USS Wenonah (YT-148)

USS Wenonah (YT-148/YTB-148/YTM-148) was a Woban-class district harbor tug which served during World War II in California ports, and continued her service until she was struck by the Navy in 1974. On 17 August 2009, the Wenonah sank while berthed at Treasure Island, CA, and was raised by the floating crane Left Coast Lifter on 28 August 2009.[1]

For other ships with the same name, see USS Wenonah.
Bow view of the raised USS Wenonah
History
United States
NameUSS Wenonah
BuilderConsolidated Shipbuilding Corp., Morris Heights, New York
Laid downdate unknown
Completedduring the winter of 1940 and 1941
CommissionedJune 1941 as Wenonah (YT-148)
Decommissioned1974
ReclassifiedYTB-148, 15 May 1944 - YTM-148, in February 1962
StrickenApril 1974
HomeportSan Diego, California
IdentificationIMO number: 8424604
FateScrapped in 2010 by Bay Yacht (Alameda).
General characteristics
Class and typeWoban-class district harbor tugboat
Tonnage218 tons
Displacement325 tons
Length100'
Beam25'
Draft11' (max.)
Propulsiondiesel engine, single screw
Speed12 knots
Complement12 officers and enlisted
Armamentnot known

Constructed in New York

Wenonah (YT-148) -- a harbor tug constructed during the winter of 1940 and 1941 at Morris Heights, New York, by the Consolidated Shipbuilding Corp. -- was placed in service soon after her completion in June 1941.

World War II service

Wenonah served in the 11th Naval District throughout her entire Navy career. She was initially based at San Diego, California; but, during her 33 years of service, she also operated at and visited various other ports on the California coast.

Designation changes

On 15 May 1944, she was redesignated a large harbor tug with the hull designation, YTB-148. Some 18 years later, she again changed designation and became YTM-148, a medium harbor tug.

Decommissioning and scrapping

In April 1974, she concluded her long career and went out of service. Her name was struck from the Navy list, and she was sold for scrapping. The identity of her purchaser is unrecorded, but sources say that the tug was owned by the Historic Tugboat Education and Restoration Society (HTERS).[2] Wenonah was laid up at Pier 1 at Treasure Island, California, and sank in August 2009, spilling oil into San Francisco Bay.[3][4] The Coast Guard contracted Global Diving to recover the vessel to prevent further leaks, and Global Diving turned to the American Bridge/Fluor Joint Venture for use of the Left Coast Lifter sheerleg crane to recover the vessel.[5] Wenonah was turned over to the Coast Guard for disposal, and Bay Ship & Yacht in Alameda assumed the lease of Pier 1 in Treasure Island, which included taking possession of Wenonah and a sister tug owned by HTERS, USS Nokomis. Both vessels were scrapped in 2010 in Alameda.[6]

References

Citations
  1. Cabanatuan, Michael (29 August 2009). "Bay Bridge construction crane gives tug a lift". sfgate.com. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
  2. King, John (17 August 2009). "Tugboat sinks off Treasure Island, spills oil". sfgate.com. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
  3. Maher, Sean (18 August 2009). "Cleanup continues on Bay oil spill from old Navy tug". Oakland Tribune. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  4. "World War II boat leaks oil into bay". KABC-7 TV. 18 August 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
  5. "Project: United States Coast Guard – Historical Tug USS Wenonah". Global Diving. 2009. Archived from the original on 2015-05-22. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  6. Roberts, Chris (16 December 2013). "Sunken tug's oil spill leads to $970K bill for SF". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
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