Other Names
- U.S. Navy tug No. 56
- LEADER,
History
The Calatco #2, formerly known as U.S. Navy tug No. 56 and later renamed LEADER, was a propeller tug built in 1918 in Greenport, Long Island, New York, for the U.S. Navy. It was constructed of steel and had an oil motor propulsion system. The tug measured 82 feet in length, 21 feet in beam, and 10 feet in depth. Its gross tonnage was 101 tons, and the net tonnage was 69 tons.
On November 13, 1946, the Calatco #2 caught fire in the harbor of Oswego, New York, on Lake Ontario. At the time of the incident, it was towing a gasoline barge. The fire originated near the engine of the tug and quickly spread. Despite the efforts of firefighters, they were unable to control the blaze due to the diesel oil fueling the fire around the engine. The volume of water used in firefighting operations began to sink the tug, forcing the firemen to retreat.
Eventually, local Coast Guardsmen managed to pull the Calatco #2 out against the breakwater, where it burned out. The fire resulted in the constructive total loss of the tug, which was valued at over $100,000. Fortunately, there were no reported casualties in the incident. The Calatco #2 was owned by the Canal and Lake Towing Co. of New York, and its master was Captain J. E. Paqueit.
External Links
- David Swayze Shipwreck File
- Green’s Great Lakes Directory, 1946
- Brookes Scrapbooks, January 1 to June 15, 1946
- Maritime History of the Great lakes Website
