USS Moreno (AT-87)
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USS Moreno (AT-87) (right) rendering assistance to HMS Abercrombie, 10 September 1943, in the Gulf of Salerno.
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| History | |
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| Name: | USS Moreno |
| Builder: | William Cramp and Sons, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Laid down: | 26 June 1942 |
| Launched: | 9 July 1942 |
| Commissioned: | 30 November 1942 |
| Decommissioned: | 18 August 1946 |
| Reclassified: | ATF-87, 15 May 1944 |
| Struck: | 1 September 1961 |
| Honors and awards: |
3 battle stars (World War II) |
| Fate: |
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| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Navajo-class fleet tug |
| Displacement: | 1,235 long tons (1,255 t) |
| Length: | 205 ft (62 m) |
| Beam: | 38 ft 6 in (11.73 m) |
| Draft: | 15 ft 4 in (4.67 m) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Complement: | 85 |
| Armament: |
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USS Moreno (AT-87) was a Navajo-class fleet tug 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.
Moreno was laid down as AT-87, on 26 June 1942, by William Cramp & Sons of Philadelphia; launched on 9 July 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Charles H. Kramb; and commissioned on 30 November 1942, Lt. (jg.) Victor H. Kyllberg in command.
Following shakedown out of Norfolk, Virginia, Moreno, a fleet tug equipped with good firefighting, salvage, and repair facilities to allow participation in combat operations, sailed, on 21 January 1943, for Bermuda. There she provided towing and escort services to vessels attached to the naval operating base and assigned to convoys using the southern lanes across the North Atlantic to Africa and Europe. On 3 March, she rendezvoused with task force TF 32 and set out for Gibraltar, returning to Norfolk, Virginia, with TF 63 on 28 April. While at sea with those forces, Moreno was employed as an escort and as a standby tug.
After availability at Norfolk, Moreno again headed out across the Atlantic, sailing on 8 June with TF 65. She anchored off Oran on the 22nd, and then continued on to Bizerte, where she prepared for the invasion of southern Sicily.
On 6 July, while still at Bizerte, she was caught in an air raid during which a near miss injured three men and damaged the superstructure and rigging. By 8 July, however, she was underway in an LST convoy bound for Sicily. Despite heavy weather, "Joss" Force arrived off Licata early on the 10th, and the Falconara Attack Group headed toward "Beach Blue" while Moreno stood by to provide aid if called upon. Later in the day, the tug shifted to Licata, anchoring in the bay.
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