Tuscumbia (YTB-762)

Tuscumbia (YTB-762) was a United States Navy Natick-class large harbor tug. The second ship to bear the name, Tuscumbia was named for the town of Tuscumbia, Alabama, which had been named for a Cherokee chief.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Tuscumbia.

Tuscumbia (YTB-762)
USS Tuscumbia (YTB-762) assists USS Missouri (BB-63)
History
United States
Namesake: Tuscumbia, Colbert County, Alabama.
Awarded: 14 October 1960
Builder: Commercial Iron Works, Portland, Oregon
Laid down: 16 February 1961
Launched: 22 August 1961
In service: December 1961
Out of service: date unknown
Stricken: Date unknown
Homeport:
Fate: not known
General characteristics
Class and type: Natick-class large harbor tug
Displacement:
  • 283 long tons (288 t) (light)
  • 356 long tons (362 t) (full)
Length: 109 feet (33 m)
Beam: 31 feet (9.4 m)
Draft: 14 feet (4.3 m)
Propulsion: Fairbanks Morse Diesel
Speed: 12 knots (14 mph; 22 km/h)
Complement: 12
Armament: not known

Construction

The contract for Tuscumbia was awarded 14 October 1960. She was laid down on 16 February 1961 at Slidell, Louisiana by Southern Shipbuilding Corporation 22 August 1961.

Operational history

Tuscumbia served in the Pacific Ocean, initially at San Diego, California, attached to the 11th Naval District, until shifted to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to operate in the 14th Naval District providing the necessary tug and tow services to support the U.S. Pacific Fleet from 1963 to and into 1978.

Tuscumbia is clearly visible in the closing scenes of the movie Down Periscope released in March 1996. According to IMDB, most of the harbor footage was shot in San Francisco, so there is a visual record of her in that location at that time.[1]

Stricken from the Navy List, date unknown though likely sometime in 1995, ex-Tuscumbia was transferred to the Maritime Administration 11 September 1995. At some point, Atoll Institute was in negotiation with MARAD to acquire ex-Tuscumbia for conversion to R/V PERL.[2]

References
  1. Down Periscope at IMDb
  2. "Proposed R/V PERL". Retrieved 16 April 2012.


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