Hudson, 1934
WYTM / WYT-87
A river in eastern New York that flows south to the Atlantic Ocean at New York City.
Builder: Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Length: 110' 6"
Beam: 24'
Draft: 12' 6"
Displacement: 290 tons
Cost: $236,000
Commissioned: 31 October 1934
Decommissioned: 11 November 1968
Disposition: Transferred to Northwestern University
Machinery: 1 General Electric motor connected to 2 General Electric generators driven by 2 McIntosh Seymour 6-cylinder diesel engines; 800 SHP
Performance & Endurance:
Max: 12.0 knots
Cruising: 10.0 knots; 1,500 mile range
Complement: 16 (1938)
Armament: 2 x 20mm/80; 2 depth charge tracks (1944); none (peacetime)
Electronics: MR-3A (1961)
History:
The Hudson was one of four 110-foot Calumet-class tugs that entered service in the mid-1930s. They were designed for light-icebreaking as well as traditional tug operations. The design proved to be so successful that the next three subsequent classes of tugs constructed for Coast Guard service closely followed the Calumet-class design.
The Hudson was initially stationed at New York where she was used for customs boardings, towing, law enforcement and search and rescue operations. In 1943 she transferred to Baltimore for a year and then transferred to New Orleans, where she remained until 1958.
From 1958 until 1962 she was stationed at Brownsville, Texas. From 1962 until 1968 she was stationed at Norfolk, Virginia. She was decommissioned on 31 October 1968 and was transferred to Northwestern University on 8 July 1970.
Sources:
Cutter History File. USCG Historian's Office, USCG HQ, Washington, D.C.
Robert Scheina. U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft of World War II. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1982.
Robert Scheina. U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft, 1946-1990. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1990.