USS Allegheny (AT-19) Class

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USS Tatnuck (AT-27) circa the 1920s
Click on this photograph for links to larger images of this class.

Class:        ALLEGHENY (AT-19)
Design:        Navy AT-19
Displacement (tons):        502 gross, 751 light, 1,000 norm.
Dimensions (feet):        156.7' oa, 149.3' pp x 30.0' m x 14.6' mn
Original Armament:        2-3"/50 AA
Later armaments:        none (1920: all except AT-32);
2-3"/50 AA (1938: AT-39);
2-3"/23 AA (1942: AT-25);
4-20mm (1942-43: AT 19-21, 23-30, 33-34, 37, 39)
Complement:        46 (1929)
Speed (kts.):        13
Propulsion (HP):        1,800
Machinery:        Vert. triple expansion, 1 screw

Construction:

AT	Name	Ord.	Builder	Keel	Launch	Commiss.
19	ALLEGHENY	24 May 17	American SB, Buffalo	--	18 Oct 17	18 May 18
20	SAGAMORE	24 May 17	American SB, Buffalo	--	ca Nov 17	18 Jun 18
21	BAGADUCE	21 May 18	Ferguson Steel & Iron	16 Jul 18	5 Apr 19	18 Sep 19
22	TADOUSAC	21 May 18	Ferguson Steel & Iron	22 Jul 18	17 Feb 19	13 Jun 19
23	KALMIA	21 May 18	Ferguson Steel & Iron	23 Aug 18	26 Aug 19	18 Nov 19
24	KEWAYDIN	21 May 18	Ferguson Steel & Iron	23 Aug 18	25 Jun 19	4 Nov 19
25	UMPQUA	21 May 18	Ferguson Steel & Iron	19 Feb 19	18 Sep 19	6 Dec 19
26	WANDANK	21 May 18	Ferguson Steel & Iron	7 Apr 19	21 Oct 19	23 Mar 20
27	TATNUCK	18 May 18	NYd Puget Sound	3 Dec 18	21 Feb 19	26 Jul 19
28	SUNNADIN	18 May 18	NYd Puget Sound	3 Dec 18	28 Feb 19	20 Oct 19
29	MAHOPAC	18 May 18	NYd Puget Sound	30 Nov 18	27 May 19	20 Oct 19
30	SCIOTA	18 May 18	NYd Puget Sound	30 Nov 18	11 Jun 19	13 Nov 19
31	KOKA	18 May 18	NYd Puget Sound	30 Nov 18	11 Jul 19	18 Feb 20
32	NAPA	18 May 18	NYd Puget Sound	5 Mar 19	24 Jul 19	5 Dec 19
33	PINOLA	18 May 18	NYd Puget Sound	3 Mar 19	12 Aug 19	7 Feb 20
34	ALGORMA	19 Jun 18	Staten Island SB	6 Jan 19	12 Jun 19	15 May 20
35	CARRABASSET	19 Jun 18	Staten Island SB	6 Jan 19	12 Jun 19	30 Jun 20
36	CONTOCOOK	19 Jun 18	Staten Island SB	6 Feb 19	12 Jan 20	20 Aug 20
37	IUKA	19 Jun 18	Staten Island SB	6 Feb 19	12 Jan 20	29 Oct 20
38	KEOSANQUA	19 Jun 18	Staten Island SB	22 Mar 19	26 Feb 20	9 Dec 20
39	MONTCALM	19 Jun 18	Staten Island SB	16 Jun 19	26 Feb 20	19 Jan 21
40	AT 40-45	19 Jun 18	Staten Island SB	--	--	--

Disposition:

AT	Name	Decomm.	Strike	Disposal	Fate	MA Sale
19	ALLEGHENY	10 Jul 46	25 Sep 46	18 Feb 47	MC/D	18 Feb 47
20	SAGAMORE	31 Aug 46	28 Jan 47	24 Dec 47	MC/D	23 Dec 47
21	BAGADUCE	22 Jun 46	31 Jul 46	9 Jan 47	MC/D	23 Dec 46
22	TADOUSAC	18 Oct 24	13 Apr 38	29 Dec 38	Sold	--
23	KALMIA	15 May 46	3 Jul 46	21 Jan 47	MC/D	23 Dec 46
24	KEWAYDIN	10 Dec 45	3 Jan 46	21 Jan 47	MC/D	23 Dec 46
25	UMPQUA	24 May 46	3 Jul 46	4 Dec 46	MC/D	4 Dec 46
26	WANDANK	20 Sep 46	13 Nov 46	17 Jul 47	MC/D	17 Jul 47
27	TATNUCK	12 Sep 46	29 Oct 46	28 Apr 47	MC/D	ca Nov 46
28	SUNNADIN	4 Apr 46	8 May 46	15 Jan 47	MC/D	23 Dec 46
29	MAHOPAC	12 Sep 46	29 Oct 46	28 Apr 47	MC/D	ca Nov 46
30	SCIOTA	16 Jan 46	8 May 46	15 Oct 46	MC/D	ca Sep 46
31	KOKA	12 Dec 37	2 Mar 38	7 Dec 37	Lost	--
32	NAPA	--	8 May 42	9 Apr 42	Lost	--
33	PINOLA	31 Jan 46	26 Feb 46	21 Jul 47	MC/D	21 Jul 47
34	ALGORMA	18 Jun 46	31 Jul 46	14 Jan 47	MC/D	23 Dec 46
35	CARRABASSET	27 Mar 22	--	24 May 24	Trf.	--
36	CONTOCOOK	27 Nov 33	28 Nov 33	8 Feb 34	Sold	--
37	IUKA	15 Apr 47	22 May 47	8 Jul 48	MC/D	18 Dec 47
38	KEOSANQUA	5 May 46	7 Feb 47	11 Jul 47	MC/D	11 Jul 47
39	MONTCALM	24 May 46	3 Jul 46	12 Feb 47	Sold	--
40	AT 40-45	--	--	21 Dec 18	Canc.	--

Class Notes:
FY: 1918 (AT 19-20 not specified, AT 21-45, 4 Mar 17 Emergency Fund). On 1 Oct 12, soon after the completion of the two tugs of the SONOMA (No. 12) class, the General Board forwarded characteristics for the seagoing tugs that it had recommended for the 1914 building program. These were to be repeats of SONOMA except that the draft was to be increased to 15 feet and the steaming radius to 5,000 miles at 10 knots. On 20 Oct 16 the Board forwarded characteristics for tugs in the proposed Fiscal Year 1918 building program. Again these were to be similar to the SONOMA type, although this time the Board stated that special attention should be paid to the ventilation of the engine and fire rooms and crew spaces as this had been faulty in the SONOMA class. The Navy Department had wanted to include in the 1918 program two seagoing tugs for general service in the Atlantic, the tug previously used for this purpose, UNCAS (later AT-51), no longer being sufficiently seaworthy for this use and her replacement, WANDO (later AT-17), having been built to fill the demands of navy yards for additional tugs. However, as in 1914, tugs failed to make it into the final 1918 building program.

Within days after the U.S. declaration of war on 6 Apr 17, the Navy Department secured the agreement of the American Shipbuilding Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, to build two seagoing tugs for delivery by 15 Nov 17 at its Buffalo, N.Y. yard. This yard had formerly been the Globe Iron Works, which had built in 1898 the tug R. W. WILMOT (later SP-604, see World War I temporary tugs) as a copy of and replacement for the tug that had become USS POTOMAC (see AT-50) in 1898. On 13 Apr 17 the Department directed the Bureau of Construction and Repair to take the necessary steps to have these two tugs built and stated the desire to obtain ten more ocean-going tugs in the near future. On 17 Apr 17 the Department informed the Bureau that the POTOMAC type would be satisfactory, and on the same date the Navy awarded the American Shipbuilding Co. contracts for the construction of two tugs to be in general duplicates of R. W. WILMOT. A formal contract was signed on 24 May 17. After canvassing other builders the Navy found that there was not then any other unobligated shipbuilding capacity for more vessels of this or any other class. The ten additional tugs were ultimately added to the program for "combined mine sweepers and seagoing tugs" (the LAPWING class) which the Navy had initiated in May 1917.

The original names of AT 19-20 were assigned on 28 Jul 17. The name of AT-19 was changed on 1 Sep 17 because an ex-German transport had been named HURON. AT-20 was renamed on 30 Oct 17. In its April 1917 award letter to the American Shipbuilding Co. the Navy had noted the importance of delivering the two tugs prior to the close of navigation on the Great Lakes in the fall. However work fell behind schedule and on 5 Dec 17 the Navy took over both tugs at Buffalo in incomplete condition and tried to hustle them to the East Coast. They were soon iced in on the St. Lawrence River, and after commissioning enroute they only arrived at Boston in June 1918 for completion. The length overall of AT-19 was 155.8' while that of AT-20 was 156.7'.

In early 1918 the Navy began plans to build more seagoing tugs, and on 4 Mar 18 an internal Bureau of Construction and Repair memo assessed three available designs: the Shipping Board's new Design 1035 (see AT-60), the Navy's SONOMA (Tug No. 12) and Tugs Nos. 19-20. All had an overall length of 150 feet or more, which was considered to be about as small as could wisely be adopted for an ocean-going tug. Special attention was given to Design 1035, but its freeboard in deep load condition of 30 inches amidships and 9.5 feet forward was considered to be very small for real seagoing use. This design also lacked a towing machine and had accommodations for only a merchant crew. The memo concluded that for naval purposes the SONOMA or No. 19 types would give more satisfaction than the Shipping Board design as these tugs had greater freeboard, better towing equipment, ample bunker capacity, and room for the accommodation of personnel. On 5 Apr 18 the Secretary of the Navy authorized the construction using emergency funds of steel seagoing tugs not to exceed 25 in number as expeditiously as possible, these tugs to be between 120 and 150 feet in length. On 15 Apr 18 the Bureaus of Construction & Repair, Steam Engineering, and Ordnance in a joint letter recommended that they be similar to Seagoing Tugs Nos. 19 and 20, a satisfactory type for which structural and machinery plans were available. As built the main differences in the new tugs were that bilge keels were added and the space between the upper and lower fenders was filled in solid with wood. On 17 Apr 18 the Navy placed an order (with formal contract to follow) for six tugs, basically duplicates of Nos. 19 and 20, with the Ferguson Steel and Iron Co. of Buffalo, N.Y., and by June orders had also been placed with the Puget Sound Navy Yard for 7 tugs and the Staten Island Shipbuilding Co., Mariners Harbor Plant, Port Richmond, N.Y., for 12 tugs. These orders had been placed with considerable difficulty as it had been necessary to find yards where there would be no interference with present work.

None of the 25 tugs had been launched when the war ended in November 1918, although Ferguson's first two tugs had been due for delivery in that month, but except for the last six tugs at Staten Island (Nos. 40-45), suspended by a Navy telegram of 16 Dec 18 and formally cancelled by a 1 May 20 contract, the program was carried to completion by the commissioning of the last tug in January 1921. The original names for some or all of Nos. 21-39 were assigned on 7 Feb 19 and in office memo #25 of 17 Feb 19. These were superseded by General Order No. 453 of 24 Feb 19 which, while making no reference to any earlier names, assigned names to all of Nos. 21-39.

Hull blisters were installed on most or all of the surviving units of this class in late 1941 to improve stability, which had always been questionable and was unsatisfactory by this time in some units. This so improved stability that armament consisting of 4-20mm guns and 2 single depth charge throwers could be fitted to the tugs, which then had only one or two anti-aircraft machine guns.

Ship Notes:

AT	Name	Notes
19	ALLEGHENY	Ex HURON 1 Sep 17. Taken over by Navy at Buffalo incomplete 5 Dec 17, iced in while enroute Boston, commissioned at Quebec, arrived at Boston 8 Jun 18 and completed at Atlantic Works, East Boston, Mass. 14 Jul 18. Inspected 16 Oct 18 but not given SP number. Out of commission 4 Jun 32 to 10 Jan 34. To ATO-19 by CNO 13 May 44 effective 15 May 44. Sold to Charles Lee, Staten Is., N.Y. for $5,050.12.
20	SAGAMORE	Ex COMANCHE 30 Oct 17. Taken over by Navy at Buffalo incomplete 5 Dec 17, completed by NYd Boston 16 Jul 18. Numbered SP-3296, probably in error. To ATO-20 15 May 44. Sold to Hughes Bros. Inc., New York, for $11,327. Merc. JOHN E. McALLISTER 1948, scrapped at Baltimore 1953.
21	BAGADUCE	Ex AMMONOOSUC 24 Feb 19. Out of comm. 2 May 22 to 9 Jun 24 and 17 Jun 32 to 22 Jun 38. To ATO-21 15 May 44. Also reported delivered to MC 23 Dec 46. Sold to Crowley Launch & Tugboat Co., San Francisco, for $5,077.
22	TADOUSAC	Ex CHIMO 24 Feb 19 (launched under this name). Sold to B. J. Maier, Philadelphia (sale date of 15 Dec 38 also reported). Merc. FALCON 1939 (fishing vessel owned by Nick Dragich, San Diego). Purch. by Navy as YP-515 on 3 Aug 42, comm. 1 Dec 42, out of service and hulk destroyed at Guam 10 Apr 46, stk. 1 May 46.
23	KALMIA	To ATO-23 15 May 44. Sold to Bay Cities Transportation Co., San Francisco, for $5,077.
24	KEWAYDIN	To ATO-24 15 May 44. Sold to Bay Cities Transportation Co., San Francisco, for $5,077, to buyer 21 Jan 47.
25	UMPQUA	To ATO-25 15 May 44. Sold to Salmons Dredging Co., Charleston, S.C., for $2,500.
26	WANDANK	Decomm. 8 May 22. Out of commission 3 Apr 22 to 8 May 22. To ATO-25 15 May 44. Sold to W. A. Bisso, New Orleans, La., for $10,176. Merc. W. A. BISSO 1947, scrapped 1970.
27	TATNUCK	Ex IOSCO 24 Feb 19. Limited to harbor work due to poor stability 20 May 41, returned to full commission 21 Jan 42 after hull blister installed. To ATO-27 15 May 44. Sold to Puget Sound Tug & Barge Co., Seattle, Wash., for $4,000, date ca. Nov 46 in MC records. To buyer 28 Apr 47, delivery date of 26 Apr 47 also reported. Probably same sale as ATO-29.
28	SUNNADIN	Ex KATAHDIN 24 Feb 19. To ATO-28 15 May 44. Sold to Crowley Launch & Tugboat Co., San Francisco, for $5,077. To buyer 15 Jan 47.
29	MAHOPAC	Ex KICKAPOO 24 Feb 19. Limited to harbor work due to poor stability 20 May 41, returned to full commission 21 Jan 42 after hull blister installed. To ATO-29 15 May 44. Sold, date not recorded by MC, to Puget Sound Tug & Barge Co., Seattle, for $3,800. To buyer 28 Apr 47, probably same sale as ATO-27.
30	SCIOTA	Ex WATAUGE 24 Feb 19. Decomm. ca. 1 Feb 33, recomm. 2 Dec 40. To ATO-30 15 May 44. Sold to W. S. Sanders, Norfolk, Va., for $5,100.
31	KOKA	Ex OCONEE 24 Feb 19. Grounded on San Clemente Island 7 Dec 37. On 22 Jan 38 an Insurv Board recommended abandoning her as a wreck.
32	NAPA	Ex YUCCA 24 Feb 19. Out of commission at Cavite 7 Jun 29 to 15 Aug 39. Scuttled in Manila Bay 8 Apr 42 to avoid capture, sank early 9 Apr 42.
33	PINOLA	Ex NIPSIC 24 Feb 19. Out of commission 9 Jun 22 to 14 Aug 23. To ATO-33 15 May 44. Sold to Oakland Mfg. Co., Oakland, Calif., for $890, to buyer 21 Jul 47.
34	ALGORMA	Out of commission 3 May 22 to 24 Sep 24. To ATO-34 15 May 44. Sold to Crowley Launch & Tugboat Co., San Francisco, for $5,077.
35	CARRABASSET	Decomm. 27 Mar 22. Ordered 13 May 24 to be transferred to the Coast Guard, transferred 24 May 24. Comm. in USCG 13 Oct 24, decomm. 26 Jul 46.
36	CONTOCOOK	Sold (awarded) to General Engineering & Drydock Co., San Francisco, for $15,000. Merc. SEA GIANT 1938, to British Navy 1940 under Lend Lease as rescue tug (pennant W 125, photo in Lenton 1998), sold by UK 3 May 48.
37	IUKA	To ATO-37 15 May 44. Decomm. 20 Jul 32, comm. in ordinary 16 Aug 40, full comm. 23 Nov 40. Sold to Pan American S.S. Co. of Panama, New York, for $7,576, to buyer 8 Jul 48. Merc. IUKA (?)
38	KEOSANQUA	Out of commission 8 Jun 22 to 1 Jul 34. To ATO-38 15 May 44. Sold to Puget Sound Tug & Barge Co. (to buyer 11 Jul 47). Merc. EDWARD J. COYLE (Canadian) 1948, COMMODORE STRAITS 1960, scrapped 1968-69.
39	MONTCALM	Ex KINEO 24 Feb 19. Out of commission 30 Jun 32 to 13 Aug 35. To ATO-39 15 May 44. Worn beyond economical repair as of May 46, sold by Navy to J. C. Berkwit & Co., New York.
40	AT 40-45	Cancelled. Never named.