Harry A. Jaeger The motor vessel TAMAROA, as she is currently documented, was built in 1943 in Portland, Oregon, named the ZUNI, and immediately after commissioning, went into the Pacific Theater. At 205ft. long, 38ft. wide, this 3000 HP single screw diesel/electric ship could tow anything that floats. She had crews numbering from 65 to 100, depending on her missions. She is the last of its class of 67 ocean fleet tugs located in the United States, except two (2) located in California. These two tugs are just steps away from being scrapped. The TAMAROA is operable in a restricted availability. There are about 15 of 26 donated to foreign countries, still operating outside the U. S. ZUNI (ATF 95) did her jobs well, towing, salvaging, and rescuing. She was one of two fleet tugs assigned to the invasion of Iwo Jima. The primary task of these ships was to assist in landing and retracting landing craft from the beach. During a particular operation, the ZUNI managed to get her tow wire wrapped around her screw and subsequently was caught in the surf and broached on the beach. After a couple of days she was pulled free by a cargo ship. Quick-fix repairs of the holed after fuel tanks and shaft alley, she was sent back to the states for major repairs, including a broken keel. By the time she came out of the yard, the war in the Pacific was over. The ZUNI, came by her nickname the "Mighty Z" honestly when it towed the light cruiser USS HOUSTON to safety, after the vessel had been hit by two torpedoes off Taiwan. It repeated the feat after the cruiser USS RENO suffered a similar fate. By war's end, the ZUNI had received four Battle Stars for heroic efforts. In 1946, the vessel was transferred to the United States Coast Guard, which renamed her TAMAROA, after 3 earlier Coast Guard tugs, in honor of the Tamaroa Indians of the Illinois Confederacy. She participated in every imaginable task that could come her way, from fishery patrols, towing icebergs, drug interdiction, towing garbage barges (during a New York City garbage strike), to showing the flag in the Caribbean. In the early 1970s, while in a New York drydock (with the crew living aboard), an unhappy young man, (at night, in February, in his skivvies), opened a flooding valve in the drydock. The drydock sank, the TAMAROA rolled onto her port side and became known as the only Coast Guard submarine. After months of salvage and repair by her crew, TAMAROA went back to work, which included a gallant rescue event documented in the "Perfect Storm". The USCG made several attempts to decommission her, but Headquarters kept saying no replacement was available. Finally in1994 she was retired. With a donation from the National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors and all of the required paperwork completed, she was donated to the Intrepid Museum in New York City. After a few years of neglect and indecisions, she was transferred to the Hudson River Conservatory and later to the City of New York who turned the ship over to the General Services Administration for disposal. She was sold at auction to a ship broker, who had her towed to Baltimore, Maryland. There she was repaired for possible sale to a foreign company. That didn't happen and she was advertised for sale. A small group of former crew members and preservationists took notice and approached the owner with a proposition. A new owner was found and custody was granted to the Tamaroa Maritime Foundation in April 2002, a C-501-C3 nonprofit volunteer organization. Since then, a small group of volunteers have put in over 9000 hours maintaining and repairing the ship. . Our dedicated volunteer crew comes aboard the 1st and 3rd weekends of each month, starts the weekend with the daily log entry, fires up the generator and sets the watch. The ship is currently documented, insured and vibrant. She needs a lot of cosmetic attention, but materially is in good shape. When the ship was acquired she was stripped of almost everything. Equipment has been acquired to; restore the bridge to its early configuration (electronically updated), re-install the boat davits and motor whaleboats, the 30 ton crane boom and boat deck winch. The process has started, to replace the 30"-50 deck gun, that was removed in the late 70s. Tools and supplies have been acquired and stored, radar and radio systems were donated and installed. Approximately 75% of the required damage control and fire fighting equipment has been re-installed, thanks to the U S. Navy. After her yard period she could become a viable seagoing fire fighting platform and a national security asset. The TAMAROA will soon put Baltimore astern when it is towed to a shipyard and then to its new homeport in Virginia. We are currently in negotiations with several Virginia cities that have shown an interest in the TAMAROA and its mission. Our mission is to preserve and restore the TAMAROA so that she can be used as a platform for educational programs for the Sea Scouts, Sea Cadets, Navy Junior ROTC Cadets and other interested organizations. She will occasionally get underway to highlight her mission. Volunteers are always welcome and necessary to maintain the foundation's goals. At this time, we are funded by donations and memberships. The ship will probably return to her U. S. Navy wartime color scheme and be renamed ZUNI/TAMAROA. Thanks to the Historic Navy Ships Association and the 7th Maritime Heritage Conference for inviting the Tamaroa Maritime Foundation to participate in this years program. For more information, view the Tamaroa website, http://www.tamaroa.org or call 804-273-0247.
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