Often when we think of the role of ships in World War II, the first image that comes to mind is Operation Overlord, commonly known as D-Day. The largest amphibious military operation in history, the landing of Allied forces at Normandy took place on June 6, 1944. An airborne assault of 1,200 planes preceded the amphibious assault of more than 5,000 vessels. On D-Day, more than 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel, and by the end of August, there were more than two million Allied troops in France.
Operation Overlord was a risky assault. It depended on a variety of factors like the weather, with only a few days each month deemed suitable for a successful invasion. Hoping for a date with a full moon, which would help aircraft pilots to see better and provide the highest tides, specific criteria were also determined for wind speed, visibility, and cloud cover. The rising tide would allow vessels to run aground, unload, then withdraw before becoming stranded. Landings also needed to occur at about the same time as to not alert the enemy.
The success of this mission depended on the weather and the initial landing, but also on being able to successfully supply and reinforce the invading troops to sustain the assault. And this dangerous task was the job of tugboats or Type V ships as designated by the United States Maritime Commission. Throughout the war, tugs had to travel the same seas as the larger and faster battleships and face the same horrors. But tugs made this journey several times a day, heading into battle mid-fight and under fire to retrieve broken down ships left helpless in the water. Moving slower, tugs had a maximum speed of about 14 knots, while larger naval vessels could travel at over 30 knots.
The MV Farallon was one of 10 War Shipping Administration tugs operated by Moran Towing of New York. Their first assignment was to tow hollow blocks built in shipyards around Great Britain to anchor them near Lee-on-Solent. The tugs towed these blocks, known as Phoenixes, to Normandy to create a breakwater on the British and American beaches. Seventy-five Phoenixes created a Mulberry, and each Mulberry was about a mile long and stood 30 feet above sea level at low tide and 10 feet above sea level at high tide. Seven Liberty ships could tie up to a Mulberry at one time to unload cargo. The MV Farallon made at least eight round trips from England completing this important work. This artificial harbor was extended by 89 derelict ships that were damaged beyond repair. These ships made it to Normandy under their own power and were crewed by volunteer mariners. The tugs removed the crew from these ships. Each ship was held in position by four small tugs while explosives blew out the bottoms, sinking them to create a Gooseberry, or blockships.
This entire task was completed under fire from the beach and German planes starting the day after the initial invasion. This is just one example of how tugs supported larger vessels like victory ships during World War II.
The SSHSA 2015 Tug of the Year Hoga (YT-146), was commissioned into the United States Navy in May 1941 and was assigned to the Naval Station at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Today, she is a survivor of the December 7, 1941, attack on the Naval Forces in Hawaii. Hoga distinguished herself through her crew’s actions in helping beach the burning and sinking battleship USS Nevada, which was in danger of sinking and blocking access to the harbor. Hoga fought fires on Battleship Row for 72 continuous hours, particularly working on the blazing hull of USS Arizona. Due to their heroic efforts, the crew of Hoga was commended by Admiral Chester A. Nimitz, commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet.
Recently, our archivist had a research request for another tug who served in WWII, the MV Point Judith. The request came in looking for information on a family member who served on this tug. V4-MA-1 – or Type V vessels were tugs made for the US Maritime Commission to move ships and barges. They were the largest and most powerful of the type. They were all built in 1943 and named after lighthouses. This tug saw action in the Pacific, towing damaged ships and aiding in rescue missions. She was involved in the rescue effort in the sinking of St. Augustine (PG-54) January 1944.
If you’re looking to include the history of tugs into your lesson plans on WWII, please contact us at steam@sshsa.org.
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