USS Undaunted [ATR-126] [ATA-199] – USMA Kings Pointer – Krystal K. – Undaunted
1943-Present
Articulated Tugboat, Hydraconn Coupler; Paired with Barge Pere Marquette 41
Build Information
Year Built: 1943
Builder: Gulfport Boiler and Welding Works, Port Arthur, TX
Hull #244
Registry: US 995467
IMO #8963219
Laid Down: November 27, 1943
Launch Date: December 1943
Commissioned: 1944
Paired Barges:
Construction
The Undaunted was constructed in 1943 by Gulfport Boiler and Welding Works, Port Arthur, Texas as an Ocean Rescue Class Tug for the U.S. Navy, designated ATR-126. She was reclassified prior to commissioning in 1944 as an Auxiliary Ocean tug ATA-199.
Modifications
- Repowered.
- Pilothouse reconstructed, Pere Marquette Shipping, Ludington, Michigan, 1998.
- Sponsons added and Hydraconn ATB Coupler installed, Basic Marine, Escanaba, Michigan, 1998.
General Stats
Length Overall [Combined Tug & Barge]: 494′
Length Overall [Tug]: 143′
Breadth: 38′
Depth: 18′
Vessel Type: Articulated Tugboat
Propellers: 2
Rudders: 1
Engineering Equipment
Original
Engine
Engine Type: Diesel Engine
Engine Manufacturer: General Motors Cleveland Diesel, Cleveland, OH
Engine Model: 12-278A
Number of Engines: 2
Repower
Engine Type: Diesel Engine
Engine Manufacturer: Cummins, Columbus, IN
Engine Model: K38-M
Number of Engines: 2
Rated HP: 2000 BHP
History
Lineage
USS Undaunted [ATA-199] – 1944-1947
Owner: U.S. Navy
Operator: U.S. Navy
Flag: United States
Home Port: —
Undaunted [ATA-199] – 1947-1963
Owner: U.S. Maritime Commission
Operator: U.S. Maritime Commission
Flag: United States
Home Port: —
USMA Kings Pointer – 1963-1993
Owner: U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY
Operator: U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Flag: United States
Home Port: Kings Point, NY
Krystal K. – 1993-1997
Owner: Basic Marine, Escanaba, MI
Operator: Basic Marine
Flag: United States
Home Port: Escanaba, MI
Undaunted – 1997-2020
Owner: Pere Marquette Shipping Co., Ludington, MI [Lake Michigan Carferry]
Operator: Pere Marquette Shipping Co.
Flag: United States
Home Port: Ludington, MI
Undaunted – 2020-Present
Owner: Interlake Maritime Services, Middleburg Heights, OH
Operator: Interlake Logistics Solutions, Middleburg Heights, OH
Flag: United States
Home Port: Ludington, MI
Her Story
The Undaunted was constructed in 1943 by Gulfport Boiler and Welding Works, Port Arthur, Texas as an Ocean Rescue Class Tug for the U.S. Navy, designated ATR-126. She was reclassified prior to commissioning in 1944 as an Auxiliary Ocean tug ATA-199. The USS Undaunted was commissioned in 1944 for the U.S. Navy, assisting in salvage operations.
Undaunted was transferred to the U.S. Maritime Commission in 1947 after decommissioning from the Navy. She was laid up on July 16, 1948. She was transferred to NOAA Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in 1963, but was quickly transferred again to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. She was renamed Kings Pointer and took up station at the National Maritime Academy at Kings Point, New York, operating as a training vessel.
Kings Pointer was sold to Basic Marine of Escanaba, Michigan, in 1993, and brought to the Great Lakes, being laid up at Escanaba, Michigan. She was sold once again in 1997, to Pere Marquette Shipping of Ludington, Michigan. Sponsons to house a Hydraconn ATB Coupler system were installed at Basic Marine prior to heading to Ludington where a new pilothouse tower was installed by her new owners, along with the refurbishment of her interior. She sailed back to Escanaba in the spring of 1998 for drydocking and the installation of her Hydraconn Coupler. She paired up with the barge on June 16, 1998, and sailed back to her home port of Ludington for christening ceremonies on June 18, 1998. The Pere Marquette 41 / Undaunted departed on their maiden voyage together on July 21, 1998.
One October 8, 2000, the Pere Marquette 41 / Undaunted experienced heavy weather on Lake Michigan. While taking on 15′ seas, the wall around the car deck was broken, and the cargo and equipment on deck were washed off. The tug had to do an emergency separation from the barge, pulling her pins, and holing herself at the waterline in the process. The barge was set adrift while the tug made a run for shore, where she was grounded near Wilmette Harbor. A man was placed on the barge via a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, and lowered her anchors near South Chicago, Illinois. The pair were reunited at South Chicago and headed for Bay Shipbuilding for repairs. Pere Marquette 41 / Undaunted sat out for the 2001 season undergoing improvements, as well as receiving a custom Caterpillar mobile unloading conveyor, capable of reaching out 80′ over the side of the barge.
In December 2020, Lake Michigan Carferry, Pere Marquette Shipping, and the vessels Pere Marquette 41 / Undaunted, Badger, and Spartan were sold to Interlake Steamship Company. Pere Marquette Shipping was renamed Interlake Logistics Solutions, and the ATB pair are to be repainted in Interlake fleet colors over the winter in early 2021. Pere Marquette 41 / Undaunted continued normal trade patterns.
Compiled By Brendan Falkowski
Updated on January 13, 2021
Gallery
Undaunted pushing Pere Marquette 41, on the St. Marys River, 2000’s. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
Undaunted pushing Pere Marquette 41, on the St. Marys River, 2000’s. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
Undaunted pushing her barge Pere Marquette 41, on the St. Marys River, July 28, 2007. Photo by Roger LeLievre Undaunted pushing barge Pere Marquette 41, at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, October 25, 2009. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
Undaunted, pushing barge Pere Marquette 41, in the MacArthur Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, September 5, 2011. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
Undaunted pushing PM 41 on the St. Clair River, June 26, 2016. Photo by Isaac Pennock
Sources
Ferguson, Brian. “Pere Marquette 41”. Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping Online, N.d. Accessed 13 January 2021. <http://boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/peremarquette41.htm>
Greenwood’s Guide to Great Lakes Shipping 2016, Harbor House Publishers, 2016. Pp. 7.5.
Pennock, Isaac. “Undaunted”. Great lakes Tugs & Workboats, N.d. Accessed 13 January 2021. <https://gltugs.wordpress.com/undaunted/>
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