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{{Short description|Coast guard cutter}}
⚫
{{other ships|USCGC Tamaroa}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:USCGC Tamaroa WUEC-166 1990.jpg|300px]]
| Ship image = USCGC Tamaroa WUEC-166 1990.jpg
|Ship caption=USCGC ''Tamaroa'' (WMEC-166) in 1990,<br>formerly USS ''Zuni'' (ATF-95) fleet tug (in 1943).
| Ship caption = USCGC ''Tamaroa'' (WMEC-166) in 1990,<br>formerly USS ''Zuni'' (ATF-95) fleet tug (in 1943).
}}
}}
{{Infobox ship career
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
| Hide header =
|Ship country=United States Navy
| Ship country = United States Navy
|Ship operator=
| Ship operator =
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1946}}
| Ship flag = {{USN flag|1946}}
|Ship name=[[USS Zuni (ATF-95)|USS ''Zuni'' (ATF-95)]]
| Ship name = [[USS Zuni)|USS ''Zuni'' (ATF-95)]]
|Ship namesake=
| Ship namesake =
|Ship ordered=
| Ship ordered =
|Ship builder=Commercial Iron Works
| Ship builder = Commercial Iron Works
|Ship laid down=8 March 1943
| Ship laid down = 8 March 1943
|Ship launched=31 July 1943
| Ship launched = 31 July 1943
|Ship acquired=
| Ship acquired =
|Ship commissioned=9 October 1943
| Ship commissioned = 9 October 1943
|Ship decommissioned=29 June 1946
| Ship decommissioned = 29 June 1946
|Ship in service=
| Ship in service =
|Ship out of service=
| Ship out of service =
|Ship struck=19 July 1946
| Ship struck = 19 July 1946
|Ship reinstated=
| Ship reinstated =
|Ship honors=
| Ship honors =
|Ship fate=Transferred to US Coast Guard
| Ship fate = Transferred to US Coast Guard
|Ship status=
| Ship notes =
⚫
| Ship nickname = “The Mighty Z”
|Ship notes=
⚫
|Ship nickname=“The Mighty Z”
}}
}}
{{Infobox ship career
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
| Hide header = title
|Ship country=United States Coast Guard
| Ship country = United States Coast Guard
|Ship operator=
| Ship operator =
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United States|coast guard}}
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|United States|coast guard}}
|Ship name=*USCGC ''Tamaroa'' (WAT-166){{When|date=October 2009}}
| Ship name = *USCGC ''Tamaroa'' (WAT-166) (1946 - 1956)
*USCGC ''Tamaroa'' (WATF-166) (1956 - 1966)
*USCGC ''Tamaroa'' (WMEC-166)
*USCGC ''Tamaroa'' (WMEC-166)
|Ship namesake=
| Ship namesake =
|Ship ordered=
| Ship ordered =
|Ship builder=
| Ship builder =
|Ship laid down=
| Ship laid down =
|Ship launched=
| Ship launched =
|Ship acquired=
| Ship acquired =
|Ship commissioned=29 June 1946
| Ship commissioned = 29 June 1946
|Ship decommissioned=1 February 1994
| Ship decommissioned = 1 February 1994
|Ship in service=
| Ship in service =
|Ship out of service=
| Ship out of service =
|Ship struck=
| Ship struck =
|Ship reinstated=
| Ship reinstated =
|Ship honors=
| Ship honors =
|Ship fate= Scuttled 10 May 2017, 33 nautical miles off coast of [[Cape May, New Jersey]]
| Ship fate = Scuttled 10 May 2017, 33 nautical miles off coast of [[Cape May, New Jersey]]
|Ship status=
| Ship notes =
|Ship notes=
}}{{Infobox ship characteristics
}}{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
| Hide header =
|Header caption=
| Header caption =
|Ship class=[[Navajo class fleet tug|''Navajo'']]
| Ship class = {{sclass|Cherokee|tugboat}}
|Ship displacement={{convert|1731|LT|abbr=on}}
| Ship displacement = {{convert|1731|LT|abbr=on}}
|Ship length={{convert|205|ft|6|in|abbr=on}}
| Ship length = {{convert|205|ft|6|in|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|39|ft|3.25|in|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|39|ft|3.25|in|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|18|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship draft = {{convert|18|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=4 × [[General Motors Corporation|General Motors]] model 12-278 diesels with [[diesel-electric]] drive: {{convert|3010|shp|abbr=on|lk=in}}
| Ship propulsion = 4 × [[General Motors Corporation|General Motors]] model 12-278 diesels with [[diesel-electric]] drive: {{convert|3010|shp|abbr=on|lk=in}}
|Ship speed=*{{convert|16.1|kn|abbr=on|lk=in}} maximum
| Ship speed = *{{convert|16.1|kn|abbr=on|lk=in}} maximum
*{{convert|8.0|kn|abbr=on}} economical
*{{convert|8.0|kn|abbr=on}} economical
|Ship range={{convert|15000|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|8|kn|abbr=on}} (1990)
| Ship range = {{convert|15000|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|8|kn|abbr=on}} (1990)
|Ship complement=10 officers, 74 enlisted (1990)
| Ship complement = 10 officers, 74 enlisted (1990)
|Ship sensors=[[Radar]]: SPN-25 (1961); no sonar.
| Ship sensors = [[Radar]]: SPN-25 (1961); no sonar.
|Ship EW=
| Ship EW =
|Ship armament=*WWII:
| Ship armament = *WWII:
* 1 × [[3"/50 caliber gun]]
* 1 × [[3"/50 caliber gun]]
* 2 × twin 40-mm guns
* 2 × twin [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm]] guns
* 2 × 20&nbsp;mm guns
* 2 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm]] guns
*1990:
*1990:
* 1 × [[3"/50 caliber gun]]
* 1 × [[3"/50 caliber gun]]
|Ship armor=
| Ship armor =
|Ship aircraft=
| Ship aircraft =
|Ship aircraft facilities=
| Ship aircraft facilities =
|Ship notes=
| Ship notes =
}}
}}
|}
|}


⚫
'''USCGC ''Tamaroa'' (WAT/WMEC-166)''', originally the [[United States Navy]] [[Cherokee-class tugboat|''Cherokee''-class fleet tug]] '''{{USS|Zuni|ATF-95}}''', was a [[United States Coast Guard]] [[Cutter (ship)|cutter]]. Following the U.S. Coast Guard custom of naming cutters in this class of ship after [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribes, she was named after the [[Tamaroa (tribe)|Tamaroa]] tribe of the [[Illiniwek]] tribal group.
⚫
{{otherships|USCGC Tamaroa}}

⚫
'''USCGC ''Tamaroa'' (WAT/WMEC-166)''', originally the [[United States Navy]] [[Cherokee-class fleet tug|''Cherokee''-class fleet tug]] '''{{USS|Zuni|ATF-95}}''', was a [[United States Coast Guard]] [[Cutter (ship)|cutter]]. Following the U.S. Coast Guard custom of naming cutters in this class of ship after [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribes, she was named after the [[Tamaroa (tribe)|Tamaroa]] tribe of the [[Illiniwek]] tribal group.


==Construction and U.S. Navy operational history==
==Construction and U.S. Navy operational history==
The ship was one of 70 of her class built for the U.S. Navy. As the [[fleet tug]] USS ''Zuni'', she saw action in [[World War II]], including in the [[Marianas]], [[Philippines]], and [[Battle of Iwo Jima|Iwo Jima]] operations. After the war, she was transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard in 1946.
The ship was one of 70 of her class built for the U.S. Navy. As the [[fleet tug]] USS ''Zuni'', she saw action in [[World War II]], including in the [[Marianas]], [[Philippines]], and [[Battle of Iwo Jima|Iwo Jima]] operations. After the war, she was transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard in 1946.


==U.S. Coast Guard operational history==
==U.S. Coast Guard operational history==
The bulk of ''Tamaroa''′s U.S. Coast Guard career was spent patrolling, working in drug interdiction, and fisheries protection. She was the first Coast Guard cutter to arrive at the sinking ocean liner ''[[SS Andrea Doria|Andrea Doria]]'' in 1956.
The bulk of ''Tamaroa''′s U.S. Coast Guard career was spent patrolling, working in drug interdiction, and fisheries protection. She was the first Coast Guard cutter to arrive at the sinking ocean liner ''[[SS Andrea Doria|Andrea Doria]]'' in 1956.


''Tamaroa'' was involved in the landmark 1969 [[Tort law|tort]] case, '''''Ira S. Bushey & Sons, Inc. v. United States,''''' 398 F.2d 167 (2d Cir. 1968), which held the [[United States]] vicariously liable for the damage caused by ''Tamaroa'' to a [[Dry dock|drydock]] after an intoxicated U.S. Coast Guard seaman returning to his bunk aboard ''Tamaroa'' on 14 March 1963 opened drydock water valves, flooding and sinking the drydock and causing ''Tamaroa'' to list and slide off her blocks. In its ruling, the court found that an employer (in this case, the [[United States Government]]) will be held liable under ''[[respondeat superior]]'' if the actions of the employee (in this, a U.S. Coast Guard seaman) arise out of the course of his or her employment (in this case, as a U.S. Coast Guard seaman returning to his ship after leave) and cause damage (in this case, to Bushey & Sons′ drydock). The court held that "the ship is liable for anything ship-connected persons cause it to do."<ref>[http://www.casebriefs.com/blog/law/corporations/corporations-keyed-to-klein/agency/ira-s-bushey-sons-inc-v-united-states/ Ira S. Bushey & Sons, Inc. v. United States - Casebriefs] Bloomberg Law. Retrieved August 6, 2016.</ref><ref name=opinion>
''Tamaroa'' was involved in the landmark 1969 [[Tort law|tort]] case, '''''Ira S. Bushey & Sons, Inc. v. United States''''', 398 F.2d 167 (2d Cir. 1968), which held the [[United States]] [[vicariously liable]] for the damage caused by ''Tamaroa'' to a [[Dry dock|drydock]] after an intoxicated U.S. Coast Guard seaman returning to his bunk aboard ''Tamaroa'' on 14 March 1963 opened drydock water valves, flooding and sinking the drydock and causing ''Tamaroa'' to list and slide off her blocks. In its ruling, the court found that an employer (in this case, the [[United States Government]]) will be held liable under ''[[respondeat superior]]'' if the actions of the employee (in this, a U.S. Coast Guard seaman) arise out of the course of his or her employment (in this case, as a U.S. Coast Guard seaman returning to his ship after leave) and cause damage (in this case, to Bushey & Sons′ drydock). The court held that "the ship is liable for anything ship-connected persons cause it to do."<ref>[http://www.casebriefs.com/blog/law/corporations/corporations-keyed-to-klein/agency/ira-s-bushey-sons-inc-v-united-states/ Ira S. Bushey & Sons, Inc. v. United States - Casebriefs] Bloomberg Law. Retrieved August 6, 2016.</ref><ref name=opinion>
[http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/398/167/29802/ Ira S. Bushey & Sons, Inc. v. United States, 398 F.2d 167 (2d Cir. 1968) - Opinion.] "While the United States Coast Guard vessel ''Tamaroa'' was being overhauled in a floating drydock located in Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal, a seaman returning from shore leave late at night, in the condition for which seamen are famed, turned some wheels on the drydock wall. He thus opened valves that controlled the flooding of the tanks on one side of the drydock. Soon the ship listed, slid off the blocks and fell against the wall. Parts of the drydock sank, and the ship partially did — fortunately without loss of life or personal injury. The drydock owner sought and was granted compensation by the District Court for the Eastern District of New York in an amount to be determined."</ref>
[http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/398/167/29802/ Ira S. Bushey & Sons, Inc. v. United States, 398 F.2d 167 (2d Cir. 1968) - Opinion.] "While the United States Coast Guard vessel ''Tamaroa'' was being overhauled in a floating drydock located in Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal, a seaman returning from shore leave late at night, in the condition for which seamen are famed, turned some wheels on the drydock wall. He thus opened valves that controlled the flooding of the tanks on one side of the drydock. Soon the ship listed, slid off the blocks and fell against the wall. Parts of the drydock sank, and the ship partially did — fortunately without loss of life or personal injury. The drydock owner sought and was granted compensation by the District Court for the Eastern District of New York in an amount to be determined."</ref>


''Tamaroa'' is perhaps most famous for a rescue described in the 1997 book ''[[The Perfect Storm (book)|The Perfect Storm]]'' (by [[Sebastian Junger]]) and depicted in the 2000 movie ''[[The Perfect Storm (film)|The Perfect Storm]]''; she rescued all three crew members of the [[yacht]] ''Satori'' and the four out of the five crewmen of a downed [[New York Air National Guard]] helicopter.<ref name="Tamaroa">{{cite web
''Tamaroa'' is perhaps most famous for a rescue described in the 1997 book ''[[The Perfect Storm (book)|The Perfect Storm]]'' (by [[Sebastian Junger]]) and depicted in the 2000 movie ''[[The Perfect Storm (film)|The Perfect Storm]]''; on October 31, 1991, ''Tamaroa'' (led by Commander Lawrence Brudnicki) had been attempting to rescue the crew of the sailing vessel ''Satori'' the previous day when the cutter was diverted to assist the Air National Guard aircrew, she rescued four out of the five crewmen of a downed [[New York Air National Guard]] helicopter. The fifth aircrewman was never found and presumed drowned.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.history.uscg.mil/Complete-Time-Line/Time-Line-1900-2000/|title = Time Line 1900's - 2000's}}</ref>
| url = http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Tamaroa1943.asp
| title = U.S. Coast Guard Cutter History: Tamaroa (WMEC-166)
| publisher = U.S Coast Guard Historian
| accessdate = 2011-04-20
}}</ref>


==Decommissioning and disposal==
==Decommissioning and disposal==
After the Coast Guard decommissioned her in 1994, ''Tamaroa'' was donated to the [[Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum]] in [[New York City]]. She was noticed tied up next to the [[museum ship]] {{USS|Intrepid|CV-11|2}} in 1994 by a former crewman who began a campaign to restore her. After several unsuccessful attempts, the Zuni Maritime Foundation, a non-profit organization in [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], [[Virginia]], formed. The foundation attempted to preserve the ship in an operational condition, and use her to educate the public. This ultimately proved unsuccessful.
After the Coast Guard decommissioned her in 1994, ''Tamaroa'' was donated to the [[Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum]] in [[New York City]]. She was noticed tied up next to the [[museum ship]] {{USS|Intrepid|CV-11|2}} in 1994 by a former crewman who began a campaign to restore her. After several unsuccessful attempts, the Zuni Maritime Foundation, a non-profit organization in [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], [[Virginia]], formed. The foundation attempted to preserve the ship in an operational condition, and use her to educate the public. This ultimately proved unsuccessful.


Having been tied up in [[Norfolk]], Virginia, and environmentally cleaned, she was selected in 2016 for use as an [[artificial reef]]. Her sinking, originally scheduled for 30 October 2016, was delayed by rough seas and related issues. She finally was [[Scuttling|scuttled]] at 13:00 on 10 May 2017 in the [[Atlantic Ocean]] about 33 [[nautical mile]]s (61 km) from [[Cape May, New Jersey|Cape May]], [[New Jersey]], to form an [[artificial reef]] . Her wreck is now part of the Del-Jersey-Land Inshore Reef.<ref>[https://www.navytimes.com/articles/the-ship-that-saved-7-during-perfect-storm-to-be-sunk-off-nj Fallon, Scott, "The ship that saved 7 during 'Perfect Storm' to be sunk off N.J.," navytimes.com, October 24, 2016.]</ref><ref>[http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/coast-guard-veterans-watch-as-tamaroa-sunk-off-cape-may/article_8e51c397-fb9b-518a-b3d5-b892e6078729.html Tomczuk, Jack, "Coast Guard veterans watch as 'Perfect Storm' cutter sunk off Cape May," pressofatlanticcity.com, May 11, 2017.]</ref>
Prior to scuttling, parts of the ''Tamaroa'' were removed by the Black Dog Salvage company for two episodes of the TV show "Salvage Dawgs". Her main mast was repurposed as a flagpole for the Ballast Point microbrewery in Roanoke, VA. Having been tied up in [[Norfolk, Virginia]], and environmentally cleaned, she was selected in 2016 for use as an [[artificial reef]]. Her sinking, originally scheduled for 30 October 2016, was delayed by rough seas and related issues. She finally was [[Scuttling|scuttled]] at 13:00 on 10 May 2017 in the [[Atlantic Ocean]] about 33 [[nautical mile]]s (61&nbsp;km) from [[Cape May, New Jersey|Cape May]], [[New Jersey]], at a depth of 120 feet, forming an [[artificial reef]]. Her wreck is now a [[recreational dive site]], part of the [[Del-Jersey-Land Inshore Reef]].<ref>[https://www.navytimes.com/articles/the-ship-that-saved-7-during-perfect-storm-to-be-sunk-off-nj Fallon, Scott, "The ship that saved 7 during 'Perfect Storm' to be sunk off N.J.," navytimes.com, October 24, 2016.]</ref><ref>[http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/coast-guard-veterans-watch-as-tamaroa-sunk-off-cape-may/article_8e51c397-fb9b-518a-b3d5-b892e6078729.html Tomczuk, Jack, "Coast Guard veterans watch as 'Perfect Storm' cutter sunk off Cape May," pressofatlanticcity.com, May 11, 2017.]</ref>
<ref>{{cite web |title=Tamaroa WMEC-166 |url=https://njscuba.net/artificial-reefs/delaware-reefs/deljerseyland-reef/tamaroa/ |website=New Jersey scuba diving |access-date=26 August 2021}}</ref>


==Awards==
==Awards==
Line 117: Line 112:
*[[Philippine Liberation Medal]]
*[[Philippine Liberation Medal]]


<ref>https://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Tamaroa1943.asp</ref>
<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Tamaroa1943.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924152744/http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Tamaroa1943.asp |archive-date=2008-09-24 |title=U.S. Coast Guard Cutter History}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
Line 123: Line 118:


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commonscat-inline|USCGC Tamaroa (WMEC-166)}}
{{Commons category-inline|USCGC Tamaroa (WMEC-166)}}
*[http://www.zunitamaroa.org/ The ''Zuni'' Maritime Foundation]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100623040658/http://www.zunitamaroa.org/ The ''Zuni'' Maritime Foundation] Dead link
*[http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Tamaroa1943.asp USCGC ''Tamaroa'']
*[http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Tamaroa1943.asp USCGC ''Tamaroa'']
*[http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/39095.htm navsource.org: USCGC ''Tamaroa'']
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050406045620/http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/39095.htm navsource.org: USCGC ''Tamaroa'']


{{coord missing|Virginia}}
{{coord missing|Virginia}}


{{2017 shipwrecks}}
{{2017 shipwrecks}}
{{Recreational dive sites|wresit}}
{{Navajo class tugs}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Tamaroa (WMEC-166)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tamaroa (WMEC-166)}}
[[Category:Ships sunk as artificial reefs]]
[[Category:Ships sunk as artificial reefs]]
[[Category:Ships of the United States Coast Guard]]
[[Category:Cherokee-class fleet tugs of the United States Coast Guard]]
[[Category:World War II auxiliary ships of the United States]]
[[Category:World War II auxiliary ships of the United States]]
[[Category:1943 ships]]
[[Category:1943 ships]]

Latest revision as of 12:59, 17 June 2024

For other ships with the same name, see USCGC Tamaroa.
USCGC Tamaroa (WMEC-166) in 1990,
formerly USS Zuni (ATF-95) fleet tug (in 1943).
History
United States Navy
NameUSS Zuni (ATF-95)
BuilderCommercial Iron Works
Laid down8 March 1943
Launched31 July 1943
Commissioned9 October 1943
Decommissioned29 June 1946
Stricken19 July 1946
Nickname(s)“The Mighty Z”
FateTransferred to US Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
Name
  • USCGC Tamaroa (WAT-166) (1946 - 1956)
  • USCGC Tamaroa (WATF-166) (1956 - 1966)
  • USCGC Tamaroa (WMEC-166)
Commissioned29 June 1946
Decommissioned1 February 1994
FateScuttled 10 May 2017, 33 nautical miles off coast of Cape May, New Jersey
General characteristics
Class and typeCherokee-class tugboat
Displacement1,731 long tons (1,759 t)
Length205 ft 6 in (62.64 m)
Beam39 ft 3.25 in (11.9698 m)
Draft18 ft (5.5 m)
Propulsion4 × General Motors model 12-278 diesels with diesel-electric drive: 3,010 shp (2,240 kW)
Speed
  • 16.1 kn (29.8 km/h; 18.5 mph) maximum
  • 8.0 kn (14.8 km/h; 9.2 mph) economical
Range15,000 nmi (28,000 km; 17,000 mi) at 8 kn (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) (1990)
Complement10 officers, 74 enlisted (1990)
Sensors and
processing systems		Radar: SPN-25 (1961); no sonar.
Armament

USCGC Tamaroa (WAT/WMEC-166), originally the United States Navy Cherokee-class fleet tug USS Zuni (ATF-95), was a United States Coast Guard cutter. Following the U.S. Coast Guard custom of naming cutters in this class of ship after Native American tribes, she was named after the Tamaroa tribe of the Illiniwek tribal group.

Construction and U.S. Navy operational history

[edit]

The ship was one of 70 of her class built for the U.S. Navy. As the fleet tug USS Zuni, she saw action in World War II, including in the Marianas, Philippines, and Iwo Jima operations. After the war, she was transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard in 1946.

U.S. Coast Guard operational history

[edit]

The bulk of Tamaroa′s U.S. Coast Guard career was spent patrolling, working in drug interdiction, and fisheries protection. She was the first Coast Guard cutter to arrive at the sinking ocean liner Andrea Doria in 1956.

Tamaroa was involved in the landmark 1969 tort case, Ira S. Bushey & Sons, Inc. v. United States, 398 F.2d 167 (2d Cir. 1968), which held the United States vicariously liable for the damage caused by Tamaroa to a drydock after an intoxicated U.S. Coast Guard seaman returning to his bunk aboard Tamaroa on 14 March 1963 opened drydock water valves, flooding and sinking the drydock and causing Tamaroa to list and slide off her blocks. In its ruling, the court found that an employer (in this case, the United States Government) will be held liable under respondeat superior if the actions of the employee (in this, a U.S. Coast Guard seaman) arise out of the course of his or her employment (in this case, as a U.S. Coast Guard seaman returning to his ship after leave) and cause damage (in this case, to Bushey & Sons′ drydock). The court held that "the ship is liable for anything ship-connected persons cause it to do."[1][2]

Tamaroa is perhaps most famous for a rescue described in the 1997 book The Perfect Storm (by Sebastian Junger) and depicted in the 2000 movie The Perfect Storm; on October 31, 1991, Tamaroa (led by Commander Lawrence Brudnicki) had been attempting to rescue the crew of the sailing vessel Satori the previous day when the cutter was diverted to assist the Air National Guard aircrew, she rescued four out of the five crewmen of a downed New York Air National Guard helicopter. The fifth aircrewman was never found and presumed drowned.[3]

Decommissioning and disposal

[edit]

After the Coast Guard decommissioned her in 1994, Tamaroa was donated to the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City. She was noticed tied up next to the museum ship Intrepid in 1994 by a former crewman who began a campaign to restore her. After several unsuccessful attempts, the Zuni Maritime Foundation, a non-profit organization in Richmond, Virginia, formed. The foundation attempted to preserve the ship in an operational condition, and use her to educate the public. This ultimately proved unsuccessful.

Prior to scuttling, parts of the Tamaroa were removed by the Black Dog Salvage company for two episodes of the TV show "Salvage Dawgs". Her main mast was repurposed as a flagpole for the Ballast Point microbrewery in Roanoke, VA. Having been tied up in Norfolk, Virginia, and environmentally cleaned, she was selected in 2016 for use as an artificial reef. Her sinking, originally scheduled for 30 October 2016, was delayed by rough seas and related issues. She finally was scuttled at 13:00 on 10 May 2017 in the Atlantic Ocean about 33 nautical miles (61 km) from Cape May, New Jersey, at a depth of 120 feet, forming an artificial reef. Her wreck is now a recreational dive site, part of the Del-Jersey-Land Inshore Reef.[4][5] [6]

Awards

[edit]

[7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Ira S. Bushey & Sons, Inc. v. United States - Casebriefs Bloomberg Law. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  2. ^ Ira S. Bushey & Sons, Inc. v. United States, 398 F.2d 167 (2d Cir. 1968) - Opinion. "While the United States Coast Guard vessel Tamaroa was being overhauled in a floating drydock located in Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal, a seaman returning from shore leave late at night, in the condition for which seamen are famed, turned some wheels on the drydock wall. He thus opened valves that controlled the flooding of the tanks on one side of the drydock. Soon the ship listed, slid off the blocks and fell against the wall. Parts of the drydock sank, and the ship partially did — fortunately without loss of life or personal injury. The drydock owner sought and was granted compensation by the District Court for the Eastern District of New York in an amount to be determined."
  3. ^ "Time Line 1900's - 2000's".
  4. ^ Fallon, Scott, "The ship that saved 7 during 'Perfect Storm' to be sunk off N.J.," navytimes.com, October 24, 2016.
  5. ^ Tomczuk, Jack, "Coast Guard veterans watch as 'Perfect Storm' cutter sunk off Cape May," pressofatlanticcity.com, May 11, 2017.
  6. ^ "Tamaroa WMEC-166". New Jersey scuba diving. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  7. ^ "U.S. Coast Guard Cutter History". Archived from the original on 2008-09-24.
[edit]

Media related to USCGC Tamaroa (WMEC-166) at Wikimedia Commons

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