Tuscola YT-280

Tuscola

(YT-280: dp. 400 (f.); 1. 110'0"; b. 27'0"; dr. 11'4";
s. 12 k.; cpl. 12; cl. YT-215)

YT-280 was constructed during the winter of 1943 and 1944 at Stamford, Conn., by the Luders Marine Construction Co. Soon after she was placed in service, the tug was named Tuscola on 28 April 1944. Less than a month later, on 15 May 1944, she was reclassified a large harbor tug and received the designation YTB280.

Tuscola was assigned initially to the 12th Naval District and probably performed general towing duty in and around San Francisco. She served there until the spring of 1946 when she moved to the east coast for duty in the 1st Naval District. For almost two decades, Tuscola plied the waters off the New England coast, towing ships and other craft around and between such ports as Portsmouth, N.H., Portland, Maine

Boston, Mass.; and New London, Conn. She also visited the Canadian cities of Quebec and Montreal. Sometime in 1963, the harbor tug was decomissioned, and her name was struck from the Navy list.