RV ''Pacific Escort I'' – previously the U.S. Army ''LT-535'' – was an Army

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

acquired by the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

in 1985 as an escort for

submarines A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or info ...

and as a for-hire

oceanographic research ship Oceanography (), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of top ...

at the

Mare Island Naval Shipyard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY or MINS) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean and was in service 142 years from 1854 to 1996. It is located on Mare Island, northeast of San Francisco, in Vallejo, Califor ...

Construction

''LT 535'' was a Large Tug (LT), Design 377-A, 505 gross ton, vessel built as hull #331 by Levingston Shipbuilding of

Orange, Texas Orange is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Texas, United States. The population was 19,324 at the 2020 census. It is the easternmost city in Texas, located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, and is from Houston. ...

for the U.S. Army Transportation Corps during 1943-1944. She was delivered to the Army April 26, 1944 and placed in service as the U.S. Army ''LT-535''.

Service career

''LT-535'' had been in service with the U.S. Army from 1945 to 1984 when she was acquired and placed in service with the U.S. Navy in 1985, performing her duties with the Navy until finally struck at an unknown date and disposed of.

U.S. Navy career

When acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1985, she was renamed ''Pacific Escort'' was placed into service as an escort for American submarines. She was based at the

, in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and was available for lease to commercial interests as a general research ship.

Inactivation

''Pacific Escort'' was struck from the

Navy List A Navy Directory, 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 co ...

at an unknown date and sold commercial as ''Ataboy'' (IMO 8936906). She is believed to be still in commercial service a
''Brittania U III''
in Nigeria.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pacific Escort I Ships built in Orange, Texas 1944 ships Ships of the United States Army Oceanographic research ships of the United States Navy Tugs of the United States Navy

Construction

Service career

U.S. Navy career

Inactivation

See also

References