USS Chowanoc (ATF-100) was an Abnaki-class of fleet ocean tug. It was named after an Indian tribe of the same name.[1]

Chowanoc (left) towing the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Philippine Sea circa 1958.
History
United States
NameChowanoc (ATF-100)
BuilderCharleston Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co.
Laid downunknown
Launched20 August 1943
Commissioned21 February 1944
Decommissioned1 October 1977
Stricken1 October 1977
FateTransferred to Ecuador, 1 October 1977
Ecuador
NameBAE Chimborazo (RA-70)
Acquired1 October 1977
StatusIn service as of 2019
General characteristics
Class and typeAbnaki-class fleet ocean tug
Displacement1,240 long tons (1,260 t)
Length205 ft (62 m)
Beam38 ft 6 in (11.73 m)
Draft15 ft 4 in (4.67 m)
Speed16.5 knots (19.0 mph; 30.6 km/h)
Complement85
Armament
Service record
Part of: Pacific Fleet
Commanders: LT. Rodney F. Snipes
Operations:
Awards:

Service history

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World War 2:

Worked on the Marianas operation, with the Capture and occupation of Saipan from 3 to 10 August 1944. worked on the capture and occupation of Guam from 3 to 15 August 1944. Working on the Luzon operation in the Lingayen Gulf landings from 9 to 18 January 1945. Worked on the Leyte operation in the Leyte landings from 20 to 22 November 1944.

Korean War: Worked in Korean in the 1952 and 1953.

Vietnam War: Worked in the Vietnamese Counteroffensive from 9 to 12 April 1966. Worked in the Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II from 28 July to 1 August 1966. Worked in the Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V from 8 to 10 October 1968. Worked in the Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI from 10 to 17 November 1968, 29 November to 5 December 1968 and 12 December 1968 to 11 January 1969. Serviced in the Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VII from 19 to 22 May 1971, 7 to 23January 1973 and 21 February to 21 March 1973.

Chowanoc was sold to the Ecuadorian Navy on 1 October 1977 under the Security Assistance Program and renamed BAE Chimborazo (RA-70).

On 2 March 2020, Chimborazo was quarantined for two weeks at Guayaquil South Naval Base after a member of its 50-person crew was discovered to have been in contact with someone infected with COVID-19.[2]

Notable personnel

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References

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  1. ^ "Fleet Tug (ATF)". www.navsource.org.
  2. ^ "50 tripulantes de un buque de la Armada, en cuarentena por coronavirus". Primicias. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  3. ^ "April Fooled". Pawn Stars. Season 8. Episode 49. 3 April 2014. History.