31 August 1968
* Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969, 13 October to 21 October 1969
* Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970, 1 January to 5 January 1970, 28 January to 1 February 1970
* Consolidation II, 9 December to 11 December 1971, 18 December to 23 December 1971

References

See also

* List of United States Navy ships
* Tugboat

External links

* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/39/39086.htm NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - AT-86 / ATF-86 Mataco]