The Allegheny moved to the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1932. She remained in the Fourth Naval District
for the remainder of her active years, with nine of those years operating as station tug at Philadelphia.
When World War II began in December, 1941, the Allegheny was already operating as part of a defense
force that included the ill-fated gunboat Eagle 56 and the Coast Guard cutter Zolfax. Supporting them was a number of 75-foot
Coast Guard cutters. By then she was armed with two three-inch guns and two machine guns.
The tug was reassigned to the section base at Cape May, New Jersey in February, 1942 where she was assigned as station ship guarding the entrance to Delaware Bay. A small Coast Guard cutter and two boarding boats assisted Allegheny. During this time,
the tug assisted the British submarine Regent on the North Atlantic on its way to Bermuda
for repair. It was a harrowing journey in waters infested with heavy U-Boat packs and severe weather. At one point an enemy
submarine was sighted but there was no encounter and Allegheny steamed on to survive the trip. The harsh weather took its
toll on the vessel, however, and she was laid up at Philadelphia
for repair after returning.
In late March, 1942, Allegheny was sent out into the stormy North Atlantic
after the tanker Paulsboro sent an S.O.S. The tanker had broken its keel and was in serious trouble. The Coast Guard was standing
by but the tub was needed to bring the vessel into port. Allegheny successfully reached the Paulsboro and brought it in.
In
yet another storm in January, 1944, Allegheny was making an unsuccessful attempt to free the Liberty Ship Leland Stanford
after it went aground on Hen and Chickens Shoal when the crew received a report of a ship on fire only five miles away.
The tanker Plattsburg Socony, laden with 600,000 gallons of high octane aviation fuel, had been
in a collision in fog by the Liberty Ship Charles Anderson. The tanker was ablaze.
The Allegheny, which was equipped with fire fighting equipment, and numerous other vessels including
the salvage tugs Resolute and Nancy Moran converged on the scene. By the time the tug arrived, the Plattsburg Socony was fully
engulfed. The crew of the Allegheny laid down a curtain of water that allowed the tug to get close enough to attack the fire.
In what was later described as an amazing display of fire fighting at sea, the Allegheny launched
an assault with two streams of water on the blaze, which was so hot the steel deck plates were glowing. Within the hour the
fire fighters were on board the Socony battling the fire with four fog lines. The heat was so intense the men were forced
to work in shifts behind the water curtains. Their efforts paid off, the fire was extinguished and although it sustained extensive
damage, the tanker was saved.
The Allegheny was already classified as an old and outdated tug by the time the war ended. Her
continued use by the Navy was clearly mandated by the war effort. When hostilities with Germany
ended in 1945, one of the tug's last duties was towing the surrendered German submarine U-858 into Cape
May.
The Allegheny was decommissioned in July, 1946 and her name stricken from the Navy list. She was
turned over to the Maritime Commission that winter and eventually scrapped.
