_Antartida.jpg) ARASuboficial Castillo in Antarctic waters | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Takelma |
| Namesake | TheTakelma people |
| Builder | United Engineering Co. |
| Laid down | 7 April 1943 |
| Launched | 18 September 1943 |
| Commissioned | 3 August 1944 |
| Stricken | 28 January 1992 |
| Motto | "We Can Hack It !" |
| Honours and awards |
|
| Fate | Transferred toArgentine Navy, 1993 |
 Argentina | |
| Name | Suboficial Castillo |
| Namesake | MarineJulio Saturnino Castillo [es] |
| Acquired | 30 September 1993 |
| Commissioned | 7 June 1994 |
| Status | Decommissioned |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 1,675long tons (1,702 t) (full) |
| Length | 205 ft (62 m) |
| Beam | 38.5 ft (11.7 m) |
| Draft | 15.33 ft (4.67 m) |
| Propulsion | Diesel-electric, single screw, 3,600 shp (2,700 kW) |
| Speed | 16.5knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) |
| Complement | 85 |
| Armament |
|
ARASuboficial Castillo (A-6) was anAbnaki-classtug/patrol boat of theArgentine Navy. She previously served in theUnited States Navy asUSS Takelma (ATF-113) from 1944 to 1992. The ship was acquired by Argentina in 1993 and was in service until the 2020s. In 2022, the ship was put up for sale.Suboficial Castillo was used as support ship for both theArgentine Submarine Force and during the summer campaigns inAntarctica in thePatrulla Antártica Naval Combinada (English: Joint Antarctic Naval Patrol) with theChilean Navy to guarantee safety to all touristic and scientific ships that are in transit within theAntarctic Peninsula.
Takelma waslaid down on 7 April 1943 by the United Engineering Co. at their yard inAlameda, California. The ship waslaunched on 18 September 1943 andcommissioned on 3 August 1944.[1] The vessel was named after theNative AmericanTakelma people fromOregon.[2]Takelma arrived atPearl Harbor on 5 January 1945 and was routed westward toEniwetok. The fleet ocean tug towed vessels between various Pacific bases such asUlithi,Leyte,Hollandia,Subic Bay,Manus,Espiritu Santo, andMilne Bay until she returned to Pearl Harbor in June 1946.[2]
From 1946 to 1952Takelma operated out of numerous locations includingSan Diego, Pearl Harbor,Adak, and Subic Bay at various times. She cruised over much of the Pacific Ocean with port calls at locations such asMidway,Balboa,Coco Solo,Wake,Kwajalein, Japan, andKorea. One ofTakelma's more noteworthy missions was supportingOperation Crossroads, theatomic bomb tests atBikini Atoll. In February 1947 she was ordered to begin towing target ships from various ports to the Marshall Islands.[2] In December 1947 she began to tow surviving target ships from the Bikini Atoll following the tests. Among the ships she towed were thebattleshipNew York and thecruisersSalt Lake City andPensacola.
Takelma operated out ofSasebo andYokosuka, Japan during the Korean War. The tug operated in Korean waters from 20 August to 17 September 1952, serving atSokcho,Pusan, andWonsan, before returning to Sasebo. From 2 to 30 December she again sailed to the Korean ports ofCho Do andYongyong Do.Takelma left Sasebo in January 1953 to return to the combat zone. She remained there from 19 to 24 January. Her last service during theKorean War began when she arrived at Wonsan on 30 January. She departed for Sasebo on 18 February 1953.[2] From 1954 to mid-1968, the ship operated from her home port at Pearl Harbor or on deployments to the Far East.[3]
During American combat operations in theVietnam War,Takelma was at "Yankee Station" in theGulf of Tonkin from 8 July to 15 August 1968 performing special operations for theUnited States 7th Fleet, and she returned to that task again from 18 October until 12 November 1968 when she sailed forHawaii.Takelma received two battle stars for Korean service and two campaign stars for service in Vietnam.Takelma operated from Pearl Harbor until October 1976 when her home port was shifted to San Diego. On 1 June 1979,Takelma commenced service as a naval reserve training ship.[2]
The ship was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register on 28 January 1992. The vessel was transferred to Argentina on 30 September 1993, under the Security Assistance Program and renamed ARASuboficial Castillo (A-6).[1]
The ship was acquired in 1993 by the Argentine Navy and classified asaviso. It is the first ship to bear the name ofArgentine Marines'sSub-Officer Julio Saturnino Castillo, anArgentine Nation to the Heroic Valour in Combat Cross recipient killed during theFalklands War (Spanish:Guerra de las Malvinas).[citation needed]
On 25 May 1995Suboficial Castillo captured thetrawlerLW9579 for illegal fishing in theArgentine Sea.[4]
In January 1998, she transported a French team to theIsla de los Estados which installed a replica ofJules Verne'sThe Lighthouse at the End of the World.[5] On 19 August 1998 after finishing anaval exercise with the Chilean Navy and the vessel docked at the port ofUshuaia. While in port,ARA Comodoro Somellera sank following a collision with her during a storm.[6]
In 2007 she participated on the rescue ofARA Almirante Irizar after theicebreaker caught fire.[7]
As of 2010 she was homebased atMar del Plata naval base. In 2016,Suboficial Castillo was among the vessels ordered to search for survivors after the coastal vesselSan Antonio sank off Mar del Plata.[8][9] In 2020, the ship was taken out of service. In 2022, it was indicated that the decommissionedSuboficial Castillo would be auctioned off.[10]
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere. This article includes information collected from theNaval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in thepublic domain. The entry can be foundhere.
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1995 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1998 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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