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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive


Patches contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Reclaimer (ARS-42)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - India - Bravo
NIIB
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons





Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (2)
Second Row - Navy Battle "E" Ribbon (3)- American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal - Korean Service Medal (5)
Fourth Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Vietnam) - Vietnam Service Medal (8) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (5)
Fifth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal


Bolster Class Rescue and Salvage Ship:
  • Laid down, 10 November 1944, at Basalt Rock Co., Napa, CA.
  • Launched, 23 June 1945
  • Commissioned USS Reclaimer (ARS-42), 20 December 1945, LT. D. A. Bendinelli USN in command
  • USS Reclaimer (ARS-42) was assigned to Joint Task Force 1, Task Unit 1.2.7 Target Vessel Group - Salvage Units for Operation Crossroads the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in July 1946
  • Decommissioned, 23 June 1947 at San Diego, CA.
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group
  • Recommissioned, 1 December 1950
  • During the Korean War USS Reclaimer participated in the following campaigns:

    Korean War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Communist China Spring Offensive
    24 May 1951
    2 to 12 and 20 June 1951
    30 June to 1 July 1951
    Third Korean Winter
    1 to 14 December 1952
    24 December 1952 to 7 January 1953
    23 to 30 April 1953
    UN Summer-Fall Offensive
    3 to 20 August 1951
    21 to 27 November 1951
    Korean Summer-Fall 1953
    1 to 16 May 1953
    Second Korean Winter
    28 November to 19 December 1951
     

  • During the Vietnam War USS Reclaimer participated in the following campaigns:

    Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    Vietnam Advisory Campaign
    5 to 20 May 1964
    30 to 31 March 1965
    25 April to 25 May 1965
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V
    1 to 16 July 1968
    1 August to 10 October 1968
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive
    24 February to 10 March 1966
    24 March to 7 April 1966
    2 to 11 June 1966
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VII
    1 to 16 January 1971
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II
    23 to 24 May 1967
    Consolidation II
    29 March 1972
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III
    5 to 8 June 1967
    4 to 20 July 1967
    14 August to 5 September 1967
    Vietnam Ceasefire
    30 March to 6 April 1972
    17 April to 24 May 1972
    12 to 14 June 1972
    27 June to 7 August 1972
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV  

  • Decommissioned and simultaneously struck from the Naval Register, 16 September 1994
  • USS Reclaimer earned five battle stars for Korean War service the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal with eight campaign stars for Vietnam War service
  • Transferred to the Maritime Commission (MARAD), 28 July 2001, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.
  • Withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet, 28 November 2006, to Naval Weapons Station Concord, CA. for stripping
  • Final Disposition, Scrap Contract of $462,223.31 to Marine Metals, Inc Brownsville TX 12 Apr, 2011. Departed the National Defense Reserve Fleet Suisun Bay Group 16 May 2011. Scrapping Complete 14 Oct 2011
    Specifications:
    Displacement 1,497 t.(lt) 2,048 t.(fl)
    Length 213' 6"
    Beam 43'
    Draft 13' 9"
    Speed 16 kts.
    Complement
    Officers 7
    Enlisted 113
    Largest Boom Capacity10 t.
    Armament
    one single 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mount
    two twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    four .50 cal machine guns
    Fuel Capacities
    Diesel 2,150 Bbls
    Gasoline 2,500 Gals
    Propulsion
    four Cooper-Bessemer Diesel-electric, GSB-8 engines
    double Fairbanks-Morse Main Reduction Gears Ship's Service Generators
    two Diesel-drive 200Kw 120V D.C.
    one Diesel-drive 60Kw 120V D.C.
    twin propellers, 3,000shp

    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image
    Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Reclaimer
    09374206
    61k USS Reclaimer (ARS-42) washing down the radioactive ex- USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) after an atomic test blast at Bikini, circa, June to September 1946.
    09374106 - US Navy photo
    09374210 - Life Magazine photo.
    Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.Ret
    Mike Green
    Reclaimer
    09374210
    228k
    PC-485 49k The main deck of the ROKS Han Ra San (PC 705) ex-USS PC-485 about to break the surface after being sunk at Guam by Typhoon Karen, November 1962. The salvage ships USS Bolster (ARS 38) and USS Reclaimer (ARS 42) are in the background.
    US Navy photo.
    Bob Daly USS PC-1181
    Reclaimer 109k USS Reclaimer (ARS-42) underway off Oahu, Hawaii, 28 February 1963. Note that she still has her two 40mm gun tubs.
    US Navy Photo No. KN-5483 courtesy Shipscribe.com
    Mike Green
    Reclaimer 115k USS Reclaimer (ARS-42), date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo
    Dennis Stephenson SMC USN Ret
    Reclaimer 77k USS Reclaimer (ARS-42) in her Vietnam War configuration, location unknown.
    US Navy photo from "Mud, Muscles, and Miracles" by Captain Charles A. Bartholomew, USN and Commander William I. Milwee, Jr., USN (Ret.)
    Robert Hurst
    Reclaimer 45k USS Reclaimer (ARS-42) off Honolulu during anchor recovery exercises. Photo taken from USS Moctobi (ATF-105) Photo by Gordon Masse via NAFTS
    National Association
    of Fleet Tug Sailors
    Reclaimer 284k USS Reclaimer (ARS-42) and USS Brunswick (ATS-3) moored at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, November 1981. Photo by Chris Howell, Southland Ship Stores Limited, Port of Bluff, N.Z.
    Reclaimer
    09374211
    100k Port beam view of USS Reclaimer (ARS-42) off Naval Station Pearl Harbor, HI., 1 February 1989.
    U.S. Navy photo OPA-NARA 11-2015/12/04 by OS2 John Bouvia from www.flickriver.com by Photograph Curator Public domain photo.
    John Spivey
    Reclaimer 151k Stern view of ex-USS Reclaimer (ARS-42) laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay with other tugs and salvage ships, 16 February 2008. Ex-USS Reclaimer is awaiting disposal by SINKEX. Photo by Dennis Pangburn EN2, USS Reclaimer 1959-1963.
    Reclaimer 172k Starboard bow view of ex-USS Reclaimer (ARS-42) laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, awaiting disposal by SINKEX, 16 February 2008. Photo by Dennis Pangburn EN2, USS Reclaimer 1959-1963.
    Reclaimer 179k Stern view of ex-USS Reclaimer (ARS-42) laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, awaiting disposal by SINKEX, 16 February 2008. Photo by Dennis Pangburn EN2, USS Reclaimer 1959-1963.

    USS Reclaimer Additional Ships Patches
    Reclaimer
    Contributed by Mike Smolinski
    Reclaimer
    Contributed by Tommy Trampp
    Reclaimer
    Contributed by Mike Smolinski


    For more information about USS Reclaimer, see;
  • Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
  • MARAD Vessel History Database
  • National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors
  • National Register Eligibility Assessment

  • Commanding Officers
    01LT. Bendinelli, Donald Anthony, USN20 December 1945 - 23 June 1947
     Decommissioned23 June 1947 - 1 December 1950
    02LT. Kilpatrick, Marion Clifford, USN1 December 1950 - April 1952
    03LCDR. Calhoun, Aubra, USNApril 1952 - April 1953
    04LT. Smith, Kenneth E.April 1953 - August 1955
    05LCDR. Rueber, Gerhardt William, USNAugust 1955 - August 1957
    06LCDR. Danforth, Norman Charles, USNAugust 1957 - August 1959
    07LCDR. May Sr., Robert Charles, USNAugust 1959 - 19 July 1961
    08 LCDR. McGonagle, William Loren19 July 1961 - 30 September 1963
    09LT. Evard, William Edward, USN30 September 1963 - 22 December 1965
    10LCDR. Friddle Jr., Frank Robinson, USN22 December 1965 - December 1967
    11LT. Evard, William Edward, USNDecember 1967 - January 1968
    12LCDR. Reed, Calvin Clarke, USNDecember 1967 - January 1968
    13LT. Johnson, BruceJanuary 1968 - March 1968
    14LCDR. Fondren, George, USNMarch 1968 - 12 March 1970
    15LCDR. Savage, Billy Bob, USN12 March 1970 - April 1973
    16LCDR. Caruso, Sam Joseph, USNApril 1973 - January 1975
    17LCDR. Norton, Douglas Marvin, USN (USNA 1965)January 1975 - January 1977
    18LCDR. Long, Laurence Graves, USNJanuary 1977 - January 1979
    19LCDR. Banks, Bruce Christian, USNJanuary 1979 - 1 December 1980
    20LCDR. Owens, Richard Lee, USN1 December 1980 - 16 December 1982
    21LCDR. Evans, James Marvin, USN16 December 1982 - 15 January 1986
    22LCDR. Bruno, Paul Nicholas15 January 1986 - December 1989
    23LCDR. Barcus, Richard ScottDecember 1989 - October 1991
    24LCDR. Helmkamp, Mark ThomasOctober 1991 - September 1993
    25LCDR. Perez Jr., Samuel, USN (USNA 1980) :RADMSeptember 1993 - 16 September 1994
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves


    Crew Contact And Reunion Information Web Sites
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 15 September 2023