The first USS ''Keosanqua'' (AT-38) was launched 26 February 1920 by

Staten Island Shipbuilding Company file:USS Bache (DD-470) underway at sea, in the 1960s.jpg, USS Bache (DD-470), USS ''Bache'', Bethlehem Staten Island first Fletcher-class destroyer built in 1942 Bethlehem Staten Island also called Bethlehem Mariners Harbor was a large shipyard ...

, Port Richmond, New York; and commissioned 9 December 1920 at New York Navy Yard. Departing New York on 2 February 1921, ''Keosanqua'' sailed for Hawaii via Charleston, the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

, and San Diego. Arriving Pearl Harbor on 16 April 1921, the

tug 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 ...

was based at the Navy Yard there, towing ships and targets until she decommissioned on 8 June 1922. ''Keosanqua'' recommissioned at

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

on 1 July 1934. During the remainder of 1934, she operated with Submarine Squadron 4 (

SubRon A submarine squadron (SUBRON) is a naval formation or unit in such states such as the United Kingdom, United States, and Russia/Soviet Union. In France the equivalent unit is the ' (ESNA), part of the French submarine forces (and before the Secon ...

4), towing targets and retrieving torpedoes; she provided similar services for SubRon 9 the following year. Duty with submarines continued until January 1938, when she commenced towing operations with the Pacific Fleet, participating in joint Army-Navy maneuvers off

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

during May 1939. She was assigned to the Navy Yard, Pearl Harbor, on 29 January 1940 for harbor tug duty. On 7 December 1941, ''Keosanqua'' was taking over a tow from southwest of the entrance to Pearl Harbor when the infamous Japanese raid began. Attacked by enemy planes which bombed and strafed the ship, she promptly opened fire with her machine guns. During the attack, she coolly completed the transfer of the tow and proceeded to

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

unharmed. After the raid, she operated as a

salvage tug A salvage tug, also known historically as a wrecking tug, is a specialized type of tugboat that is used to rescue ships that are in distress or in danger of sinking, or to salvage ships that have already sunk or run aground. Overview Few tugbo ...

, swept for mines, and searched for enemy submarines. She departed on 21 December 1943 for towing duty in the central Pacific. Assigned to ServRon 4, she arrived

Funafuti Funafuti is an atoll, comprising numerous islets, that serves as the capital of Tuvalu. As of the 2017 census, it has a population of 6,320 people. More people live in Funafuti than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with it containing approximately 6 ...

Ellice Islands Tuvalu ( ) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Van ...

, on 4 January 1944 for harbor duty. Proceeding in convoy en route to the

Marshalls Marshalls, Inc. is an American chain of discount store, off-price department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 1,000 American stores, including larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store (stores operating with HomeGoods combined), ...

on 28 February, she reached Kwajalein on 8 March and joined ServRon 10 on 17 March; then departed on 1 April for

Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; , , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with its 296 people (as of 2021) forms a legi ...

with a barge of aviation gasoline in tow. She arrived on 4 April and commenced operations as

harbor A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

tug, station ship, and

harbor pilot A maritime pilot, marine pilot, harbor pilot, port pilot, ship pilot, or simply pilot, is a mariner who has specific knowledge of an often dangerous or congested waterway, such as harbors or river mouths. Maritime pilots know local details s ...

-training ship. Redesignated ATO-38 on 15 May, she operated out of Eniwetok until 25 November 1945, and then proceeded via Kwajalein, Johnston Island, and Pearl Harbor for the West Coast, arriving San Francisco on 24 December for towing duty along the California coast. ''Keosanqua'' sailed for Seattle on 25 February 1946; and, arriving

Blake Island Blake Island () is a Puget Sound island in Kitsap County, Washington, United States, that is preserved as Blake Island Marine State Park. The island lies north of Vashon Island, south of Bainbridge Island, and east of Manchester. On the nort ...

on 1 March, she decommissioned on 6 May. Her name was struck from the Navy List on 7 February 1947. Transferred to the Maritime Commission on 11 July 1947 for disposal, she was sold the same day to Puget Sound Tug & Barge Co., Seattle, Wash. Resold to a Canadian shipping firm in 1948, she was renamed ''Edward J. Coyle''. In 1960, she was renamed ''Commodore Straits''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Keosanqua (At-38) Bagaduce-class fleet tugs Ships built in Staten Island World War II auxiliary ships of the United States 1920 ships Ships present during the attack on Pearl Harbor