3,000BHP Tug "Noelani" Sold


The tug "Noelani" was sold on private and confidential terms recently via the brokerage services of Marcon International, Inc. The vessel was originally built for the US Navy as the "Winnemucca" (USN Designation YTB-785) with keel laid down in 1965 at Marinette, WI by the Marinette Marine Corp. She was launched in December 1965 and delivered to the US Navy as one of the NATICK-Class large harbor tugs in April 1966. The tug, named after the city of Winnemucca, Nevada was originally assigned to the 5th Naval District in the Norfolk, Virginia area where she started her first career in June 1966 until the following Spring of 1967. At that time, she was assigned to Vietnam where she served in that conflict until the US involvement was concluded. She served with Task Force 117, the Mobile Riverine Force. During her almost six years of combat operations on the rivers, swamps and deltas of south Vietnam, the "Winnemucca" earned two US Presidential unit citations and four US Navy Unit Recommendations. "Winnemucca" earned a total of 13 Battle Stars during the Vietnam conflict. At the end of the US participation in that SE Asian region, in 1973, the tug was reassigned to the 17th US Naval District and operated out of Adak, Alaska. Her tour of duty there ended late in 1975 when the ship began her service in San Francisco, where she was attached to the US Navy 12th District through 1979. The "Winnemucca" was eventually stricken from the US Navy List on December 22, 2003 and sold by the US Department of Defense January 21, 2004. The tug was converted to civilian use and bore the new name of "Noelani", which she will keep going into her next service life on the US West Coast.

The "Noelani's" dimensions are 109.0' x 28.8' x 16.3' depth, and she is now powered with a single EMD12-710G7B for 3,000BHP (installed in 2012) and swings a 114" 4-blade propeller driven via Western 6:1 reduction gear. Her bollard pull is about 80,000lb., and she has excellent range with her fuel capacity of 50,000g. She is also fitted with a 400HP Vortex V2-36 Wesmar bowthruster which was installed in 2017. Her single drum Series 224 Almon Johnson towing winch has a pennant drum, as well as a level wind, and line-pull of 166,000lbs. The main towing drum carries 2,600' x 2" tow wire, and the tug is also fitted with a hydraulic towing pin system. She has two 2,000gpm FiFi monitors, a hydraulic aluminum fold down mast, 8 ton telescoping crane on the bridge deck, and is fully outfitted with modern NavAids and communication systems. Her electrical system is powered by 2 - 65kW / John Deere Tier 2 gensets, and she has 1 - 20kW / Northern Lights harbor set. The tug has sailed extensively for her former Owner to Hawaii, Alaska and the US Gulf and has excellent sea keeping abilities and fuel consumption characteristics. Marcon acted as sole broker in this sale, and wishes the mighty "Noelani" fair winds and following seas in her future endeavors as a true work horse in the marine industry.

Commercial Marine Brokers since 1981