Hoga (YT-146)

Moored today along the Arkansas River at North Little Rock’s riverfront, Hoga (YT-146) represents a rare surviving workhorse of the U.S. Navy’s harbor fleet and one of the last operational witnesses to 7 December 1941. Built in 1940–41 as a Woban-class district harbor tug, Hoga was assigned to the 14th Naval District at Pearl Harbor, where it spent its early career shifting ships, tending lighters, and standing by with firefighting gear. During the Japanese attack, the small tug was underway within minutes, rescuing men from the water, battling fires along Battleship Row, and helping maneuver damaged ships clear of sinking hulls and burning oil. Interpreted today within the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum complex, the vessel offers a compact study in naval engineering and yardcraft operations: low-profile power, firefighting capability, and rugged construction adapted to confined anchorages rather than blue water. Its preservation in an inland urban setting underscores how modest support craft, often overlooked in fleet histories, played critical roles in crisis and now anchor public memory of Pearl Harbor alongside far larger and more famous ships.