USS Narragansett ( AT - 88 ) USS " Narragansett " ( AT - 88 ) was a constructed for the United States Navy during World War II . Her purpose was to aid ships , usually by towing , on the high seas or in combat or post - combat areas , plus " other duties as assigned . " She served in the Atlantic Ocean and , at war ’ s end , returned home proudly with three battle stars to her credit . The fourth " Narragansett " to be so - named by the U . S . Navy , AT - 88 was laid down on 31 January 1942 by the Cramp Shipbuilding Co . , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ; launched on 8 August 1942 , sponsored by Miss Lois Kinehen Hill , and commissioned on 15 January 1943 , Lt . ( j . j . ) C . J . Wichmann in command . World War II Atlantic Ocean operations . Following shakedown of the Middle Atlantic seaboard and gunnery and anti - submarine training at Casco Bay , " Narragansett " departed American waters on 1 April 1943 , in convoy for Gibraltar and the Mediterranean theater . Arriving at Gibraltar on the 30th , she continued on to Casablanca , thence to Algiers , arriving on 7 May to begin salvage operations along the North Africa n coast under ComNavNAW . Supporting the invasion of Sicily . On 6 July , she was detached from those duties and ordered to Bizerte , where she prepared for " Operation Husky " , the invasion of Sicily . On the 8th , she departed Bizerte , and by the 10th she was off Seaglitti with " Cent " Force as that force landed near the mouth of the Aeate River on the Camerina Plain . Heavy tolls among the landing craft , caused by heavy surf indefinite landmarks , and inexperienced boat crews , kept the tug busy for the next weeks : at first in the Seaglitti area ; then with " Joss " Force at Licata , and finally with " Dime " Force at Gela . By the end of the month she had moved her operation to Palermo , whence she operated until the end of August . Under attack by Luftwaffe aircraft . On the 10th of that month she departed Sicily to tow the disabled to Malta , returning in mid - month . At 0430 on 23 August , the Luftwaffe raided Palermo , with bombs scoring on nearby service craft and a near miss wounding two of AT - 88 ' s crew . " Narragansett ' s " remaining crew immediately set to work to aid the damaged vessels despite explosions which exacted a heavy toll among the fire fighters and damage control sections . Six were dead and 12 seriously wounded before it was over . Supporting the invasion of Italy . On 30 August " Narragansett " returned to North Africa to stage for the invasion of Italy at Salerno . On 7 September she departed the Tunisian coast in task unit TU 85 . 1 . 1 . Soon after midnight , on 9 September , she stood into the Gulf of Salerno . At 0330 , the Northern Attack Force sent its assault troops onto the Unnele beaches . By 0507 , " Narragansett " was hard at work aiding the burning and various landing craft and larger vessels in need of assistance . On the 14th she gained a brief respite from beachhead operations with an assignment to tow the Royal Navy cruiser to Malta . Until the end of October she continued to operate in support of the Italian offensive ; completing several runs to Malta towing both British and American vessels , salvaging vessels of various types and pulling landing from the beaches . From November 1943 , through to 22 February 1944 , " Narragansett " once again operated off North Africa performing general duties at Algiers , towing targets for other vessels in the area , and performing salvage missions from Oran to Bizerte . At the end of February , she returned to Italy with a pontoon drydock in tow . and then resumed salvaging landing craft in the Naples area . During April , she performed towing services along the North African coast to Italy and to Sicily resuming in May , duties as general utility ship at Oran . Invasion of Southern France operations . On 16 June , the hard working tug , now reclassified ATF - 86 ( effective 15 May ) , again departed for Naples , this time to join in the preparations for " Operation Dragoon " , the invasion of Southern France . For the next month and a half , she frequently transited the waters between Bizerte , Naples , Sardinia and Corsica , as harbors on the latter island were turned into supply stations , repair facilities and beaching craft convoy staging areas . By 18 August she was off the Provence coast , assigned to " Delta " area , just outside the Golfe de St . Tropez . She next shifted to the more heavily defended " Carnet " area in the Golfe de Frejus . There the Germans , protecting the centuries old invasion route to the interior along the Argens River and the only airfield and seaplane base on that coast , had mounted impressive coastal batteries along the cliffs heavily mined the waters and beaches . Kept busy in that area until the end of the month . " Narragansett " then moved on to Toulon and Marseilles . Until mid - October she worked to clear those two harbor for the ships bringing the necessary supplies to the Allied land forces pushing inland toward the heart of the Third Reich . Returning Stateside for overhaul . " Narragansett " returned to Algeria on 13 October and in November departed , in convoy , for the United States . Arriving off the Carolina coast on 12 December , she entered the Charleston Navy Yard for overhaul prior to sailing for the Panama Canal and a new assignment , the Pacific Fleet . Transferred to the Pacific Fleet . On 21 January 1945 she departed for Cristobal , en route to San Francisco , California . While proceeding up the western Central American coast on 23 February , heavy seas and a wind caused the main tow line to floating dry dock " ARDC - 12 " to part . The next day , as the ATF attempted to recover her tow the dock swerved violently hitting the tug and punching a hole , by , in the starboard side at the waterline . Effecting temporary repairs with mattresses and miscellaneous pieces of metal , she remained in the area until the ARDC was taken in tow by the Coast Guard cutter , after which she proceeded into Manzanillo , Mexico , for emergency repairs . On 8 March , she continued on up the coast , arriving at her new home port . Mare Island , on the 20th , to complete the job . On 5 May , she departed for Pearl Harbor , whence she sailed , as a unit of ServRon 2 , at the end of the month . After delivering U . S . Army barges and various district craft to Eniwetok , Saipan and Guam , she arrived at San Pedro Bay , Leyte on 11 July , to report for duty with ComServRon 10 for the remainder of the war and into October , she performed towing jobs in the Philippine , Marshall , Mariana , Volcano and Hawaiian Islands . Returned to the East Coast . Back at Pearl Harbor on 25 October , she sailed for the east coast , arriving at Charleston , South Carolina , to begin the new year . On active duty for only a few months , she was designated for inactivation in March , 1946 . Decommissioning and Sale . Decommissioned at Orange , Texas , on 21 December , she remained berthed there as a unit of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet until 1 September 1961 , when she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register . Transferred to the Maritime Administration , she was berthed at Beaumont , Texas , as a unit of the National Defense Reserve Fleet into 1991 . " Narragansett " was sold to the Republic of China ( Taiwan ) on 20 June 1991 , where she was reactivated as " Ta Feng " ( ATF - 555 ) . " Ta Feng " was still in active service as recently as 2005 . Awards . " Narragansett " was awarded three battle stars for her services in World War II .