USS Nokomis (YT-142) facts for kids
USS Nokomis, one of the tugs assisting USS Fulton (AS-11) to enter Pearl Harbor after the Battle of Midway.
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| Name | USS Nokomis |
| Namesake | Grandmother and nurse of Hiawatha |
| Builder | Puget Sound Navy Yard, Washington |
| Laid down | date unknown |
| Launched | 29 November 1939 |
| Completed | March 1940 |
| Commissioned | March 1940 |
| Decommissioned | c. 1973 |
| Reclassified | YTB-142 in May 1944 and YTM-142 in February 1962 |
| Stricken | May 1973 |
| Homeport | Pearl Harbor, Hawaii |
| Honors and awards |
one battle star for World War II service |
| Fate | Sold, 1 September 1974; scrapped 2010 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Woban-class |
| Type | District Harbor Tug |
| Displacement | 218 tons |
| Length | 100’ 10” |
| Beam | 25’ |
| Draft | 9’ 7” |
| Propulsion | Twin Enterprise Diesel electric, single screw |
| Speed | 12 knots |
| Complement | 8 crew members |
| Armament | not known |
The USS Nokomis (YT-142) was a special kind of tugboat. It was part of the Woban-class harbor tugs. This ship was built in Bremerton, Washington, and started its duty in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1940.
Nokomis was at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This was the day of the Japanese attack. Nokomis was one of the first ships to help. It went to the USS Arizona. Officers told it to move away because of a big explosion risk.
After that, Nokomis helped save the USS Nevada. It worked with another tug, Hoga (YT-146), to push Nevada onto the beach. This stopped Nevada from sinking and blocking the harbor entrance. For three days, Nokomis also fought fires and pumped water out of the battleship USS California. Because of this hard work, California could be fixed and used again later in the war.
Nokomis was also the very last ship to move a special barge, YC-699, before the attack began. After World War II, Nokomis kept helping ships in Pearl Harbor. It was taken out of service in May 1973. Later, it was sold and renamed Sea Serpent. It worked as a tug and fireboat in San Francisco Bay. In 1989, after a big earthquake, Nokomis and Hoga worked together again to fight fires.
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Building the Nokomis
The Nokomis (YT–142) was a tugboat that used a diesel-electric engine. It was built at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. The ship was launched on November 29, 1939. It was finished and ready for duty in March 1940. The Navy sent it to the 14th Naval District.
Serving in World War II
When Nokomis arrived at Pearl Harbor, it had important jobs. It helped tow other ships and move them into their docking spots. The tugboat was also ready to help put out fires along the waterfront. It also helped keep the inner harbor safe.
After the War
In 1944, Nokomis was reclassified as YTB–142. It continued to be an active service ship. It stayed based at Pearl Harbor into the 1970s.
End of Service
Nokomis was officially taken out of service in May 1973. It was removed from the Navy's list of ships. In September 1974, it was sold to the Crowley Maritime Corporation. The company bought it for scrap.
What Happened to Nokomis
The Historic Tugboat Education and Restoration Society shared what happened next. Crowley Maritime Corporation bought Nokomis in April 1975. They changed its name to Sea Serpent. It worked in the San Francisco Bay as a commercial tugboat. Its job was to help big ships dock. In the early 1990s, Crowley Maritime stopped working in San Francisco. Nokomis was then registered in Panama. It was left behind with many other tugboats. Over time, it started to decay and rust.
In 2002, a tugboat captain named Melissa Parker found it. It was in the mudflats of Hunters Point, San Francisco. She bought it at an auction for only $50. The Historic Tugboat Education and Restoration Society (HTERS) then owned it. They first tied it up at Pier 80 in San Francisco.
HTERS was a non-profit group focused on education. They did historical research about tugboats. They also had programs for young people to learn about engineering. They worked with other historical ship groups. HTERS got another tugboat, USS Wenonah. This ship was a sister tug to Nokomis. They planned to use Wenonah as a floating classroom. This would help raise money to fix Nokomis.
However, the group fell behind on dock rental fees. Both tugs were moved to Treasure Island. But the fees for dock rental and insurance kept growing. Eventually, HTERS lost both Wenonah and Nokomis.
The Sinking of Wenonah
While at Treasure Island, Wenonah sank in August 2009. Oil spilled into San Francisco Bay. The Coast Guard hired a company to recover the ship. This was to stop more oil leaks. Wenonah was then given to the Coast Guard to be disposed of. Bay Ship & Yacht in Alameda took over the lease for Pier 1 at Treasure Island. This meant they also took possession of Wenonah and Nokomis. Both ships were scrapped, or taken apart, in 2010 in Alameda.
Wenonah was exactly like Hoga. It could have provided many parts to restore Hoga. Nokomis was the oldest Navy ship still around from the attack on Pearl Harbor. Now, only the YC-699 barge in San Francisco Bay, the YT-153 tug on the East Coast, and Hoga are the last Navy ships that survived Pearl Harbor.
