Apalachicola (YTB-767)

Apalachicola (YTB-767) was a United States Navy Natick-class large harbor tug named for Apalachicola, Florida.

Apalachicola (YTB-767)
History
United States
Awarded18 January 1963
BuilderMobile Ship Repair
Laid down1 May 1963
Launched26 October 1963
Acquired9 June 1964
Stricken28 October 2002
Identification
FateSold 8 May 2006
General characteristics
Class and typeNatick-class large harbor tug
Displacement
  • 283 long tons (288 t) (light)
  • 356 long tons (362 t) (full)
Length109 ft (33 m)
Beam31 ft (9.4 m)
Draft14 ft (4.3 m)
PropulsionDiesel engine, single screw
Speed12 knots (14 mph; 22 km/h)
Complement12

Construction

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The contract for Apalachicola was awarded 18 January 1963. She was laid down on 1 May 1963 at Mobile, Alabama, by Mobile Ship Repair and launched 26 October 1963.

Operational history

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Apalachicola began service in 1965 in the 13th Naval District. She provided harbor services to Naval and other ships in Puget Sound near Seattle. The tugboat moored during these years at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

During the 1990s Apalachicola served alongside Pokagon (YTB-836) and Arcata (YTB-768). Pokagon was the newest YTB class tugboat in the navy at the time. The three tugs were docked at the easternmost pier of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, located a few hundred yards west of the Bremerton Seattle Ferry terminal.

In 1992, Apalachicola moved a crane barge from the shipyard to the Bremerton boardwalk. The barge's crane moved a bronze statue of a ship's propeller and a shipyard worker presenting a model aircraft carrier to a young boy onto the boardwalk. The bronze statue was forged in the shipyard and remains on the Bremerton boardwalk today.

Apalachicola underwent a main engine overhaul in 1993, during which time (approximately 5 months) she was not active. She is now out of service. During the time of her operation, underway movements of the tugboat required a detail of 7-8 crew members. Whereas the makeup of the crew varied, two required members for all movements were the quartermaster (who controlled the tugboat's movement) and the Chief Engineer (who was responsible for the tugboat's operating systems). For movements involving a large ship, a harbor pilot joined the crew and was transferred to the larger ship during the movement.

Stricken from the Navy Directory 28 October 2002, ex-Apalachicola was sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) on 8 May 2006.

References

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