USS Arikara

USS Arikara (ATF 98)  "The Big Chief"

1956 - 1958
Fireman Apprentice to Electrician's Mate 2nd class

My first ship!!  One of the Abnaki class Fleet Tugs.  Built in 1943, The Arikara displaced 1,675 tons at full load, measured 205 ft. LOA (Length Over All), with a beam of 38.5 ft.  She was a Diesel electric drive ship with 4 Alco Diesel engines of 900 HP each and a single 3,000 HP motor turning her shaft.  Arikara like the other fleet tugs could tow anything that would float to the hinges of Hell, once she snatched on that 2 inch diameter, plow steel towline.  She had a crew of 5 Officers and 65 sailors.  The salient feature of this 96 class Tug was the waterline exhaust of the engines.

USS Arikara was home ported at Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii and I boarded her for the first time at Dog Easy Dock 7 1/2, and disappeared into the bilges.  I made my first WestPac cruise shortly afterward, visiting Yokosuka & Sasebo Japan, Hong Kong and Subic Bay Philippines among other stops.  In 1958 the ship participated in "operation Hardtack", a 6 month A-bomb test in the Bikini Islands.  It was a difficult assignment with no liberty ports.  Oddly, Most of me Mates from that cruise are now dead.  Must have been something in the water?

Shortly after returning to Pearl Harbor I received orders one morning and was transferred that afternoon across the pier to USS Abnaki (ATF 96).  That's the way it went for sailors in those days!

02/09/01   Hot diggity!!  A group called the Arikara 50's Association have started a USS Arikara Website :~)  It contains lots of information on the old girl plus a complete list of the 1956-1958 crew!  Don't forget to check it out when your done here.  You can find the address on my links page.

Onto USS Abnaki (ATF 96)

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