The USS Sonoma (AT-12) was a Sonoma-class fleet tug built by the New York Shipbuilding Company in Camden, New Jersey. Her keel was laid on November 7, 1911, and she was launched on May 11, 1912, entering service on September 6, 1912. The vessel was designed as a versatile tug capable of supporting fleet operations, with an initial assignment to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet as a tender. She served in this capacity through World War I before transferring to the U.S. Pacific Fleet in 1919. On July 17, 1920, she was designated AT-12. Throughout her career, Sonoma primarily served as a fleet tug, performing towing, salvage, fire-fighting, and support duties across the Pacific region. During the early years of World War II, she was based at Pearl Harbor, initially serving as a channel guard vessel. In late 1942, she was involved in towing operations, including transporting damaged ships and equipment to locations such as Nouméa, Sydney, and Milne Bay. Her operational area included the Fiji Islands, New Hebrides, Australia, and New Guinea, where she supported Allied campaigns and participated in combat zones. Notably, Sonoma arrived off Lae, New Guinea, in September 1943, and came under Japanese air attack multiple times, shooting down one aircraft and sustaining near misses and shrapnel damage. She continued operations in the vicinity, including supporting landings and reconnaissance missions. On January 2, 1944, she was hit by friendly fire from shore batteries near Saidor, resulting in several machine gun bullet hits. Later that year, she supported amphibious assaults at Morotai and Leyte, providing salvage, firefighting, and towing services. Her service ended tragically when she was struck by a Japanese bomber during the Battle of Leyte Gulf on October 24, 1944. The explosion caused her to take on water rapidly, and despite efforts by nearby vessels to extinguish the fires and rescue casualties, she ultimately sank in 18 feet of water off Dio Island. For her distinguished service, USS Sonoma earned five battle stars during World War II.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.