Tug Ludington
Although the U.S. Navy had more large ships than the U.S. Army in World War II, the Army had a larger number of total ships, almost twice as many as the Navy, including several thousand harbor craft. Classified as a large tug (LT), the Browder was able to sail to England under its own power. Several hundred LTs were built during World War II but only a few unmodified vessels exist today. A sister tug, the LT-5 Major Elisha K. Enson, now the Nash, is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with a similar history.
The Browder was originally painted navy gray, but as the Ludington is now painted as it was in its second life as a construction and maintenance ship, in the colors of the Corps of Engineers, primarily black, silver, and red. The tug is 115 feet in length, with a 26-foot beam and 14 foot 3 inch draft. The tug was fitted for a crew of 24 in World War II, and 14 when operated by the Corps.