USS Achomawi ( ATF - 148 ) USS " Achomawi " ( AT - 148 / ATF - 148 ) was a " Navajo " - class fleet ocean tug in the service of the United States Navy , named after the Achomawi tribe of Native Americans . She was laid down as " Achomawi " ( AT - 148 ) on 15 January 1944 at Charleston , South Carolina by Charleston Shipbuilding and Drydock , redesignated ATF - 148 on 15 May 1944 , launched on 14 June 1944 , sponsored by Mrs . J . F . Veronee , and commissioned on 11 November 1944 with Lieutenant R . H . Teter in command . Service history . The tug departed Charleston on 28 November bound for the Chesapeake Bay for shakedown training . She then entered the Norfolk Navy Yard , Portsmouth , Virginia , for post - shakedown availability . Late in December , " Achomawi " arrived back at Charleston but soon sailed for Wilmington , North Carolina to pick up " ARDC - J " for towing to the west coast . The tug transited the Panama Canal late in January 1945 and continued on to San Pedro , California where she arrived on 17 February . " Achomawi " operated along the west coast through 3 March . On that day , she got underway from San Francisco bound for Pearl Harbor , Hawaii with two pontoon barges in tow . Upon her arrival in Hawaiian waters on 16 March , the tug commenced target towing and mooring duties in the Pearl Harbor area and remained at the task until 22 May , when she shaped a course to Okinawa with three barges in tow . She made stops at Eniwetok and Guam before reaching Okinawa on 1 July . The vessel then assisted in moving Service Division 104 from Kerama Retto to Buckner Bay , Okinawa . She set sail on 12 July with a convoy bound for Guam . " Achomawi " reached Guam on 17 July and , five days later , got underway for Eniwetok . At that atoll , she assumed duty with Service Division 102 and operated there through the end of World War II in mid - August . On 15 October , she shaped a course for Tokyo , Japan . The tug arrived there 10 days later and departed Japanese waters on 9 November , bound for Ulithi . At that atoll , the tug took oil tanker in tow and got underway for the Philippine Islands . She reached Manila on 19 November and operated in the Luzon area through 6 December . Later that month , " Achomawi " attempted to tow three barges from Samar , Philippine Islands , to Okinawa . En route , two broke loose due to heavy seas and were lost . The third capsized due to shifting cargo and had to be destroyed . The tug finally arrived at Okinawa on 29 December . On 12 January 1946 , " Achomawi " got underway for the west coast of the United States . She made port calls at Eniwetok , Kwajalein , Johnston Island , and Pearl Harbor . The tug finally made San Francisco on 3 March . After spending one month in port there , " Achomawi " departed California in early April to return to the western Pacific to support Operation " Crossroads , " which involved atomic testing at Bikini Atoll . The tug carried out various towing assignments between Pearl Harbor , Bikini , Eniwetok , and Kwajalein . She was released from this operation in August , left Hawaii on 14 September , and arrived in San Francisco Bay on 2 October . Early in December , " Achomawi " received orders to proceed to the Panama Canal Zone . She touched at Balboa , Panama , on 29 December and picked up " ARD - 6 " for towing to Jacksonville , Florida . The tug then transited the canal and reached Jacksonville on 4 January 1947 . After delivering her tow , she set a course for New Orleans , Louisiana . Upon her arrival on 9 January , the ship entered preinactivation availability . " Achomawi " completed this in early March and got underway on 9 March for Orange , Texas . She was decommissioned there on 10 June 1947 and was laid up at Orange . Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 September 1962 . The vessel was then transferred to the Maritime Administration and was laid up at Mobile , Alabama .