LOVE WEST VOLUSIA MILITARY HISTORY? CHECK OUT OUR NEW FACEBOOK PAGES: Our first new one is Bringing Tiger Home with updates on our progress on finding a forever home for ST479 Tiger! The other new page is US Army Harbor Craft Companies in WW2. Their history includes the ST's at Normandy, the Rhine River bridge rebuilds, and tons of other stuff. Visit my Google Drive archive of downloadable files of the Harbor Craft Companies by using this link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1T60mYuSjBKfSYPgD17YttUZKUUE690Z8?usp=drive_link
And don't forget West Volusia's Military Heroes...fascinating largely unknown personal histories and stories from WW1 - WW2 - Korea -Vietnam - and beyond...
U S ARMY ST TUGBOATS: WW2 AND BEYOND
DELAND HISTORIC TRUST NEWSFLASH As of June 20, 2024 Tiger is Home!
We have managed to return the most original US Army ST in the USA which was built in DeLand in 1944: ST479 Tiger. This amazing boat still has her original engine and superstructure in place as built; but we came home on a nice auxiliary engine installed by the owners. She made the trip to DeLand from Astor earlier last year and we managed to get her to the very edge of Lake Beresford before we ran into the mud. When the rains came we moved her about a mile to her temporary home just south of Lake Beresford on the St. Johns River. But: she's home...the ONLY US Army ST tugboat to ever return back to where she was built...and the only one in the USA with verified wartime experience...the only other ST here being Angel's Gate on the west coast built to the design but delivered too late to help out. She may be a Normandy boat as well, but certainly she was involved shortly after that and all the way to the end of the war. She has made a 4,900+ mile return to the USA from Stockholm, Sweden...after 79 years! My thanks to John and Margareta Higgins who lovingly donated the boat to us...and local patriot Ruth Ann Fay who helped us in a big way to get her home. And I can't forget all of the dedicated volunteers in our preservation and rescue team that have worked hundreds of hours to make this dream happen. Now we work on getting her out of the water and into a permanent monument dedicated to the WW2 builders and crews. Want to get involved? Check out the new story about the rare upgraded Armored Pilot House that we found on Tiger! Contact info is at the bottom of this page. More photos and information will be posted soon; but follow me on FB for up to the date info.
Dan Friend, President, DeLand Historic Trust, Inc. 386 943-9537 Watch tons of Tiger videos on Youtube:
search for "DeLand's Dan Friend".
We are a 501C3 Tax Exempt charity dedicated to the preservation of local history
The Incredible Return of US Army Harbor Tug ST479 Tiger:
DeLand’s WW2 Tugboat Has Returned: The Only One to Ever Return Back to Where it Was Built & the only ST Warboat in the USA
Dan Friend danieljosephfriend@gmail.com 386 943-9537 usarmysttugs.com
July 12, 2023
Over 40 firms across the country took on building US Army “ST” harbor tugs during WW2. Within six months of the attack on Pearl Harbor, all steel small tugs were under construction on Lake Beresford near DeLand, Florida; and 29 would be completed in time to actively serve. ST479 Tiger was one of 16 out of the 29 that actively worked in the European Theater and was sold off there after the war…
Over 550 boats were built or purchased nationwide: none ever came home to where it was built until now…The return of our DeLand Warboat has completed an incredible series of events that began with the discovery of the highly original boat with its original Clark diesel engine and superstructure intact almost 10 years ago. Contact with the owners eventually led to Tiger’s donation, and a 4,900 mile journey from Stockholm, Sweden, to the edge of Lake Beresford where she now rests. She will be anchored temporarily until details on her permanent home are worked out. Our gracious donors, John and Margareta Higgins who live in England, joined our prime benefactor local patriot Ruth Ann Fay for the last run home. Plans now call for the boat to serve as a unique National Monument honoring the crew and builders of all of the US Army small tugs that were so essential to victory from Normandy onwards.
And yes, she may have arrived in time to help out with building the docks at Normandy. One possibility being explored is to have Tiger join other historic boats, monuments, and displays in what we are tentatively calling the St. Johns Maritime & Military Museum. To a large extent the monument area will be determined by the combined interest and financial support of local governments, our citizens, and other patriotic donors. We have raised almost $300,000 in the past for this project but more is needed. We will work to preserve this little known but crucial part of our WW2 history…will you help?
Background:
* Our website has tons of info: usarmysttugs.com - the only website with detailed US Army ST tugboat info
* Youtube Channel: DeLand’s Dan Friend - more than a dozen Tiger tugboat videos, tons of local TV news stories, + many others
* Facebook Page: West Volusia’s Military Heroes - over 160+ local hero profiles
* Facebook Page: DeLand Historic Trust, Inc., is a 501C3 tax exempt charitable organization registered in Florida
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Welcome! This is a completely non-profit public service educational website dedicated to the US Army "ST" or small tugboats used during WW2, the Korean War, and Vietnam. It's also a source of information on the earlier DeLand Army Tugboat Preservation Group, or DATPG, which is a group of enthusiasts dedicated to the preservation of the history and artifacts of the US Army ST's built on Lake Beresford, in Beresford, Florida, during WW2 and the Korean War era. The town of Beresford no longer exists and has for decades been considered part of the DeLand area.
I'm Dan Friend, Founder and President of DeLand Historic Trust, Inc., a Florida charitable non-profit corporation which now incorporates the working DATPG group. I am the researcher and compiler of what you will see here. My thanks go out to all of those researchers that over the decades have tried to fill in the blanks on an important chapter in our history just as I am attempting to do now. This website will be updated frequently as any new details are found. Please understand that info on the ST's is hard to find, and errors undoubtedly exist in what I've assembled just as there certainly are errors in what is out there right now: I hope to sort at least some of it out! Contact me at danieljosephfriend@gmail.com with comments and any new information or clarifications.
Page One of this site generally has information on ALL of the small US Army tugboats built or acquired from WW2 - Vietnam that I am aware of. Page Two is the DATPG page with articles and information primarily dealing with the tugs built locally on Lake Beresford. Click on the upper right DATPG button to go to the DATPG/DHT Page.
We have for years been an IRS 501 C3 tax exempt organization thus we can offer a tax deduction for a donation. The website has for years yielded numerous world-wide contacts from those who know of, or own, the boats; and we know that it is the only way to really expand the knowledge base of the tugs since the Army destroyed all WW2 era small ships logs in 1951. While our main effort right now is the creation of a National Monument to all ST tugs, crew, and builders, we will continue the website while also showing our large tugboat models and artifacts locally in DeLand's Memorial Hospital & Veterans Museum where we have a large display case. And we will also work to preserve all local military history as well.
Some of the files below are in Word or in a PDF file for those without Word. Some of these are very large files and can take several minutes to download. ..Click on one of the buttons below to open a file. Photo above of ST 42 courtesy DeLand Naval Air Station Museum. Please note this is my personal education and research website and any issues related to copyright usage are solely and exclusively mine. No other individual, organization or group is responsible for anything on this site. Please let me know if there is a copyright issue or problem and I will take care of it by appropriate attribution or withdrawal. This site is for private educational personal viewing only. Many of the photos on this website are in the public domain, but no photo reproductive rights are given and if you copy a photo you do so completely at your own risk.
Membership in DHT Inc. is $12.00 per year, or $200.00 makes you a life member. Corporate sponsorship is only $500. Visit our new Facebook page by entering "DeLand Historic Trust" to find a membership application. Tax-deductable donations always appreciated! Contact me at the email address for details..... Enjoy....and Carpe Diem!
Dan Friend DeLand Historic Trust, Inc. danieljosephfriend@gmail.com 386-943-9537
"A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Florida Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free (800-435-7352) within the State of Florida. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state."
We have managed to return the most original US Army ST in the USA which was built in DeLand in 1944: ST479 Tiger. This amazing boat still has her original engine and superstructure in place as built; but we came home on a nice auxiliary engine installed by the owners. She made the trip to DeLand from Astor earlier last year and we managed to get her to the very edge of Lake Beresford before we ran into the mud. When the rains came we moved her about a mile to her temporary home just south of Lake Beresford on the St. Johns River. But: she's home...the ONLY US Army ST tugboat to ever return back to where she was built...and the only one in the USA with verified wartime experience...the only other ST here being Angel's Gate on the west coast built to the design but delivered too late to help out. She may be a Normandy boat as well, but certainly she was involved shortly after that and all the way to the end of the war. She has made a 4,900+ mile return to the USA from Stockholm, Sweden...after 79 years! My thanks to John and Margareta Higgins who lovingly donated the boat to us...and local patriot Ruth Ann Fay who helped us in a big way to get her home. And I can't forget all of the dedicated volunteers in our preservation and rescue team that have worked hundreds of hours to make this dream happen. Now we work on getting her out of the water and into a permanent monument dedicated to the WW2 builders and crews. Want to get involved? Check out the new story about the rare upgraded Armored Pilot House that we found on Tiger! Contact info is at the bottom of this page. More photos and information will be posted soon; but follow me on FB for up to the date info.
Dan Friend, President, DeLand Historic Trust, Inc. 386 943-9537 Watch tons of Tiger videos on Youtube:
search for "DeLand's Dan Friend".
We are a 501C3 Tax Exempt charity dedicated to the preservation of local history
The Incredible Return of US Army Harbor Tug ST479 Tiger:
DeLand’s WW2 Tugboat Has Returned: The Only One to Ever Return Back to Where it Was Built & the only ST Warboat in the USA
Dan Friend danieljosephfriend@gmail.com 386 943-9537 usarmysttugs.com
July 12, 2023
Over 40 firms across the country took on building US Army “ST” harbor tugs during WW2. Within six months of the attack on Pearl Harbor, all steel small tugs were under construction on Lake Beresford near DeLand, Florida; and 29 would be completed in time to actively serve. ST479 Tiger was one of 16 out of the 29 that actively worked in the European Theater and was sold off there after the war…
Over 550 boats were built or purchased nationwide: none ever came home to where it was built until now…The return of our DeLand Warboat has completed an incredible series of events that began with the discovery of the highly original boat with its original Clark diesel engine and superstructure intact almost 10 years ago. Contact with the owners eventually led to Tiger’s donation, and a 4,900 mile journey from Stockholm, Sweden, to the edge of Lake Beresford where she now rests. She will be anchored temporarily until details on her permanent home are worked out. Our gracious donors, John and Margareta Higgins who live in England, joined our prime benefactor local patriot Ruth Ann Fay for the last run home. Plans now call for the boat to serve as a unique National Monument honoring the crew and builders of all of the US Army small tugs that were so essential to victory from Normandy onwards.
And yes, she may have arrived in time to help out with building the docks at Normandy. One possibility being explored is to have Tiger join other historic boats, monuments, and displays in what we are tentatively calling the St. Johns Maritime & Military Museum. To a large extent the monument area will be determined by the combined interest and financial support of local governments, our citizens, and other patriotic donors. We have raised almost $300,000 in the past for this project but more is needed. We will work to preserve this little known but crucial part of our WW2 history…will you help?
Background:
* Our website has tons of info: usarmysttugs.com - the only website with detailed US Army ST tugboat info
* Youtube Channel: DeLand’s Dan Friend - more than a dozen Tiger tugboat videos, tons of local TV news stories, + many others
* Facebook Page: West Volusia’s Military Heroes - over 160+ local hero profiles
* Facebook Page: DeLand Historic Trust, Inc., is a 501C3 tax exempt charitable organization registered in Florida
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Welcome! This is a completely non-profit public service educational website dedicated to the US Army "ST" or small tugboats used during WW2, the Korean War, and Vietnam. It's also a source of information on the earlier DeLand Army Tugboat Preservation Group, or DATPG, which is a group of enthusiasts dedicated to the preservation of the history and artifacts of the US Army ST's built on Lake Beresford, in Beresford, Florida, during WW2 and the Korean War era. The town of Beresford no longer exists and has for decades been considered part of the DeLand area.
I'm Dan Friend, Founder and President of DeLand Historic Trust, Inc., a Florida charitable non-profit corporation which now incorporates the working DATPG group. I am the researcher and compiler of what you will see here. My thanks go out to all of those researchers that over the decades have tried to fill in the blanks on an important chapter in our history just as I am attempting to do now. This website will be updated frequently as any new details are found. Please understand that info on the ST's is hard to find, and errors undoubtedly exist in what I've assembled just as there certainly are errors in what is out there right now: I hope to sort at least some of it out! Contact me at danieljosephfriend@gmail.com with comments and any new information or clarifications.
Page One of this site generally has information on ALL of the small US Army tugboats built or acquired from WW2 - Vietnam that I am aware of. Page Two is the DATPG page with articles and information primarily dealing with the tugs built locally on Lake Beresford. Click on the upper right DATPG button to go to the DATPG/DHT Page.
We have for years been an IRS 501 C3 tax exempt organization thus we can offer a tax deduction for a donation. The website has for years yielded numerous world-wide contacts from those who know of, or own, the boats; and we know that it is the only way to really expand the knowledge base of the tugs since the Army destroyed all WW2 era small ships logs in 1951. While our main effort right now is the creation of a National Monument to all ST tugs, crew, and builders, we will continue the website while also showing our large tugboat models and artifacts locally in DeLand's Memorial Hospital & Veterans Museum where we have a large display case. And we will also work to preserve all local military history as well.
Some of the files below are in Word or in a PDF file for those without Word. Some of these are very large files and can take several minutes to download. ..Click on one of the buttons below to open a file. Photo above of ST 42 courtesy DeLand Naval Air Station Museum. Please note this is my personal education and research website and any issues related to copyright usage are solely and exclusively mine. No other individual, organization or group is responsible for anything on this site. Please let me know if there is a copyright issue or problem and I will take care of it by appropriate attribution or withdrawal. This site is for private educational personal viewing only. Many of the photos on this website are in the public domain, but no photo reproductive rights are given and if you copy a photo you do so completely at your own risk.
Membership in DHT Inc. is $12.00 per year, or $200.00 makes you a life member. Corporate sponsorship is only $500. Visit our new Facebook page by entering "DeLand Historic Trust" to find a membership application. Tax-deductable donations always appreciated! Contact me at the email address for details..... Enjoy....and Carpe Diem!
Dan Friend DeLand Historic Trust, Inc. danieljosephfriend@gmail.com 386-943-9537
"A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Florida Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free (800-435-7352) within the State of Florida. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state."
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