Laid down 30 September 1976 In service 1979 Construction started 30 September 1976 Length 69 m | Acquired 15 June 1979 Out of service 26 February 1999 Launched 24 June 1978 Builder Marinette Marine | |
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Name USNS Powhatan (T-ATF-166) Namesake The Powhatan, a Virginia Indian tribe, and the name of a powerful confederacy of tribes which the Powhatan dominated | ||
USNS Powhatan (T-ATF-166) was a United States Navy Powhatan-class fleet ocean tug in service from 1979 to 1999.
Powhatan was laid down on 30 September 1976 by the Marinette Marine Corporation at Marinette, Wisconsin. Launched on 24 June 1978, and delivered to the U.S. Navy on 15 June 1979, Powhatan was assigned to the Military Sealift Command (MSC), and placed in non-commissioned service as USNS Powhatan (T-ATF-166) in 1979.
Powhatan was taken out of service on 26 February 1999 and leased to Donjon Marine Company, Inc., of Hillside, New Jersey, for commercial service, subject to recall by the Navy.
Turkish Navy
Upon completion of the lease, Powhatan was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 25 February 2008 and sold to Turkey on 26 February 2008 through the Security Assistance Program. Due to her poor condition upon termination of the lease, she underwent a refit which included complete rebuilding of all engines and generators at Charleston, South Carolina. During the refit, the ex-Powhatan was commissioned into the Turkish Navy as TCG Inebolu (A-590).
Inebolu was involved in the search and rescue operations for the downed Turkish F-4 reconnaissance jet in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The aircraft was shot down by Syrian Armed Forces in international airspace on 22 June 2012 killing two pilots. Inebolu joined the research vessel EV Nautilus, and was tasked with the salvage operation for the aircraft's wreckage from the 3,000 m (9,800 ft) deep seabed after the bodies of the pilots were brought up to the surface.