USS ''Chippewa'' (AT-69) was a constructed 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 ...

during World War II. 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." She served in the Atlantic Ocean. ''Chippewa'' was laid down as AT-69, on 26 June 1942, by the

Charleston Shipbuilding and Drydock Company Charleston Dry Dock & Machine Company (renamed Charleston Drydock and Shipbuilding Co. in the late-1930s) was a shipyard located in Charleston, South Carolina, on the Cooper River. The shipyard is significant for its contribution to marine engin ...

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 ...

; launched on 25 July 1942; sponsored by Mrs. T. Horton; and commissioned on 14 February 1943.

World War II Atlantic Ocean operations

''Chippewa'' crossed the Atlantic from Norfolk to Casablanca to lay buoys there between 4 May 1943 and 9 June, returning to Boston 26 June. Two days later, she cleared for Norfolk and overhaul, and on 19 July began towing duty with a passage to Bermuda and Jacksonville. Assigned to duty in the Caribbean Sea Frontier, she made Trinidad, British West Indies, her principal base until 6 May 1944, when she returned to Norfolk for repairs. On 15 May she was reclassified ATF-69. With repairs complete 11 June 1944, ''Chippewa'' returned to towing and salvage duty in the Caribbean out of Trinidad until 29 March 1945. After repairs at Norfolk, she was reassigned for duty based on Argentia, Newfoundland, between 19 May and 1 November. During this time, she made a long towing voyage to Houston, Tex. ''Chippewa'' made her last towing passage from Boston to Bermuda to Norfolk, where she arrived 28 December with SS War Bonnet in tow.

Post-war decommissioning and Fate

In March 1946, ''Chippewa'' reported to the U.S. 16th Fleet for inactivation, decommissioning on 26 February 1947 and berthing at

Orange, Texas Orange is a city and the county seat of Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 19,324. It is the easternmost city in Texas, located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, and is from Houst ...

. The diesel electric, single screw tug remained in the

Reserve Fleet A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; a ...

until transferred to the Maritime Administration and moved to the Beaumont NDRF on 15 November 1960. ''Chippewa'' was struck from the

Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...

on 1 September 1961. ''Chippewa'' remained in the Beaumont NDRF until 17 August 1989 when she was returned to the Navy to be prepared to be sunk as an artificial reef. ''Chippewa'' was sunk on 8 February 1990 by a network of 37 explosive charges,http://www.panamacitydivecharters.com/wreck-diving.html where she continues to serve the Panama City area as an artificial reef.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chippewa (AT-69) Cherokee-class fleet tugs Ships built in Charleston, South Carolina World War II auxiliary ships of the United States 1943 ships