USS ''Hopi'' (AT-71) 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 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 ...

. 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." During

she was assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater where she participated in four

campaigns Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed *Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme *Bl ...

earning four

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

Description

''Hopi'' was laid down 5 May 1942 by Charleston Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.,

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 ...

and launched on 7 September 1942. She was commissioned 31 March 1943.

World War II service

After

shakedown Shakedown may refer to: * Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation * Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational * Extortion, ...

training in

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 ...

the ''Hopi'' left for New York and then was deployed with a convoy for North Africa on 10 June 1943 to join the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater.

Sicilian occupation

Upon arrival she was tasked with performing towing services for several days before steaming to Bizerte to join Vice Admiral Hewitt's

Western Naval Task Force Western Naval Task Force was the name used for several groups of warships during amphibious landings in World War II: * A force under Rear-Admiral Hewitt that landed US Army units during the Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North ...

for the assault on Sicily. Departing Bizerte 8 July with pontoons in tow, Hopi landed them 2 days later and immediately set to work clearing the beaches of damaged landing craft and fighting fires on vessels in the transport areas.

Salerno landings

She returned to

Bizerte Bizerte or Bizerta ( ar, بنزرت, translit=Binzart , it, Biserta, french: link=no, Bizérte) the classical Hippo, is a city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located 65 km (40mil) north of the cap ...

10 August to prepare for the Salerno operation. She sailed early in September and again performed salvage work. On 11 September, , while lying-to in the support area awaiting calls for support, received a direct hit on No. 3 turret which left her dead in the water. ''Hopi'' and salvage tug immediately came alongside. Work by these two tugs allowed to return to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

that under her own power. On 16 September, took multiple hits from guided bombs. ''Hopi'' and ''Moreno'' were able to tow her to

without further incident.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hopi Cherokee-class fleet tugs World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Ships built in Charleston, South Carolina 1942 ships Cherokee-class fleet tugs of the Republic of China Navy