USS ''Montcalm'' (AT-39) was a of the
United States Navy. The ship was laid down by the Staten Island Shipbuilding Company of
Port Richmond, New York, on 16 June 1919; launched on 26 February 1920; and commissioned at
New York Navy Yard
The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a ...
on 19 January 1921.
Service history
1921–1932
Assigned to the
Navy Yard, Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba, ''Montcalm'' departed New York on 2 March 1921, steaming via
Norfolk, and arriving at Guantanamo on the 14th. The tug operated out of the Cuban base through 1923, making periodic voyages to
Key West
Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...
, Norfolk and ports in
the Bahamas until sailing for
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
, on 24 April 1923. Arriving on 1 May, ''Montcalm'' was repaired and served locally and at
Philadelphia before returning to Guantanamo Bay on 19 June 1924. Annual voyages to Charleston for repairs and service missions to New York in late 1929 and 1931 alternated with active service in the Caribbean. ''Montcalm'' arrived at Philadelphia on 25 May 1932 and decommissioned there on 30 June.
1935–1946
Recommissioned on 13 August 1935, she left Philadelphia on 14 September for her new base, Port
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
. She operated on numerous voyages along the Gulf and east coasts, as far west as
Galveston, Texas
Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...
, and as far north as Norfolk. While stationed at Pensacola, the ship acted as
plane guard for seaplane training, salvage ship, and naval aviation cadet training ship, in addition to performing her regular towing duties.
On 10 July 1939, the tugboat was reassigned to the Guantanamo Naval Station and for the remainder of her active career operated out of the Cuban base towing targets, and on salvage and towing missions throughout the Caribbean and to ports in the Southern United States. During World War II she continued her vital services in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. She was reclassified ATO‑39 on 15 May 1944.
Following the end of the war, the tug decommissioned at
Charleston Navy Yard on 24 May 1946, was struck from the
Naval Vessel Register on 13 June 1946, and was sold to J. C. Berkwit & Co., New York City, on 12 February 1947.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Montcalm (At-39)
Bagaduce-class fleet tugs
Ships built in Staten Island
World War II auxiliary ships of the United States
1920 ships