2025 has been the year of the tugboat for me, as I have made it a mission of sorts to promote a proposal of having the United States Navy naming a tugboat after the City of Mishawaka. This proposal is not something thought of on a whim, but following a precedent. Mishawaka previously had a U.S. Navy tugboat named in its honor, USNS Mishawaka YTB-764, which served from January 1963 until October 2002. I have a boatload of reasons why the U.S. Navy should name another vessel in the city’s honor, and ways you can help lobby for it.
The reason I picked 2025 to be the year to promote this proposal is due to two major milestones. The first being the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, and the second being the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy this month. October is also an important month as on the 28th, Mishawaka will officially be without a navy vessel for 23 years.
This will be my third article on the USNS Mishawaka, with my last being about a response I got from the former Acting Secretary of the Navy, who personally sent a letter that thanked me for bringing the matter to his attention and that he would consider looking into it as a possibility. Since then, a new secretary has taken office, meaning the issue has to be brought up again.
Mishawaka is uniquely patriotic with hundreds of reasons why Mishawakans stand out. Here are 10 military related facts about the city:
- Mishawaka residents participated in every war going back to the Revolutionary War (our only Revolutionary War veteran was Mead Hurd, the grandfather of Mishawaka’s founder, Alanson Hurd).
- Not a single male was drafted from Mishawaka during the Civil War, because the number of volunteers heavily exceeded the draft quota.
- Over 4,400 residents served in the armed forces during the Second World War (including Arthur Huys, a sailor who was K.I.A. while serving on the U.S.S. Arizona during the Attack on Pearl Harbor).
- Ball-Band manufactured fuel cells for airplanes during WWII, including fuel cells used in Doolittle’s Raid.
- Bendix produced the RIM-8 Talos Surface to Air Missile, used on U.S. Navy ships.
- AM General, manufactures the most iconic military vehicle in the world, the HMMWV (Humvee) also known as a “Hummer” which has been a staple of the armed forces since the 1980s. AM General more recently started producing some of the new JLTV’s for the military.
- Mishawaka Actor, Adam Driver, served in the U.S. Marines.
- Mishawaka graduate, Elizabeth Richardson, who served in the American Red Cross, is one of only four women buried in Normandy American Cemetery along with over 9,000 servicemen.
- Three Mishawaka sailors were on the U.S.S. Indianapolis when it sunk, only one survived.
- Around 200 Mishawakans gave the ultimate sacrifice serving our nation in the armed forces during wartime conflicts.
The United States Navy has a long tradition of naming vessels after previous ones. A tugboat named after our city as opposed to another type of ship follows precedent too because the naming conventions of tugboats typically have names of Native American origin. The word Mishawaka according to the city’s Historian Laureate, Peter De Kever, most likely means “swift flowing water rapids” from the Potawatomi language.
There are multiple ways the readers can help bring this proposal to reality, here are a couple of suggestions. Meet with or write to government officials about this proposal and give your personal reasons why Mishawaka deserves another ship. The only person who has the authority to name a U.S. Navy vessel is the Secretary of the Navy, however, there are multiple officials who can help influence that decision such as, the Indiana Governor, the Lt. Governor, both Indiana Senators, the 2nd District Congressman, local representatives, and state officials whose letters have a higher chance of being noticed and or acknowledged. If anyone wanted to start a petition, that could bring attention too.
The chance of the City of Mishawaka having another Navy vessel named in its honor is low, but I think it is a-boat time we have another one. 23 years without a USNS Mishawaka is simply 23 years too many.
USNS Mishawaka YTB-764 (top right corner tugboat) helping park a nuclear submarine
Articles by Josh Lange 
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