USS_Chilula
USS Chilula
Tugboat of the United States Navy
USS Chilula (ATF-153) was a Navajo-class fleet tug constructed for the United States Navy during World War II.[2] 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."
USCGC Chilula (WMEC-153) underway 2 July 1960, location unknown. The Coast Guard used her primarily for search and rescue. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Chilula (ATF-153) |
| Namesake | Chilula |
| Builder | Charleston Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. |
| Laid down | 13 June 1944 |
| Launched | 1 December 1944 |
| Commissioned | 5 April 1945 |
| Decommissioned | 8 February 1947 |
| Reclassified |
|
| Recommissioned | |
| Decommissioned | 19 June 1991 |
| Reclassified | Medium Endurance Cutter Chilula (WMEC-153) 1 May 1966[1] |
| Fate | Sunk as a target in 1997 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Navajo-class fleet tug |
| Displacement | 1,240 long tons (1,260 t) |
| Length | 205 ft (62 m) |
| Beam | 38 ft 6 in (11.73 m) |
| Draft | 15 ft 4 in (4.67 m) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) |
| Complement |
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| Armament |
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| International radio call sign of USS Chilula (ATF-153)[2] | |||
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| November | Papa | India | November |
Chilula was laid down 13 June 1944, at Charleston Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. in Charleston and launched on 1 December 1944. She was commissioned 5 April 1945.[2]
After the war, Chilula sailed for home. At Orange, Texas on 8 February 1947, she was decommissioned and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She was transferred to the United States Coast Guard on 9 July 1956 as USCGC Chilula (WAT-153). Her hull number was subsequently changed to WATF-153 later in 1956 and then WMEC-153 in 1966.[1] The Coast Guard decommissioned her on 19 June 1991 and returned her to the U.S. Navy who expended her as a target in 1997.
- Scheina, pp 50–52
- "USS Chilula". NavSource Naval History. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.- Scheina, Robert L. (1990). U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft, 1946–1990. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN 978-0-87021-719-7.
