USCGC Chilula (WMEC-153) underway 2 July 1960, location unknown. The Coast Guard used her primarily for search and rescue. | |
History | |
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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 |
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Recommissioned | |
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 |
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Speed | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) |
Complement |
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Armament |
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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
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.