How about a quick walk-through of Apache? Here’s part 1, if you missed it. And here and here are links to the shipyard where she was built. The masts (main to fore) are just under 90′ and just over 60′.
Apache and sister vessels’ mission is towing and submarine support. This is no design for towing alongside or nose-in-notch.
Here’s a slightly different view of the “fish” I posted last week. Tally marks show instances of participation in submarine salvage and rescue exercises.
Also, an update/answer to a question in that post: the vessel in the second foto is former USCGC Salvia, now a training hulk. The rusty boxes foreward and abaft the stack are fire boxes, making Salvia a “fire boat,” NOT as in one that fights fires, but rather, one where fire fighting training can happen.
Here’s a different view from yesterday’s of the bridge. The unit foreground and right is the ECDIS, which complements the traditional paper chart/dividers approach to navigation. Imagine on the bridge and elsewhere in the vessel equipment that didn’t exist back in July 1981, when she was delivered.
The wooden wheel surprised me, but what surprised me even more was
an indication of how responsive it could be. As I understand it, those are degrees of heading. Altering course two degrees to starboard takes very little turn of the wheel.
Here’s a view of the foredeck from the “walk-around,” which I assume has another name.
The “cardiac gym” is located between
the stacks. This is the portside stack.
The afterdeck is long and open, as on an offshore supply vessel, making Apache versatile. It can tow, but it can also replenish at sea from a helicopter hovering over the white box and
carry containers bolted down in this adjustable grid. Each stud here (most 24″ apart) can be replaced by an eye.
Apache has a 10-ton capacity crane and
two winches, one for wire and another for synthetic line. .
Power is supplied by twin GM EMD 20-645F7B engines providing a total of 7200 hp to the Kort-nozzled 9′ diameter controllable pitch props.
Food–shown here in the deck mess–on the vessel is supplied by the Steward department: steward cook, cook/baker, and steward utilityman.
All fotos here by will Van Dorp.
For more fotos of Apache, click here for fotos by Rod Smith from 2010.
As I understand it, Apache will soon be leaving for the Panama Canal with a sub in tow; Apache hands the sub off to a sibling T-ATF on the Pacific side of the Canal. I’d love to see fotos of her traversing the Miraflores locks. . . I’d love to go back, but . . .
Postscript to yesterday’s post, which started with a foto of ex-T-ATF 166 Powhatan (now Turkish Coast Guard Navy Inebolu A-590): you know that a Turkish F-4 was shot down over the Mediterranean late in June. Guess who retrieved the jet and victims from the seabed? Robert Ballard’s EV Nautilus and . . . TCG Inebolu.
Bosphorus Naval News looks to be an interesting blog, which I’ve now added to my blogroll. A trip to Istanbul may be in my future??
Again, many thanks to MSC Public Affairs Officer Susan Melow for setting up a visit and to Apache Second Officer Michael R. Rankin for guiding the tour.
I’d still love to see some fotos from Apache’s visits to Kingston, NY, in the late 80’s and in 2000, per Harold’s comment yesterday.
tugster: a waterblog 
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July 8, 2012 at 4:08 pm
JED
WHat you refer to as a foredeck is the Forecastle or in the vernacular – Fo’c’sle (FOLK-sull)
July 8, 2012 at 4:09 pm
Devrim Yaylalı
Hi,
Thank you for your kind words on my blog. Just a quick note ex-T-ATF 166 Powhatan is commissioned in Turkish Navy and not in Turkish Coast Guard.
July 8, 2012 at 4:18 pm
tugster
devrim– great blog! and i will correct my error. cheers from NYC.
July 8, 2012 at 4:41 pm
eastriver
Just saw this superb post and the last one. Interesting about the change in attitude about horsepower. This was pretty damn powerful in 1981; the vessel I work on has the same engines but is six years older.
Looking at the horsepower in the newbuild announcements on the “Work Boat Looks Back” page of that magazine, this rated pretty highly for it’s day. Attitudes have certainly changed with the advent of more powerful and fuel-efficient engines.
Of course, some say that the most essential horsepower is found in the wheelhouse and not the engine room! Much damage can be done with too much horsepower and not enough skill.
July 8, 2012 at 6:05 pm
tugster
in response to an interview i did recently, someone using an old single screw boat and whom i’m not at liberty to identify said this: “Maneuvering requires a little planning and respect for the wind and current conditions. One cannot just wing it and rely on twin screws and horsepower to cover up mistakes. “
July 9, 2012 at 6:43 am
Chris Williams
Great tour, Will. I’ve wanted a closer look at the “new” ATFs for many years. I wonder if the degree marks on the helm are rudder angles, or more properly rudder angle requests to be followed up by the steering engine. It would make more sense to me if that [latter] were the case. On the ASRs we conning officers would typically specify the rudder angle to be used in terms of degrees, based on degree of course change required, or amount of swing we wanted in closer quarters. With the Powhattan class ATFs being largely designed as Naval ships, even as MSC members, I’m suspecting there are some carry-overs of tradition. Also, there may be an assigned seaman on the helm, and the mate of the watch may be more of an Offier of the Deck / Conning Officer giving orders rather than carrying them out. Another interesting aspect of these ships is the level of manning, by comparison. The complement for a Powhattan clsss ATF is listed in the NAVSOURCE site is 16 mariners including offiers and 4 Navy members serving in a communications role – augmented as needed, I’m sure, when called for, such as sustained diving duties. The complement for the earlier, 205 foot Apache class ATFs was 85, including 5 officers. What a difference. We carried 102 on the ASRs, or at least that was our authorized manning level, including 5 officers, but we stood watches 1 in 3 typically, and for each watch there were multiple watchstanders in Main Control/ motor room, the Main Engine Room, “CIC” or the radar / sonar / Dead Reckoning Tracer room, Radio, the bridge watch and a roving security watch. Plus cooks and bakers. A typical bridge watch consisted of an OOD, a JOOD who was usually someone in training to become OOD, two lookouts, a helm, a Boatswain’s Mate of the Watch, a messenger and a quartermaster. Times 3 for 3 watch sections. A little labor intensive, to be sure.
July 9, 2012 at 8:03 am
Russ
Does Don Jon still lease and operate Narragansett, a Powhatan tug T-ATF167, out of San Francisco Bay?
October 16, 2015 at 7:51 am
tugster
from a story in yesterday’s USNI News, Apache will soon be departing with underwater search equipment to attempt to locate EL Faro wreck . . . http://news.usni.org/2015/10/15/u-s-navy-deploying-search-team-to-find-lost-merchant-ship-el-faro
June 14, 2016 at 8:54 pm
Tony Mitchell
My son made time-lapse videos from the bridge of the USNS Apache towing the sub from Portsmouth and through Panama. They are currently recovering the wreckage of a Harrier jet off North Carolina. https://m.facebook.com/ant.mitchell.948