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TWO SEEMINGLY UNRELATED EVENTS
by David Huntley
Minneapolis, MN July 25, 2006
During World War 2, my dad was assigned to a U.S. Navy salvage tug called the USS Zuni. Under the capable command of Lt. Ray
Chance, the Zuni and her crew toured the Pacific Ocean from Pearl Harbor to Saipan, Iwo Jima, and everywhere in between, rescuing
torpedoed battleships, pulling barges, and occasionally being towed herself.
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| USS ZUNI |
Tragedy At Sea
On a dark and foggy night 50 years ago, July 25, 1956 at 11:11 PM, the Italian luxury liner Andrea Doria was struck hard by
the heavily reinforced bow of a Swedish cruise ship called Stockholm. By morning 46 lives had been lost from the Andrea Doria
and 5 from the Stockholm.
11 hours after being struck, the stern of the Andrea Doria gracefully slipped beneath the waves and the pride of Italia, the
30 million dollar Andrea Doria rests to this day in 225 feet of water just 60 miles from Nantucket Island.
Click Here For The Story of the Andrea Doria
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| The Stockholm |
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| Andrea Doria Struck by Stockholm |
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| Andrea Doria Sinks |
My dad's ship was recommissioned to the Coast Guard after the war and renamed the Tamaroa. After 3 years of tough wartime
service, the Mighty Z was ready to begin 48 more years as a Coast Guard Cutter.
While other WW2 ships rest on the Pacific Ocean floor or were scrapped, this was one "pig-iron bastard" destined to serve.
And serve it did. In 51 years of service she was underway 80% of the time.
Among its illustrious historical highlights, the USGS Tamaroa was the first of many ships to reach the sinking Andrea Doria
and begin the all night rescue of the 1,662 surviving passengers and crew.
The Zuni Still Survives, thanks to a dedicated group on the east coast
Following World War 2, the USS Zuni became the USCG Cutter Tamaroa and is presently being restored to as close to original
as possible by Tamaroa Maritime Foundation, a non-profit organization whose only mission is to preserve the USCGC Tamaroa.
Information from Tamaroa.org:
The Tamaroa was a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter whose history stretches from the sands of Iwo Jima to Sebastian Junger's bestseller,
"The Perfect Storm."
On February 22, 1945, Zuni began 31 days of operations in support of the US invasion of Iwo Jima. In one action, she ran hard
aground alongside a disabled LST to serve as a causeway so that the LST's vital supplies of ammunition could be offloaded.
Zuni then pulled a transport off a sandbar and assisted several broached LSTs and other landing craft. She also assisted in
laying submerged fuel pipelines to the island.
On March 23, 1945, while assisting LST 27, Zuni's wire towline snapped and struck and killed MoMM2c James M Byres, USNR of
New York, NY, and F1c Frederick F. Pavlovics, of Elizabeth, NJ. These two men are the only fatalities in the ship's long and
illustrious career.
With the snapped towline fouling the propellor and the anchor line disabled, Zuni broached on Iwo Jima's "Yellow" beach. The
broaching broke her keel and punched a number of holes into her sides.
Zuni was towed off the beach and after temprary repairs headed for a compete overhaul in Pearl Harbor where she finished out
her wartime career.
Her wartime achievements were remarkable. In just two years time, Zuni earned four battle stars; participated in four invasions;
saved two cruisers, two transports and numerous small craft and other vessels. Admiral "Bull" Halsey awarded the Legion of
Merit to her skipper, Lt. Ray E. Chance. In an interesting aside, from the time of her commissioning the Zuni was underway
80% of the time.
On June 29, 1946, Zuni's illustrious naval career came to an end when she was decommissioned from the Naval Service and was
commissioned by the US Coast Guard as the USCGC Tamaroa.
Addional information:
Navajo Class Fleet Tug: Laid down, 8 May 1943, at Commercial Iron Works, Portland, OR.
Launched, 31 July 1943
Commissioned USS Zuni (AT-95), 9 October 1943, Lt. Ray E. Chance in command
Redesignated Fleet Ocean Tug (ATF-95), 15 May 1944
During World War II Zuni was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:
Tinian capture and occupation, 24 July 1944
Luzon operation
3d Fleet supporting operations
Western Caroline Islands operation
Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, Peleliu, 1 to 18 October 1944
Iwo Jima operation
Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 18 February to 23 March 1945
Decommissioned and transferred to the Coast Guard, 29 June 1946
Commissioned USCGC Tamaroa (WAT-166) (date unknown)
Redesignated WATF-166 in 1956
Redesignated Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC-166) in 1966
Struck from the Naval Register, 19 July 1946
Decommissioned by Coast Guard, 1 February 1994
Click Here for everything about the USS Zuni/USCG Tamaroa
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