Thanks to Dave Shirlaw on MARHST-L for pointing out a fascinating vessel for sale on E-Bay. The vessel is a steel tug, ST 893, built by JK Welding of Brooklyn, NY in 1945. The tug is said to have served in Normandy, the South Pacific, Korea, and Vietnam, and has been converted to a live-aboard yacht. As of this writing , there are no bids.
Old Salt Blog
a virtual port of call for all those who love the sea , hosted by nautical novelist Rick Spilman
She also served as the Humboldt State University research vessel in the 1980’s. We affectionately called her the “Ralph York” because of the sounds the newbies tended to make as they got used to her round bottom and tendency to roll. She wasn’t launched in time to participate in D-Day, and I never personally heard anything at all about her service to the Army in the five years I studied/worked aboard her. I suspect there may be a bit of inflation there…