USS Alarka (YTB-229)
Encyclopedia
USS Alarka (YTB-229), was a United States Navy
tug
in commission
from 1945 to 1946.
Alarka was laid down on 31 August 1944 by the Greenport Basin and Construction Company at Greenport
, Long Island, New York
, and was launched on 20 January 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Horace W. Watts, the head of the William and Watts firm which performed electrical
work under subcontract during the construction of Alarka. Delivered to the U.S. Navy on 5 April 1945, Alarka was commissioned
on 6 April 1945.
Early in May 1945, Alarka departed New York City
and proceeded, via the Panama Canal
and Pearl Harbor
, Hawaii
to the western Pacific Ocean
. She arrived in Buckner Bay, Okinawa, late in August or early in September 1945. She served there and later at Sasebo
, Japan
, where she was placed out of service sometime late in 1946.
On 23 December 1946, Alarka was sold to the Chinese Supply Commission. Her name was struck from the Navy List
on 28 January 1947.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
tug
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
in commission
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
from 1945 to 1946.
Alarka was laid down on 31 August 1944 by the Greenport Basin and Construction Company at Greenport
Greenport, Suffolk County, New York
Greenport is a village in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is located on the north fork of Long Island. The population was 2,048 at the 2000 census....
, Long Island, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and was launched on 20 January 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Horace W. Watts, the head of the William and Watts firm which performed electrical
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
work under subcontract during the construction of Alarka. Delivered to the U.S. Navy on 5 April 1945, Alarka was commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 6 April 1945.
Early in May 1945, Alarka departed New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and proceeded, via the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
and Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
to the western Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. She arrived in Buckner Bay, Okinawa, late in August or early in September 1945. She served there and later at Sasebo
Sasebo
Sasebo or may refer to:* Sasebo, Nagasaki, a city in Japan and a base of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the city, later of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force* United States Fleet Activities Sasebo, a post-WWII United States Navy Base in the city...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where she was placed out of service sometime late in 1946.
On 23 December 1946, Alarka was sold to the Chinese Supply Commission. Her name was struck from the Navy List
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
on 28 January 1947.