Chowanoc (left) towing the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Philippine Sea circa 1958.
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
| |
| Name | Chowanoc (ATF-100) |
| Builder | Charleston Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. |
| Laid down | unknown |
| Launched | 20 August 1943 |
| Commissioned | 21 February 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 1 October 1977 |
| Stricken | 1 October 1977 |
| Fate | Transferred to Ecuador, 1 October 1977 |
 Ecuador
| |
| Name | BAE Chimborazo (RA-70) |
| Acquired | 1 October 1977 |
| Status | In service as of 2019 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Abnaki-class fleet ocean tug |
| Displacement | 1,240 long tons (1,260 t) |
| Length | 205 ft (62 m) |
| Beam | 38 ft 6 in (11.73 m) |
| Draft | 15 ft 4 in (4.67 m) |
| Speed | 16.5 knots (19.0 mph; 30.6 km/h) |
| Complement | 85 |
| Armament |
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| Service record | |
| Part of: | Pacific Fleet |
| Commanders: | LT. Rodney F. Snipes |
| Operations: | |
| Awards: |
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USS Chowanoc (ATF-100) was an Abnaki-class of fleet ocean tug. It was named after an Indian tribe of the same name.
Service history
World War 2:
Worked on the Marianas operation, with the Capture and occupation of Saipan from 3 to 10 August 1944. worked on the capture and occupation of Guam from 3 to 15 August 1944. Working on the Luzon operation in the Lingayen Gulf landings from 9 to 18 January 1945. Worked on the Leyte operation in the Leyte landings from 20 to 22 November 1944.
Korean War: Worked in Korean in the 1952 and 1953.
Vietnam War: Worked in the Vietnamese Counteroffensive from 9 to 12 April 1966. Worked in the Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II from 28 July to 1 August 1966. Worked in the Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V from 8 to 10 October 1968. Worked in the Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI from 10 to 17 November 1968, 29 November to 5 December 1968 and 12 December 1968 to 11 January 1969. Serviced in the Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VII from 19 to 22 May 1971, 7 to 23 January 1973 and 21 February to 21 March 1973.
Chowanoc was sold to the Ecuadorian Navy on 1 October 1977 under the Security Assistance Program and renamed BAE Chimborazo (RA-70).
On 2 March 2020, Chimborazo was quarantined for two weeks at Guayaquil South Naval Base after a member of its 50-person crew was discovered to have been in contact with someone infected with COVID-19.
Historical significance
It is notable as being the last ship served on by Richard Benjamin Harrison of Pawn Stars.