Navajo Class Fleet Tug:

  • Laid down, 22 June 1942, at Charleston Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Charleston, S.C.
  • Launched, 5 November 1942
  • Commissioned USS Kiowa (AT-72), 7 June 1943, LT. William O. Kuykendall in command
  • Redesignated Fleet Ocean Tug (ATF-72), 15 May 1944
  • During World War II USS Kiowa was assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and participated in the following campaign:

     Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Invasion of Normandy, 6 to 25 June 1944 
    Task Group 122.3 - Salvage and Fire Fighting Group (Wreck Dispersal Vessel)

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Decommissioned, date unknown
  • Transferred (loaned) to the Dominican Republic under terms of the Security Assistance Act in 1972, renamed Macorix (RM-21)
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 15 September 1979
  • Decommissioned by the Dominican Republic in 1986 and returned to US custody
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service, 12 December 1994
  • USS Kiowa received one battle star for World War II service

    Specifications: 
    Displacement 1,164 t.(lt) 
    Length 205' 
    Beam 38' 6" 
    Draft 15' 4" (lim) 
    Speed 16.5 kts. 
    ComplementOfficers 5Enlisted 80 
    Largest Boom Capacity 20 t. 
    Armamentone single 3"/50 cal. dual purpose gun mounttwo single 40mm AA gun mountsfour .50 cal. mgs 
    Fuel Capacity Diesel 2,260 Bbls 
    PropulsionDiesel-electric, four General Motors 12-278A diesel main engines driving four General Electric generators and three General Motors 3-268A auxiliary services enginessingle Fairbanks Morse Main Reduction Gears    single propeller, 3,000shp