USS ATA-215

ATA-215 on trials off Rockland, Maine, on 20 December 1944
History
United States
NameUSS Paloverde
Namesakepaloverde tree
BuilderSnow Shipyards, Inc., Rockland, Maine
Laid down19 July 1943
Launched2 September 1944
Sponsored byMiss Patricia Adams
Commissioned17 December 1944 as USS ATA-215
DecommissionedMarch 1946
Reclassifiednet laying ship (AN-65), 20 January 1944; auxiliary fleet tug (ATA-215), 15 May 1944
StrickenDecember 1948
FateSunk off Newfoundland, 15 April 1963
General characteristics
Class & typeATA-214-class tug
Displacement1,275 tons
Length194 ft 6 in (59.28 m)
Beam34 ft 7 in (10.54 m)
Draft14 ft 1 in (4.29 m)
Propulsiondiesel-electric engines, single screw
Speed12.1 knots
Complement57 officers and enlisted
ArmamentTwo 40 mm gun mounts

USS ATA-215 was an ATA-214-class tug of the United States Navy built near the end of World War II. Originally laid down as Paloverde (YN-86), a net tender of the Ailanthus class, she was redesignated as AN-65, a net layer, before launch. Before completion, the name Paloverde was cancelled and the ship was named ATA-215, an unnamed auxiliary ocean tug. Post-war she was assigned to the Finn Ronne Antarctic Expedition where she became stuck in the ice for 12 months before returning to the United States for decommissioning.