Ever wondered where the Name Quapaw
came from: The name "Quapaw" is a derivative of the tribal term Ugakhpa,
which means "down stream people." This tribe belonged to the Dhegiha
a subdivision of the Sioux. It is believed that they originally resided
in the Ohio Valley. The tribe left this region following the Ohio River
downstream to the Mississippi River and eventually settled in the land
which is now Arkansas.

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Quapaw
The first Quapaw (AT–110), an auxiliary ocean tug, was laid down by
United Engineering Co., Alameda, Calif. 28 December 1942; launched 15 May 1943;
sponsored by Mrs. N. Lehman; and commissioned 6 May 1944,
Lt. Comdr. N. H. Castle in command.
Redesignated ATF–110, 15 May 1944, Quapaw steamed for San Francisco
after shakedown out of San Pedro and San Diego, Calif. through 16 June.
She departed San Francisco 21 June 1944, enroute the Admiralty Islands.
After calling at Honolulu, where she delivered an Army barge, a dump scow,
and a derrick, she steamed 12 July via the Ellice Islands and Milne Bay, New Guinea,
arriving Manus, Admiralty Islands 14 August.

Following several harbor tow assignments, she departed 17 August
with a deck cargo of 7,500 bbls. of aviation gasoline and 49 motor torpedo
boat engines, and with a gasoline barge in tow. These she delivered to
Mios Woendi Lagoon, whence she steamed to Maffin Bay where she received orders
to stand by in preparation for the landings on Morotai Island.

With a convoy of liberty ships, minesweepers, and landing craft, together with
screening destroyers, Quapaw entered Morotai Harbor the morning of
16 September 1944. She remained through I October, primarily engaged in
retracting LSTs from the beach of Pitoe Bay.

From 20 October 1944 through 1 January 1945, Quapaw was operating in
San Pedro Bay in support of the Leyte operation. Her assignments entailed
salvage, firefighting, and towing operations.

Landings were made at Lingayen 9 January 1945 and Quapaw was assigned patrol
of both attack areas to render all necessary assistance. She retracted
landing ships, made repairs and conducted towing operations until 21 February.
She then steamed to Mindoro. She departed Mangarin Bay 26 February as a unit
of Admiral W. M. Fechteler’s TG 78.2, enroute Puerto Princesa, Palawan,
for initial assaults against that island. Enroute Quapaw took LCI–683
in tow when the latter was unable to maintain convoy speed.
The landing forces went asbore 28 February and Quapaw retracted landing craft
from the beaches east of Puerto Princesa and in the vicinity of the city jetty.
She returned to Mangarin Bay, 5 March.

From 8 through 25 March Quapaw participated in salvage and demolition work,
and assisted in clearing harbor wreckage, with intervening repair and
tow missions at Zamboanga, Mindanao, P.I. Further salvage, tow,
and repair missions preceeded overhaul at Hollandia, New Guinea,
commencing 29 May. The tug departed 25 June for Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides,
from where she steamed 6 July with one section of a battleship drydock in tow
for Samar, P.I. With the end of hostilities she continued towing services between
various ports of the Philippines, with frequent service to Manus
and back through 28 April 1946.

Quapaw departed Subic Bay for the United States 16 June 1946, arriving
San Francisco, Calif. 14 July. After overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard,
the tug continued coastal and trans-Pacific towing operations until
21 December 1947. She was placed in an inactive status at San Francisco
until 30 April 1948 when she was placed out of commission, in reserve.

Quapaw recommissioned 5 December 1950 at Alameda, Calif., Lt. Fleming M. Christian
in command. After refresher training out of San Diego through January 1951,
she steamed via Bremerton, Wash. with a barracks ship in tow for Pearl Harbor.
Arriving 14 February 1951, she commenced operations under
Commander Service Force, Pacific.

The fleet tug provided services at Inchon, Korea 30 April–17 July 1951,
and at Wonsan 19 July–3 August. Towing services at Sasebo and Yokosuka,
Japan were interrupted by patrol duty at Wonsan, Korea 26 October–20 November
1952, and by operation in the areas of Cho Do and Taechong Do, Korea
17 January–14 February 1953. Quapaw also conducted patrols in Korean waters
in March and April of 1953.

Quapaw has since continued to provide services to the Fleet out of her homeport
of Pearl Harbor in 1970. Annual WestPac deployments have been interspersed with
assignments throughout mid-Pacific areas, as well as by occassional duty as
search and rescue vessel out of Adak, Alaska.

Quapaw received four battle stars for World War II service and five for the
Korean conflict.