In the early 2000s, U.S. Congressman Vic Snyder lent his support to North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Hays’ enthusiastic vision to acquire the famous USS Hoga tugboat as a museum boat addition for the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum.
USS HOGA's
History
The USS Hoga (YT-146, aka City of Oakland) was instrumental in assisting men and U.S. naval ships during the World War II Battle of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941. She was moored at Dock 1010 at the time of the attack. Under orders to “assist wherever they could,” the crew of the Hoga rescued two men from the harbor water. While assisting the USS Oglala, the USS Hoga was immediately redirected to the USS Nevada that was sinking in the mouth of the harbor. With the help of another tugboat (the YT-130), the Hoga managed to push the Nevada to the west side of the harbor where it was beached at Hospital Point. For the remainder of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the USS Hoga put out flames on several ships, including the USS Tennessee, USS Maryland, and for over a forty-eight hour period, the Hoga attempted to put out flames that ravaged the USS Arizona. For these actions, the ship was awarded a meritorious citation. In 1948, the ship became a fireboat for the city of Oakland, California, and spent several decades performing firefighting and civilian rescues in the Port of Oakland.
In 1995, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed the ship as one of the top eleven most endangered historic sites in the United States. The vessel was retired in July 1996, designated a National Historic Landmark, and transferred to the Maritime Administration at Suisun Bay, California.
APPLICATION
Process
In 2002, Mayor Hays submitted to the Secretary of Navy an application for the awarding of the USS Hoga to the city of North Little Rock. The mayor relayed that the City wished to acquire the USS Hoga for the purpose of making it a museum and memorial. Vic Snyder lent his support to this application process in a letter to Program Manager Captain L. M. Jones, Jr., citing that: “The City very much wants to have the [USS] Hoga.”2 But, several other organizations were also in the running to obtain the USS Hoga, particularly two nonprofit organizations from Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Hollywood, Florida; and a determined group from Honolulu, Hawaii.
In a press release dated March 19, 2004, Congressman Vic Snyder notified the public that the city of North Little Rock was awarded the honor of providing the final home for the USS Hoga over the competitor states of Florida and Hawaii. North Little Rock received the Hoga over the competing states because the City had provided an application that met all required criteria from the Navy.
ARRIVAL IN
North Little Rock
After years of setbacks, including the difficulties of raising the necessary funds to sail the ship from California to Arkansas, the vessel reached its home at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum on November 23, 2015. Notably, the USS Hoga, which is one of two remaining ships that saw action during Pearl Harbor, now shares its home with the USS Razorback, the submarine that was present at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.
Vic Snyder’s advocacy on behalf of the city of North Little Rock resulted in the awarding of the USS Hoga for the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum. Thanks to his addendum of support, North Little Rock is now the resting place for a vessel with commendable history.
For More Information:
- Jacksonville Patriot, August 3, 2005, Victor F. Snyder Congressional papers.
- Vic Snyder to Captain L. M. Jones, Jr., September 26, 2002, Victor F. Snyder Congressional papers.
Christ, Mark K., “USS Hoga” (YT-146).” Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Central Arkansas Library System. February 10, 2020. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/uss-hoga-13572/.
“USCG Cutter 37.” Historic Ships in Baltimore. Accessed September 16, 2021. https://historicships.org/explore/uscgc-taney.
Victor F. Snyder Congressional papers, UALR.MS.0180, UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture, Little Rock, AR.
York, Jessica A. “Pearl Harbor Attack: One of two surviving vessels still afloat is honored.” The Mercury News. December 7, 2012. https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/12/07/pearl-harbor-attack-one-of-two-surviving-vessels-still-afloat-is-honored/.
*This essay was written in part as an internship project of the History Department at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock
About the Authors:
Abby Jaquez is an undergraduate history major and education minor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and an intern at the UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture.
Kaye Lundgren is an archival assistant at the UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture. She worked on processing the Victor F. Snyder Congressional Papers.