- USS Tunica (ATA-178)
USS Tunica (ATA-178) was a
Sotoyomo-class auxiliary fleet tug acquired by theU.S. Navy for service during and afterWorld War II ."ATA-178" was laid down on
10 May 1944 atOrange, Texas , by theLevingston Shipbuilding Co.; launched on15 June 1944 ; and commissioned on15 September 1944 , Lt. J. L. Robinson in command.World War II Pacific Theatre operations
Late in September, ATA-178 picked up two
barges atNew Orleans, Louisiana , for towing toHawaii . Thetug transited thePanama Canal , stopped atSan Diego, California , and reachedPearl Harbor on10 December 1944 . After a brief layover in Hawaii, she departed Pearl Harbor to tow one of the 10 sections of adrydock toGuam , where she arrived on14 January 1945 . Not long after her arrival in theMarianas , ATA-178 was assigned to the Samoan Defense Command. Between10 February and28 May , she towed supply barges between various bases in the South Pacific. Late in May, ATA-178 joined other tugs in towing barge-loads of equipment from the South Pacific to bases nearer to the active theaters of operations. During the final three months of the war, she called frequently atGuam ,Leyte , Manus,Eniwetok , andKwajalein to deliver equipment-laden barges.End-of-war activity
Following the cessation of hostilities, she reported to
Noumea ,New Caledonia , where she underwent her first major overhaul. When that was completed, she resumed her duties in support of the disestablishment of South Pacific bases until April1946 . On the 24th, she departedTutuila ,Samoa , and headed via Pearl Harbor to San Diego, where she arrived on31 May . On18 June , the tug stood out of San Diego for the east coast. She transited the canal during the second week in July and arrived inNew York on24 July . A week later, she headed south and reported for duty atMayport, Florida , on22 August . For the next 16 months, she towed inactivated ships between Mayport,Charleston, South Carolina , andSavannah, Georgia . On23 December 1947 , ATA-178 was placed out of commission and berthed with the Texas Group,Atlantic Reserve Fleet .Reserve status and decommissioning
"ATA-178" spent the remainder of her Navy career in reserve. On
16 July 1948 , she was named "Tunica". After almost 14 years of inactivity,Tunica was transferred to theMaritime Administration in October1961 for lay-up with theNational Defense Reserve Fleet atBeaumont, Texas . Eleven months later, on1 September 1962 , her name was struck from theNavy list . She was finally disposed of by the Maritime Administration sometime during fiscal year1971 .References
See also
*
List of United States Navy ships
*World War II
*Patrol boat External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/#Anchor-Editoria-14954 Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/38/38178.htm NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - ATR-105 / ATA-178 Tunica]
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