The Type V ship is a United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) designation for World War II tugboats. Type V was used in World War II, Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Type V ships were used to move ships and barges. Type V tugboats were made of either steel or wood hulls. There were four types of tugboats ordered for World War II. The largest type V design was the sea worthy long steel hull, V4-M-A1. The V4-M-A1 design was used by a number of manufacturers; a total of 49 were built. A smaller steel hull tugboat was the V2-ME-A1; 26 were built. The largest wooden hull was the V3-S-AH2, of which 14 were built. The smaller wooden hull was the V2-M-AL1, which 35 were built. Most V2-M-AL1 tugboats were sent to the United Kingdom for the war efforts under the lend-lease act. The Type V tugs served across the globe during World War II including: Pacific War, European theatre, and in the United States. SS Farallon, and other Type V tugs, were used to help built Normandy ports, including Mulberry harbour, on D-Day, 6 June 1944, and made nine round trips to Normandy to deliver Phoenix breakwaters.
Tugboats are used to maneuver vessels and barges by pushing or towing them. Tugs are needed to move vessels that either should not move by themselves, such as large ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal, or those that can not move by themselves, like as barges, disabled ships, or log rafts. Tugboats are powerful for their small size and are strongly built. Early tugboats used steam engines, but most have diesel engines now. Many tugboats have firefighting water cannons, allowing them to assist in firefighting, especially in harbors. Some minesweepers like , and were converted to ocean tugs for the war.
Ships in class
V2-ME-A1 Named for small US ports. They had steel hulls, with a displacement of , long, with a beam of , and a draft of . Many had Enterprise or Alco diesel engines that ranged from with electric drives. They were classified the in US Navy service, with an original designation of YT, "District Harbor Tug". On 15 May 1944, they were redesignated YTB, "District Harbor Tug, Large", before finally being designated YTM, "Harbor Tug, Medium", in February 1962. The 26 V2-ME-A1's were built by six different builders; Birchfield Shipbuilding & Boiler Co., Inc., Tacoma, Washington, 6 tugs; Canulette Shipbuilding, Slidell, Louisiana, 4 tugs; Calumet Shipyard & Drydock, Chicago, Illinois, 5 tugs; Ira. S. Bushey & Sons, Brooklyn, New York, 5 tugs; General Ship & Engine Works, East Boston, Massachusetts, 2 tugs; and Brunswick Marine Construction Corporation, Brunswick, Georgia, 4 tugs.
+ Construction data Original name Renamed Builder Launch Date Delivery Date Fate Port Angeles Birchfield Shipbuilding & Boiler Co., Inc., Tacoma, Washington 3 April 1942 30 November 1942 sold 1990 as Hiawatha, then Point San Pablo, Delta Lindsey, scrapped Port Blakely 1 May 1942 31 December 1942 sold 1976, renamed Sea Lark, scrapped 2019 Port Discovery 3 April 1942 23 December 1942 sold private 1970, scrapped Port Ludlow 2 May 1942 8 March 1943 scrapped 1987 Port Madison 14 July 1942 12 April 1943 to MARAD 1974, now at Amphibious Forces Memorial Museum Port Orchard 14 July 1942 19 May 1943 sold private 1976, renamed Sea Fox, now Maris Pearl Port Allen Canulette Shipbuilding, Slidell, Louisiana 22 May 1942 20 March 1943 to MARCOM 1945, sold 1945 as Port Allen, later Ed Colle, scrapped Port Barre 22 May 1942 31 March 1943 sold 1946, as Standard No. 2, later Kamy Kay G, laid up and/or abandoned Port Hudson 17 June 1942 26 April 1943 acquired by US Navy 1945, never saw actual Naval service, then Crescent Towing as Port Hudson Port Vincent 22 July 1942 27 May 1943 sold 1946, as Standard No. 3, 1993, Port Vincent, 1996, Thunderbird Port Byron LT 113 LT 113 Calumet Shipyard, Chicago, Illinois 10 May 1942 11 September 1942 acquired by US Army 1942, renamed LT 113, sold 1946, renamed Dalzellaird, scrapped Port Allegheny LT 114 LT 114 12 May 1942 5 October 1942 acquired by US Army 1942, renamed LT 114, sold 1946, renamed Dyer, later Porpoise, Sachem, now Porpoise Port Elizabeth 22 May 1942 15 October 1942 sold private 1950, scrapped Port Conway 16 June 1942 4 November 1942 sold to US Army 1950, as LT-1928, later George S., Jesse, now Victory Port Fulton LT 238 LT 238 1 July 1942 14 November 1942 sold 1946, as Frances K. McAllister, scrapped 1996 Port Chester LT 233 LT 233 Ira. S. Bushey & Sons, Brooklyn, New York 10 September 1942 30 October 1942 sold 1946 as Capt Ed, later Peggy H, Signet Resolute, now Bluebird Port Crane 10 September 1942 25 November 1942 sold 1964, scrapped Port Henry 19 October 1942 19 February 1943 sold private 1945, renamed Captain Rodger, wrecked 1947 Port Jervis 19 October 1942 27 January 1943 sold private, renamed Newport, Felicia, Terror, R. H. Tripp sank 2005 hurricane Port Kent 19 August 1942 23 December 1942 sold 1969, scrapped Port Clyde LTC William R. Kendricks General Ship & Engine Works, East Boston, Massachusetts 20 November 1941 18 February 1942 sold renamed, Resolute, scrapped Port Huron LTC Herbert L. Kidwell 6 December 1941 18 February 1942 sold private as Port Huron, later Dalzelloch, Dalzellido, and Joan McAllister, scrapped Port Wentworth Brunswick Marine Construction Corporation, Brunswick, Georgia 17 June 1942 14 November 1942 sold private 1947. Limon, Frank W. Barnes, Sandra, Sandra St. Philip, Tanda 12, Tug McGraw, scrapped Port Clinton 1 September 1942 23 January 1943 sold private 1945, Captain, Fred B. Dalzel, New Castle, Eliot Winslow, scrapped Port Deposit 1 August 1942 23 January 1943 sold private 1963, scrapped Port Edwards 17 October 1942 6 February 1943 sold private 1945, Hercules, Bear, scrapped
V4-M-A1
Named after lighthouses, the V4-M-A1's were the largest and most powerful tugs in the world when they were built in 1943. They had steel hulls, with a displacement of , long, with a beam of , and a draft of . The V4-M-A1 had a maximum speed of . There were two engine manufacturers: National Supply Company, with 8–cylinder sets of , and the Enterprise Engine & Trading Company, with 6–cylinders and power. The V4-M-A1's were operated by Moran Towing & Transportation, in New York, on behalf of the War Shipping Administration. Built by: Avondale Marine, in Westego, Louisiana, General Ships & Engine, in East Boston, Pennsylvania Shipyards, in Beaumont, Texas, Globe Shipbuilding, in Superior, Wisconsin, Froemming Brothers, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Pendleton Shipbuilding, in New Orleans, Louisiana.www.usmm.org V shipsThe Birth of The General Ship & Engine Works usmaritimecommission.de Outboard Profiles of Maritime Commission Vessels The Tug Design'sDirectory of the Ocean Going Tugs type V4-M-A1 by: Hans van der SterV-Type Tugs Seguin, scrapped 1976 Sand Key, scrapped 1977 Sanibel Island, scrapped 1972 Sabine Pass, helped with Normandy landings, Scrapped 1978 Point Loma, scrapped 1972 Anacapa, scrapped 1973 Point Vicente, sold to Mexico, 1969, renamed Huitilopochtli (A 51) Point Arguello, scrapped 1973 Matagorda, sank 1946 Aransas Pass, scrapped 1973 Sombrero Key, sold to Argentina, 1965, renamed Thompson, scrapped Dry Tortugas, sold to Argentina, 1965, renamed Goyena, scrapped Southwest Pass, scrapped 1973 Montauk Point, sold to Mexico, 1969, renamed Quetzalcoatl (A 12) Moose Peak, helped with Normandy landings, sold to Mexico, 1969, sank 1974Moose Peak Boon Island, sank 1976 Gay Head, helped with Normandy landings, scrapped 1977 Bodie Island, helped with Normandy landings, scrapped 1973 Great Isaac, helped with Normandy landings, sank 1947, collision with Norwegian freighter Bandeirante Tybee, scrapped 1978 Point Sur, scrapped 1974 Farallon, used to build Normandy port on D-Day, 6 June 1944, made 9 round trips to Normandy, sold to Mexico, 1969, scrapped 1978 Point Cabrillo, scrapped 1974 Trinidad Head, helped with Normandy landings, Scrapped 1969 Scotch Cap, scrapped Watch Hill, scrapped 1973 Wood Island, scrapped 1973 Sands Point, scrapped 1982 Point Judith, scrapped 1978 Black Rock, helped with Normandy landings, Scrapped 1969 Sankaty Head, helped with Normandy landings, Scrapped 1978 Yaqina Head, sold private 1971, scrapped Bald Island, scrapped 1973 Fire Island, scrapped 1972 Libby Island, sold private 1971, scrapped St. Simon, scrapped 1977 Petit Manan, scrapped 1976 Burnt Island, sold too Mexico 1969, scrapped 1979 Stratford Point, scrapped 1978 Two Harbors, scrapped 1972 White Shoal, sold private 1975, scrapped Cubits Gap, scrapped 1976 Hillsboro Inlet, helped with Normandy landings, Scrapped 1977 Jupiter Inlet, sold private 1971, scrapped Pigeon Point, sold too Mexico, 1969, scrapped 1970 Point Arena, scrapped 1976 Bayou St. John, scrapped 1977 Mobile Point, sank 1944 Race Point, scrapped 1972
V3-S-AH2
Some were classed as YTB-"District Harbor Tug Large". A Douglas fir wood hull ship with a displacement of , long, with a beam of , and a draft of . They had triple-expansion reciprocating engines producing . They were capable of without a tow and about with a tow. They had a range of . The V3-S-AH2's were manned by a crew of 27. They were built by Corpus Christi Shipyard, Corpus Christi, Texas, Puget Sound SB Company, Olympia, Washington, Standard Shipbuilding Company, San Pedro, California, and Astoria Shipbuilding, Astoria, Oregon.towingline.com, Directory of The Ocean Going Tugs type V3-S-AH2, (composed by: Hans van der Ster Sustainer, intended for the United Kingdom, as Atworth but sold to USSR Compeller, sold to the United Kingdom, renamed Atherida, sold private 1948, scrapped Dexterous, sold to the United Kingdom, renamed Athelney, sold to Trinidad, 1945, to Caymans, 1948, scrapped 1951 Mighty, sold to the United Kingdom, renamed Atil, sold private 1948, scrapped Secure, sold to the United Kingdom, renamed Attigny, sold private 1948, scrapped 1955 Forthright, sold to the United Kingdom, renamed Attock, to USN renamed YTB 610, to USSR 1944 renamed Forthright Power, sold to the United Kingdom, renamed Atengo, sold to Italy, 1947 renamed Titano, scrapped 1974 Steadfast, sold to the United Kingdom, renamed Atako, wrecked and lost, 1944 Durable, sold to the United Kingdom, renamed Ataran, to Italy, 1947, renamed Ciclope, scrapped Spirited, sold to the United Kingdom, renamed Atolia, to Trinidad, 1948, to Caymans 1951, scrapped Helper, sold to the United Kingdom, renamed Atoyac, to Italy, 1949, renamed Nereo Resister, sold to the United Kingdom, renamed Atiamuri, sold to Italy, 1947, sold to Israel, 1954 Superb, sold to the United Kingdom, renamed Atwood, sold to Trinidad, 1948, sold to Caymans, 1951, scrapped Robust, sold to the United Kingdom, renamed Atmore, sold private, 1948, scrapped
V2-M-AL1
Port Sewall class tug. Named for American ports. All but one tug went for Lend-Lease use, some serviced in the Mediterranean Sea in WW2. V2-M-AL1 were: Wood hull, 90 tons, beam 19 foot, diesel engine with 240 horsepower, fuel Oil: 1920 gallons. Built by Puget Sound SB, Standard SB, Steinbach IW, Eureka Shipbuilding, Arlington SB, Texas SB, Siletz BW, Blair Company, Marinette Marine and Texas SB.towingline.com, Directory of Small Harbor Tugs type V2-M-A L1, composed by: Hans van der Ster]NavSource, District Harbor Tug Small (YTL) Port Sewall To the United Kingdom as a "TUSA" Tug, USA. (YN 1563) Port Kennedy To the United Kingdom as a "TUSA" YN 1564 Port Reading To the United Kingdom as a "TUSA" YN 1565 Port Costa To the United Kingdom as a "TUSA" YN 1 Port San Luis To the United Kingdom as a "TUSA" YN 2 Port Chicago To the United Kingdom as a "TUSA" YN 3 Port Gamble To the United Kingdom as a "TUSA" YN 4 Port Tobacco To the United Kingdom as a "TUSA" YN 5 Port Haywood To US Navy renamed YTL 718, sold private 1947 renamed Limpiar. (YTL= District Harbor Tug Small)NavSource, YTL 718 Port Inglis To the United Kingdom as a "TUSA" Port Mayaca To the United Kingdom as a "TUSA" Port Orange To the United Kingdom as a "TUSA"