HOGA TRANSFER FROM U.S. NAVY TO NLR THURSDAY Washington, DC - Secretary of the Navy Gordon England will transfer the historic Navy tugboat, the Hoga, to the city of North Little Rock on Thursday, July 28 at 10:30 a.m. in the U.S. Capitol. The Hoga is of exceptional significance in American history as one of two known surviving yard craft present at the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Navy selected North Little Rock to be the site of Hoga's permanent display over strong competitors in Florida and Hawaii. Designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1989, she was listed in 1995 as one of the top 11 most endangered historic sites in the United States by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Congressman Snyder took a personal interest in the tugboat, and first began pursuing her transfer to Arkansas in the summer of 1998. WHO: Secretary of the Navy Gordon England WHAT: Transfer Ceremony of Historic Tugboat Hoga WHEN: Thursday, July 28, 2005 10:30 a.m. WHERE: S211 U.S. Capitol, LBJ Room After only six months in service with the 14th navy station, the Hoga was put to the test when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 194l. While not engaged in combating the enemy, the Hoga fought without break for 48 hours, extinguishing fires, tugging bombed warships and rescuing seamen. She particularly distinguished herself through her crew's actions in helping beach the burning and sinking battleship USS Nevada at Hospital Point, whose run for the open sea was aborted by Japanese bombers intending to sink her in the channel and block Pearl Harbor. In the weeks, months, and years that followed the attack, Hoga and her sister yard tugs and support craft worked hard assisting in the salvage, refitting and repairing of damaged vessels, and keeping Pearl Harbor active as a naval base as it expanded for a naval war in the Pacific. For her actions, Hoga was awarded a meritorious citation. In 1948, the Hoga took on duties as a fireboat in the harbor at San Francisco and Oakland, where she fought fires on the docks and ships for another five decades. It is yet undetermined when the Hoga will make the trip from Oakland to North Little Rock through the Panama Canal. The Hoga, which is Sioux for the word "fish," is built entirely of welded steel, is 99.7 feet in length, and displaces 350 tons. For more information and photos of the Hoga, visit http://www.cr.nps.gov/maritime/nhl/hoga.htm
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