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(AT-15: dp. 575; l. 122'6"; b. 24'; dr. 12'10"; s. 11 k.; cpl. 28; a. 2 3-pdrs. (1918)

Mohave (AT-15) was laid down 16 December 1913 by Seattle Construction & Drydock Co.; launched 20 June 1914; and placed in service at Puget Sound Navy Yard 2 December 1914.

Assigned to the Puget Sound Navy Yard the same day, the tug operated in the Bremerton-Seattle area and off the coast of Washington on various towing assignments into 1918. Because of the desperate need created by World War I for sea-going tugs in the Atlantic, Mohave was detached from Puget Sound Navy Yard 6 February 1918 and sailed 10 days later for the east coast. Steaming via Mare Island, San Diego, various Mexican ports, Balboa, and Key West, the ship arrived Norfolk 29 April and following operations along the east coast and two towing voyages to Bermuda, was temporarily assigned to NOTS 6 August.

Mohave towed coal barges from Norfolk to New England ports until after the Armistice and was then detached from NOTS 20 December and assigned to the 5th Naval District. In 1919, she made two voyages to Bermuda and then operated in the Caribbean between Guantanamo Bay and Santo Domingo until returning to Norfolk via Key West and Charleston 15 December 1919. The next year the tugboat served the fleet by towing coal and stores to Indian Head, Md., and making brief voyages to Charleston and New York City. On 18 March 1921, she was transferred to the 1st Naval District. Based out of Boston, the tug pulled and pushed her barges to ports all along the New England coast, making frequent trips to Portsmouth, N.H., Newport, and numerous Massachusetts ports for the next 7 years.

In early January 1928, the ship towed a large oil barge to Provlncetown, Mass., to be unloaded, and then 12 February sailed, to return to Boston, with the empty oil lighter in tow. Steaming at 9 knots, Mohave ran ashore on Harding Ledge near Nantucket 13 February, grounding heavily and taking a heavy list forward. Her holds and englne room flooded and her crew abandoned ship. By the 20th, a storm had badly damaged the ship, causing a 60° list and destruction of her upper works. A board found her unfit for service 29 March and the ship was sold as a hulk 9 April. Mohave was struck from the Navy list the next day.

Submitted by Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.