Winamac (YTB-394)
A Potawatomi Indian chief who assisted General William Henry Harrison in securing the Treaty of Fort Wayne in 1809.
(YTB-394: displacement 345 (full load); length 100'; beam 25'; draft 11'; speed 12 knots; complement 14; class Sassaba)
Winamac (YT-394) was laid down on 8 November 1943 at Jacksonville, Fla., by the Gibbs Gas Engine Co.; launched on 7 March 1944; sponsored by Mrs. William F. James, the wife of Lt. (j.g.) W. F. James, USNR, assistant superintendent of shipbuilding at Jacksonville; reclassified as a large harbor tug, YTB-394, on 15 May 1944; and placed in service on 12 September 1944.
Winamac operated actively in the Eleventh Naval District, San Diego, Calif., until she was placed in reserve, in service, in August 1946. She then probably assisted in the berthing of ships in the Pacific Reserve Fleet. However, her time in reserve was comparatively short, for she was placed in active service in August 1947. Reclassified as a medium harbor tug, YTM-394, in February 1962, Winamac has served in the Eleventh Naval District since the summer of 1947 and remained there, providing tug and tow services to ships of the Fleet and standing ready to provide pilotage and waterfront fire protection.
