Wahpeton I (YTB-527)
(YTB-527: dp. 310 (f.); l. l0l'0"; b. 28'0"; dr. ll'0"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 10; cl. Sassaba)
A tribal division of the Dakota branch of the Sioux Indians noted for their hunting ability and warlike manner. The word itself means "dwellers among deciduous trees" and is commemorated by the town of Wahpeton, the county seat of Richland County, North Dakota.
I
The first Wahpeton (YTB-527) was laid down on 23 June 1945 at Jacksonville, Fla., by the Gibbs Gas Engine Co., Inc.; launched on 29 September 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Emery H. Price, the wife of Congressman Price, a member of the Naval Affairs Committee; and completed on 2 January 1946.
Listed as "out of service" with the Texas group of the Reserve Fleet as of March 1946, Wahpeton was activated in August of 1946; assigned to the 6th Naval District; and placed in service at Charleston, S.C., soon thereafter. As of 1979, Wahpeton was still attached to the 6th Naval District, performing tug and tow assistance, providing pilot services, and standing ready to provide waterfront fire protection. During that long period of duty at Charleston, the ship was reclassified, to a medium harbor tug (YTM-527), in February 1962, a classification that she retained into the late 1970's.
