USS Chilula

	USCGC Chilula (WMEC-153) underway 2 July 1960, location unknown. The Coast Guard used her primarily for search and rescue.
History
United States
Name	USS Chilula (ATF-153)
Namesake	Chilula
Builder	Charleston Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co.
Laid down	13 June 1944
Launched	1 December 1944
Commissioned	5 April 1945
Decommissioned	8 February 1947
Reclassified	Fleet ocean tug ATF-153; 15 May 1944;
Recommissioned	USCGC Chilula (WAT-153); 3 October 1956[1];
Decommissioned	19 June 1991
Reclassified	Medium Endurance Cutter Chilula (WMEC-153) 1 May 1966[1]
Fate	Sunk as a target in 1997
General characteristics
Class and type	Navajo-class fleet tug
Displacement	1,240 long tons (1,260 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 General Motors 12-278A diesel main engines; single screw; 3,000 shp (2,237 kW);
Speed	16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)
Complement	U.S. Navy, 86 ; U.S. Coast Guard, 7 officers, 1 warrant, 68 enlisted (1961)[1];
Armament	U.S. Navy; 1 × 3 in (76 mm) gun; 2 × single 40 mm AA guns; 2 × single 20 mm guns AA guns; 2 × depth charge tracks; U.S. Coast Guard[1]; 1 × 3"/50 caliber gun;

USS Chilula (ATF-153) was a Navajo-class fleet tug constructed for the United States Navy during World War II.[2] 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."

Description

International radio call sign of *USS Chilula* (ATF-153)**[2]

November	Papa	India	November

Chilula was laid down 13 June 1944, at Charleston Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. in Charleston and launched on 1 December 1944. She was commissioned 5 April 1945.[2]

Decommission and Coast Guard service

After the war, Chilula sailed for home. At Orange, Texas on 8 February 1947, she was decommissioned and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She was transferred to the United States Coast Guard on 9 July 1956 as USCGC Chilula (WAT-153). Her hull number was subsequently changed to WATF-153 later in 1956 and then WMEC-153 in 1966.[1] The Coast Guard decommissioned her on 19 June 1991 and returned her to the U.S. Navy who expended her as a target in 1997.

Citations

Scheina, pp 50–52
"USS Chilula". NavSource Naval History. Retrieved 22 July 2015.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
Scheina, Robert L. (1990). U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft, 1946–1990. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN 978-0-87021-719-7.

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[Scheina50-52-1] Scheina, pp 50–52

[navsource-2] "USS Chilula". NavSource Naval History. Retrieved 22 July 2015.