Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS Kalmia (ATO-23)
ex
 USS Kalmia (AT-23) (1920 - 1944)
 USS Kalmia (Fleet Tug No. 23) (1919 - 1920)


Visual Identifier/International Radio Call Signs,

Visual Identifier 1912-1932
USS Kalmia (Fleet Tug No. 23/AT-23)
Assigned in 1919 George - Jig - Love - Have
 GJLH
International Radio Call Sign (IRCS)
USS Kalmia (AT-23/ATO-23)
Assigned in 1928 Negative - Affirmative - Zed - Sail
 NAZS
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
American Defense Service Medal (with bronze star in lieu of Fleet clasp) - American Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal
Bagaduce Class Fleet Tug:
  • Laid down, 23 August 1918, at Ferguson Steel & Iron Co., Buffalo, N.Y.
  • Launched, 26 August 1919
  • Commissioned USS Kalmia (Fleet Tug No. 23), 18 November 1919, LTjg. William S. Burns in command
  • Redesignated Fleet Tug (AT-23), 17 July 1920
  • Reclassified, Fleet Tug Old, (ATO-23), 15 May 1944
  • Decommissioned, 15 May 1946, at San Pedro, CA.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 3 July 1946
  • Transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal
  • Sold 21 January 1947 to Bay Cities Transportation Co., San Francisco, CA., for $5,077, removed 21 January 1946
  • Finial Disposition, fate unknown
    Specifications:
    Displacement 751 t.(lt) 1,155 t.(lim)
    Length 156' 8"
    Beam 35' 3"
    Draft 15' 4"
    Speed 12.8 kts (trial)
    Complement
    Officers 5
    Enlisted 56
    Largest Boom Capacity 5 t.
    Armament one machine gun
    Fuel Capacity
    NSFO 1,840 bbls
    Propulsion
    one Globe Iron Works vertical triple-expansion steam engine
    two Babcock and Wilcox header-type boilers, 200psi, sat.
    one turbo-drive 25Kw 120V D.C. Ship's Service Generator
    single propeller, 1,800shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Source
    Kalmia 66k USS Kalmia moored dockside, date and location unknown.
    Photo from the book "U.S. Warships of World War 1", courtesy Paul H. Silverstone    		 Robert Hurst
    Kalmia 77k USS Kalmia (AT-23) with L-1 (SS-40) tied up alongside at Lewes, DE., 5 February 1921. L-1's after ballast tanks have been partially filled, raising her bow.
    US Navy photo # NH 51164 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center, courtesy Shipscribe.com.    		 Mike Green
    Kalmia 91k USS Kalmia (AT-23) moored pierside at Philadelphia Navy Yard, 3 June 1926.
    US Navy photo # NH 52220 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Kalmia 65k USS Kalmia (AT-23) assists the battleship USS California (BB-44) as she gets underway at San Diego, 23 May 1938.
    US Navy photo # NH 102782 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command, collection of Chief Boatswains's Mate Ralph E. Turpin, USN.    		 Robert Hurst
    Kalmia 211k Aerial view of Naval Operating Base, Portland, Maine waterfront, circa 1944-45, with the State Street pier in the right center and the Grand Trunk pier to the left. Tugs in the upper right center are USS Kalmia (ATO-23) and USS Iuka (ATO-37).
    US Navy photo # NH 84668 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command, collection of Donald M. Mcpherson, 1976.    		 Robert Hurst
    USS Kalmia (AT-23 /ATO-23)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LTjg. Burns, William S.18 November 1919 - 18 November 1921
    02CHBOSN. Chester, Franklin Earl18 September 1921 - 13 March 1922
    03CHBOSN. Benson, William Edward13 March 1922 - 4 December 1923
    04CHBOSN. Atherton, Fred William4 December 1923 - 1 September 1925
    05CHGUNNER. Babson, Charles Bradford, USN1 September 1925 - 10 January 1926
    06CHBOSN. Christensen, Carl Charles Robert10 January 1926 - 1 June 1927
    07CHBOSN. Maloney, Owen Joseph1 June 1927 - 15 December 1928
    08CHBOSN. Justice, William Hayden15 December 1928 - 9 May 1930
    09LT. Nuber, Floyd Jennings9 May 1930 - 4 June 1930
    10LT. Rockwell, Joseph Perkins, USN4 June 1930 - ?
    11LTjg. Singer, Watson Twitty, USN (USNA 1925)12 May 1935 - 15 June 1936
    12LT. Greenacre, Alvord John, USN (USNA 1936)15 June 1936 - June 1939
    13LT. Smith, Irving Barclay, USNJune 1939 - 15 June 1941
    14LCDR. Dickie, Arthur Bigelow, USN15 June 1941 - 15 January 1942
    15LT. Mitchell, William James, USN15 January 1942 - 28 February 1942
    16LTjg. Baker, William Gilbert, USNR28 February 1942 - 15 March 1943
    17LT. McRaith, James Francis, USNR15 March 1943 - 15 February 1944
    18LTjg. Greortner, John Michael, USNR15 February 1944 - 15 November 1944
    19LTjg. Cable, Laverne Thomas, USNR15 November 1944 - 22 April 1945
    20LTjg. Mazur, Anthony Adalbert, USN22 April 1945 - 15 May 1946
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Service Ship Photo Index Back To The Fleet Tug (AT) Photo Index Back To The Fleet Tug Old (ATO) Photo Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 7 March 2025