USS Chilula (AT-153)

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."

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

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, with Lt. O. L. Guinn in command.[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.

See also

• List of United States Navy ships
• World War II
• Tugboat

Citations

1. Scheina, pp 50–52
2. "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.