Washtucna (YTB-826)
1973-1997
A Palouse [Palus] Native American chief whose name is commemorated by the small town located in Adams County, Washington.
(YTB-826: displacement 356 (full load); length 109'; beam 31'; draft 14' (maximum); speed 12.0 knots; complement 12; class Natick)
Washtucna (YTB-826) was laid down on 1 May 1973 at Marinette, Wis., by the Marinette Marine Corp.; launched on 9 October 1973; and delivered to the Navy on 11 December 1973. Placed in service at San Diego, Calif., soon thereafter, Washtucna performed local and coastal towing tasks for the Eleventh Naval District. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 21 August 1997 and subsequently transferred to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The Navy later reacquired Washtucna, and again placed her in service, designating her as the unnamed harbor tug, YT-801. She operates in the waters of Puget Sound, principally out of Bangor, Washington.
Updated, Robert J. Cressman
4 August 2021
