USS ''Achigan'' (YT/YTB-218) was a ''Cahto''-class

large harbor 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 ...

in the service of 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 ...

. A French-Canadian rendering of the word ashigan which, in Chippewa and Algonquian dialects, is the name of the smallmouth bass.

Construction

''Achigan'' (YT-218) was laid down on 23 July 1943, at

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

, Massachusetts, by W. A. Robinson, Inc.; reclassified a large harbor tug YTB-218 on 15 May 1944; launched on 4 October 1944; and placed in service on 9 January 1945.

Service history

Assigned to the

4th Naval District The naval district was a U.S. Navy military and administrative command ashore. Apart from Naval District Washington, the Districts were disestablished and renamed Navy Regions about 1999, and are now under Commander, Naval Installations Command ...

, ''Achigan'' spent most of her naval career at the

Philadelphia Naval Shipyard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...

. On the afternoon of 8 January 1946, she sank at Philadelphia, as a result of a collision with . Later salvaged, the tug returned to service at Philadelphia, in mid-1947. ''Achigan'' served there until the summer of 1956, when she was transferred to the 6th Naval District. The meager record of her service indicates that the tug served in the 6th Naval District into 1957, and was disposed of later that year.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Achigan Tugs of the United States Navy Ships built in Ipswich, Massachusetts 1944 ships