View source for USS Sonoma (AT-12)

{{short description|Tugboat of the United States Navy}}
{{other ships|USS Sonoma}}

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|Ship country=United States
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|Ship laid down=7 November 1911
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|Ship honours=5 Battle stars
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|Ship fate=Sunk by a [[Mitsubishi G4M|crashing]] Japanese bomber, 24 October 1944
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'''USS Sonoma (AT-12)''' was a {{sclass|Sonoma|tugboat|0}} [[fleet tug]] which had the distinction of serving her country during [[World War I]] and [[World War II]]. For her work as a [[tugboat]] in some very dangerous battle areas, she earned five [[battle stars]] during World War II. She ended her battle career when she was sunk by a crashing [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] bomber.

The second [[U.S. Navy]] warship to be named ''Sonoma'', the tug{{'}}s [[keel]] was laid down on 7 November 1911, at [[Camden, New Jersey]], by the [[New York Shipbuilding]] Co.. The vessel was [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 11 May 1912 and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 6 September 1912.

==Operational history==
=== World War I operations ===
Upon commissioning, ''Sonoma'' was assigned to the [[U.S. Atlantic Fleet]] as a tender, and she served in that capacity through World War I. In 1919, the tug was transferred to the [[U.S. Pacific Fleet]] and, on 17 July 1920, was designated AT-12. ''Sonoma'' was assigned to Train Squadron 2 of the newly organized Base Force during the winter of 1923 and 1924 and remained with the Base Force through the early years of World War II.

=== World War II Pacific Theatre operations ===
At the outbreak of war between the United States and Japan, ''Sonoma'' was in transit from [[Wake Island]] to [[Pearl Harbor]]: and, after a voyage to [[Canton Island]] and back in February and March 1942, she remained at Pearl Harbor until October, serving as a channel guard vessel. At that time, she departed Pearl Harbor in company with the [[destroyer]] {{USS|Ellet|DD-398|2}} and auxiliary {{USS|Turkey|AM-13|2}} to tow [[Auxiliary floating drydock|ARD-2]] and ''YO-24'' to [[New Caledonia]]. The group arrived at [[Noumea]] on 3 November and, after two weeks of repairs and upkeep, ''Sonoma'' sailed for [[Sydney, Australia]], with {{USS|Alhena|AK-26|2}} in tow. She returned to Nouméa on 6 December and stayed there until 2 January 1943. On that date, she put to sea to aid damaged [[United States Army]] workboat ''P-111'' to limp into port. She and her charge made Nouméa on 5 January.

For the next eight months, ''Sonoma'' towed ships between the ports of the South Pacific Ocean. Based at Noumea, New Caledonia, she visited the [[Fiji|Fiji Islands]], the [[New Hebrides Islands]], Australia, and [[New Guinea]], both at [[Milne Bay]] and [[Buna, Papua New Guinea|Buna]]. On 3 September 1943, she arrived off [[Lae]], New Guinea, to participate in her first combat operation and, in the afternoon, was straddled by four bombs-near misses-and sprayed by [[Shrapnel shell|shrapnel]] during a raid by seven Japanese twin-engine bombers. Later on, she cleared the area for [[Morobe Bay]]. ''Sonoma''{{'}}s scrapes with Japanese air power continued through the month of September as she operated in the vicinity of Lae. She came under attack on 12, 21, and 22 September and assisted in shooting down one Japanese aircraft on 12 September. For the remainder of 1943, she operated in and around Buna Harbor. On the second day of 1944, she got underway for [[Saidor]], New Guinea. Her formation came under automatic weapons fire on the following day and ''Sonoma'' was hit by several .50 caliber machine gun bullets. The fire had come from friendly shore batteries which mistook the ships for Japanese [[barge]]s known to be operating in the vicinity. The echelon made [[Dreger]] Harbor on 15 January; then headed on to Milne Bay. From there, ''Sonoma'' towed ''APC-4'' to [[Brisbane, Australia]], arriving on 1 February. Following overhaul and repairs, she got underway on 15 February to return to Milne Bay. After spending most of March 1944 around Milne Bay, she headed for [[Manus Island|Manus]] in the [[Admiralty Islands]] on 31 March.

For the next three months, ''Sonoma'' supported General [[Douglas MacArthur]]'s “leapfrog” operation up the back of the New Guinea bird. On 15 May 1944, ''Sonoma'' was redesignated '''ATO-12''' and, later that month, she moved to the [[Jayapura|Hollandia]] area in the vicinity of [[Biak]] Island, where she did salvage, fire fighting, and towing duty for the landing craft which had been bombed and strafed by the Japanese. She spent the month of June in [[Yos Sudarso Bay|Humboldt Bay]], New Guinea, then lent her support to the [[Battle of Noemfoor|Noemfoor attack]] during the first week in July. By 15 July, she was back at Milne Bay for repair and upkeep.

On 11 September, she got underway for the assault area off [[Morotai]] Island in the [[Netherlands East Indies]]. She remained there for 10 days-again providing salvage, fire fighting, and towing services. During that period, she suffered a broken [[crankshaft]] and had to put in at [[Gila Bay]] for repairs. On 21 September, she sailed back to Humboldt Bay where she went into availability for a week; then resumed salvage duty around [[Jautefa]] Bay. On 14 October, she sailed in company with echelon LI, as [[Task Unit]] 78.2.9, bound ultimately for the [[Leyte]] invasion. Sonoma entered [[San Pedro Bay (Philippines)|San Pedro Bay]], [[Leyte Gulf]], on 20 October. On the morning of 24 October, she opened fire on several Japanese planes with her [[starboard]] guns.

=== Japanese aircraft collision and loss ===
As she cast off from merchant freighter {{SS|Augustus Thomas}}, next to whom she had been moored, a flaming Japanese bomber crashed into ''Sonoma'' on the starboard side amidships. Two explosions followed immediately, and she began taking water at an alarming rate. ''LCI-72'' and {{USS|Chickasaw|ATF-83|2}} came alongside the stricken tug, extinguished the fires on her starboard side, and removed casualties. ''Chickasaw'' then made an unsuccessful attempt to beach her on [[Dio Island]]. Later in the afternoon, ''Sonoma'' sank in {{convert|18|ft|m}} of water off Dio Island. Her name was struck from the [[Navy list]] on 27 November 1944.

== Military awards and honors ==
''Sonoma'' (ATO-12) earned five [[battle stars]] during World War II.

== References ==
{{DANFS}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/#Anchor-Editoria-14954 Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060130095752/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/#Anchor-Editoria-14954 |date=2006-01-30 }}
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/64/64012.htm NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - AT-12 / ATO-12 Sonoma]

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{{October 1944 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sonoma (AT-12)}}
[[Category:Ships built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation]]
[[Category:Tugs of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:1912 ships]]
[[Category:World War I auxiliary ships of the United States]]
[[Category:World War II auxiliary ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by Japanese aircraft]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Ships sunk with no fatalities]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in October 1944]]