The ''ATA-214'' class was a group of five auxiliary

tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

s built for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and decommissioned shortly thereafter. They were laid down initially as s, but on 10 July 1944 the last ten ships of the latter class were cancelled. On 5 August 1944 the cancellation was rescinded for those on which construction had commenced (these five), and they were directed to be completed as tugs. The originally assigned names were dropped, and they were identified only by hull numbers ''ATA-214'' through ''ATA-218''. However, for reasons unexplained, ATA-218 was commissioned as . Some changes were made as construction progressed. After the first two were completed (''ATA-214'' and ''ATA-216'') the mainmast was moved forward to rest directly behind the funnel, and the boom on this mast was eliminated as unnecessary. Armament varied as well, based upon experiences with the ''Ailanthus'' class vessels already built. The first two completed had a single 3" gun mounted on a platform ahead of the bridge, and three 20mm antiaircraft guns mounted in two tiers in front of the funnel. It was found that the upper of these three was too close to the funnel, and for the next two (''ATA-215'' and ''ATA-217'') this mount was relocated immediately behind the mainmast. For the last ship (''ATA-218'') the 3" gun was eliminated (though its platform remained) and two 40mm AA guns were mounted on the

forecastle The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase " be ...

. All five served in the Pacific theater, and ''ATA-215'', ''ATA-216'', and ''ATA-218'' also participated in the occupation of Japan in various periods from September to November 1945. ''ATA-215'' was loaned to the

Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition The Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (RARE) was an expedition from 1947–1948 which researched the area surrounding the head of the Weddell Sea in Antarctica. Background Finn Ronne led the RARE which was the final privately sponsored exp ...

and sold upon its return; the others were sold through the

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

Ships

References

{{reflist World War II auxiliary ships of the United States ATA-214-class tugs Auxiliary tugboat classes