USS ''Wateree'' (ATF-117/AT-117) was an ''Abnaki''-class

fleet ocean 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, su ...

acquired by the

U.S. 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 of ...

during World War II. ''Wateree'' was sent to the western Pacific Ocean to perform towing services; however, during a

typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

, she was damaged beyond repair and lost, with eight crew members missing.

Built in California

The second ship so named by the U.S. Navy, ''Wateree'' (ATF-117) was laid down on 22 September 1943 at

Alameda, California Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for "Avenue (landscape), tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, located in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is primarily located on Alameda (island), Alam ...

, by the United Engineering Company as an ocean tug, ''AT-117''; redesignated a fleet ocean tug, ''ATF-117'', on 15 May 1944; launched on 14 June 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Henry B. Wagner; and commissioned on 17 February 1945 at

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

Pacific Ocean operations

After fitting out at San Francisco, ''Wateree'' got underway for

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; Spanish: " St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

, on 4 March. She reported for duty at the Small Craft Training Center on 6 March and, for the next 25 days, trained strenuously. During the first week in April, she conducted more training, this time out of

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. From 6 to 13 April, the tug underwent repairs at the San Diego repair base. She arrived back at San Francisco on 15 April and, on the 23d, got underway towing three pontoon barges to the forward areas. The ship arrived in

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

on 10 May and conducted voyage repairs. On the 22d, she put to sea to rescue a disabled freighter; found the ship on the 24th; took her in tow; and arrived back in Pearl Harbor on the 26th. On 30 May, she stood out of the port once again towing the three pontoon barges. After a month's voyage, which included a five-day stop at

Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; mh, Ānewetak, , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ja, ブラウン環礁) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with it ...

between 18 and 23 June and a brief pause at

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

on the 30th, ''Wateree'' delivered the barges to

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

on 12 July. Two days later, she headed back to

, where she arrived on 25 July. She remained there until 15 August, first undergoing some repairs and then providing harbor tug services in the anchorage.

End-of-war operations

The tug's departure coincided with the

Surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...

ending hostilities in the Pacific. She steamed to

Kwajalein Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilia ...

where she took ''ARD-29'' in tow, bound via Guam for Okinawa. She and her charge departed Kwajalein on 24 August, stopped at Guam from 2 to 15 September, and arrived at Okinawa on 23 September. Six days later, she assisted several tugs with tows in trouble between the Philippines and Okinawa. On 1 October, she encountered ''Cinnabar'' (IX-162) adrift with ''ATR-29'' standing by. ''Wateree'' took both ships in tow and arrived back in

Buckner Bay is a bay on the southern coast of Okinawa Island on the Pacific Ocean in Japan. The bay covers and ranges between to deep. The bay is surrounded by the municipalities of Uruma, Kitanakagusuku, Nakagusuku, Nishihara, Yonabaru, Nanjō, all in ...

on 4 October.

Trapped by a typhoon

When it was ascertained that a

would soon strike the anchorage at Buckner Bay, the tug received orders on 7 October to stand by to render assistance to any ships which got into trouble during the storm. ''Wateree'' herself, however, fell victim to typhoon "Louise" when it hit the anchorage on 9 October. At about 12:20, her

starboard Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front). Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...

anchor was carried away by one of the many ships and barges cast about by the storm. In order to ease the strain on her remaining port anchor chain, she started her engines. Soon, however, she had to weigh anchor in an effort to avoid all the vessels adrift in the anchorage. The wind blew her afoul the anchor buoy for ''APL-28'', and she was drawn in toward that ship. She and ''APL-28'' collided, but the damage was repaired quickly, and she untangled herself from the anchor buoy. Between 15:15 and 15:58, she cleared the APL and attempted to drop her port anchor again. The anchor machinery failed; and, at 15:28, the wind blew her onto a reef and battered out her starboard side before she could be brought clear. At about 15:55, the order to abandon ship went out; and, by 16:10, all crewmen had gone over the side. Soon thereafter, ''Wateree'' sank in about 8 fathoms of water. The ship's commanding officer, her executive officer, and six enlisted men were lost. ''Wateree''s name was struck from the

Navy list A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval author ...

on 1 November 1945.

References

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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - AT-117 / ATF-117 Wateree
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wateree World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Abnaki-class tugs Ships built in Alameda, California 1944 ships