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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive
Patch at left contributed by Don Mc Grogan, Patch at right Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Recovery (ARS-43)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - India - Delta
 NIID
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (2) - Navy Battle "E" Ribbon (6)
Bottom Row - Navy Expeditionary Medal (3-Lebanon) - National Defense Service Medal (3) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Grenada)

USS Recovery (ARS-43) was transferred to Taiwan, renamed ROCS Da-Juen (ARS-556)
Bolster Class Rescue and Salvage Ship:
  • Laid down, 6 January 1945, at Basalt Rock Co., Napa, CA
  • Launched, 4 August 1945
  • Commissioned USS Recovery (ARS-43), 15 May 1946, LT. J. T. Moritz in command
  • Decommissioned and simultaneously struck from the Naval Register, 30 September 1994
  • Transferred to Taiwan, 30 September 1998, under the Security Assistance Program
  • Commissioned, ROCS Da-Juen (ARS-556), 1 March 1999
  • Current Disposition, active in commission in the Republic of China (Taiwan) Navy
    Specifications:
    Displacement 1,497t.(lt) 1,990 t.(fl)
    Length 213' 6"
    Beam 39'
    Draft 14' 8"
    Speed 16 kts.
    Complement
    Officers 7
    Enlisted 113
    Largest Boom Capacity 10 t.
    Armament
    two twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    Fuel Capacity
    Diesel 2,150 bbls
    Gasoline 2,500 Gals
    Propulsion
    four Cooper-Bessemer Diesel-electric engines
    single 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
    USS Recovery (ARS-43)
    Recovery 156k USS Recovery (ARS-43) under way, circa 1950s, location unknown. Note the prominent tubs for her two 40mm twin gun mounts.US Naval History and Heritage Command (UA-164). Photo No. Unknown, courtesy Shipscribe.com. Robert Hurst
    Baldwin 101k USS Baldwin (DD-624) at right during operations to refloat her at Montauk Point, Long Island, N.Y., at 1030 hrs. 28 April 1961. The "mothballed" destroyer had broken free from her towline, 16 April 1961, and drifted ashore. Among the ships engaged in the salvage effort are USS Hoist (ARS-40), USS Salvager (ARSD-3), USS Windlass (ARSD-4) and a fleet tug (ATF). photographed from an aircraft based at Naval Air Station Quonset Point, R. I. Baldwin was towed seaward by USS Luiseno (ATF-156), bottom left, and USS Recovery (ARS-43), top left, and sunk by their gunfire, in 200 fathoms. Both Salvager and Windlass (ARSD-4), participated in towing her off the beach.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 99108    		 Robert Hurst
    Recovery 93k USS Recovery (ARS-43) approaching USS Rigal (AF-58) to take on stores during "Operation Steelpike I", October 1964. Photo by Jim McCoy
    Recovery 122k USS Recovery (ARS-43) recovering a downed F-14 Tomcat form the sea. Probably F-14A modex AD153 BuNo 159594 from training squadron VF-101 "Grim Reapers." It crashed in the Atlantic, 21 June 1977, 48 miles southeast of NAS Oceana, see "Flight International magazine, 16 July 1977, pg. 196. Pilot was LCDR D.F. Green, RIO was LT Stephen C. Miller (killed in November that year in another F-14 crash).
    US Navy photo.    		 Ray F Longaker Jr.
    Recovery 31k USS Recovery (ARS-43) under way in the Anacostia River at Washington, D.C., date unknown. NAFTS
    National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors
    Recovery 1054k USS Recovery (ARS-43) departing La Spezia, 1 July 1980. Photo by Carlo Martinelli
    Recovery 76k USS Recovery (ARS-43) moored pierside at Barcelona, Spain, 12 July 1980. Ships in the background are USS Dahlgren (DDG 43) and USS Stump (DD 978). Photo by Fabio Peņa
    Recovery 91k View of USS Recovery (ARS-43)'s forward superstructure. Note. SATCOM antennas. Barcelona, Spain, 30 August 1981. Photo by Fabio Peņa
    Recovery 82k USS Recovery (ARS-43) at Barcelona, Spain, 30 August 1981. Photo by Fabio Peņa
    Recovery
    09374323    		 198k USS Recovery (ARS-43) underway, 1 June 1982, location unknown.
    U.S. Navy photo by PHC McManus from the holdings of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Identifier (NAID) 6419434    		 Photo by Robert Hurst
    Recovery 79k USS Recovery (ARS-43) at Venice, Italy, date unknown. Photo by Manolo Budiņo
    Recovery 64k USS Recovery (ARS-43) underway, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo    		 Tom Langford
    Recovery 123k USS Recovery (ARS-43) underway, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo    		 Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
    Recovery 277k USS Recovery (ARS-43) moored at the Washington Navy Yard during a Navy festival open house. Behind the Recovery is the destroyer USS Barry (DD-933), a permanent memorial ship.
    DVIC photo # DN-ST-85-11641 June 1 1985, a US Navy photo by Don S. Montgomery, now in the collections of the Defense Visual Information Center.
    US Navy photo    		 Robert M. Cieri
    Recovery 724k USS Recovery (ARS-43) moored at Marseille, France, 24 April 1988. Photo by Philippe Gonzales
    Paiute 97k USS Paiute (ATF-159), USS Papago (ATF-160) and USS Recovery (ARS-43) in storage near Portsmouth, VA., 18 October 1994. In the back of the basin are two patrol missile hydrofoil patrol boats of the Pegasus class, three ocean minesweepers, USS Fortify (MSO-446) and two others. DVIC Photo DNSC9501404 Don S. Montgomery, Defense Visual Information Center
    ROCS Da-Juen (ARS-556)
    Recovery 130k Ex-Recovery (ARS-43) in Republic of China service as ROCS Da-Juen (ARS-556) moored pierside at Keelung, Taiwan in 2006. Perry Huang
    Recovery 148k ROCS Da-Juen (ARS-556) moored pierside at Keelung, Taiwan in 2006. Perry Huang
    Recovery 102k ROCS Da-Juen (ARS-556) moored pierside at Keelung, Taiwan in 2006. Perry Huang
    Recovery 78k ROCS Da-Juen (ARS-556) moored pierside at Keelung, Taiwan in 2006. Perry Huang
    Recovery 79k ROCS Da-Juen (ARS-556) moored pierside at Keelung, Taiwan in 2006. Perry Huang
    Recovery 70k ROCS Da-Juen (ARS-556) moored pierside at Keelung, Taiwan in 2006. Perry Huang
    Recovery 90k ROCS Da-Juen (ARS-556) name board, 2006. Perry Huang
    Recovery 116k ROCS Da-Juen (ARS-556) moored port side to another ship at Keelung, Taiwan in 2006. Perry Huang
    Grapple
    09370715    		 183k ROCS Da Juen (ARS-556) and ROCS Da-Hu (ARS-552) (ex-USS Garpple (ARS-78), moored pierside at Keelung, Taiwan, 27 December 2013.
    Photo courtesy of Xuan Shisheng. licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported    		 Robert Hurst

    For more information about USS Recovery, see;
  • Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
  • National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors
    • Commanding Officers
    01LT. Moritz, Jack Todd15 May 1946 - 6 November 1948
    02LT.Musto, Vincent Peter6 November 1948 - 19 May 1951
    03LT. Norman, Robert James19 May 1951 - 11 February 1952
    04LCDR. Kasworm, Martin Arnold11 February 1952 - 1953
    05LCDR. Shahan, Neil George1953 - 1955
    06LCDR. Hurtt, Thomas Braxton20 April 1957 - 16 October 1957
    07LCDR. Keicler, G. A.16 October 1957 - 4 November 1957
    08LCDR. Conelly, Theron Allen4 November 1957 - 30 March 1959
    09LCDR. Marker, Raymond Keith30 March 1959 - 23 January 1961
    10LCDR. Taylor, Robert Henry, USN (USNA 1947)23 January 1961 - 27 July 1962
    11LCDR. Sarri, Aimo Matthew27 July 1962 - 3 October 1964
    12LCDR. Lilienfeld, Joe James3 October 1964 - 18 January 1966
    13LCDR. Warren, James Westley18 January 1966 - 29 August 1968
    14LCDR. Roberson, Harold Jennings29 August 1968 - 30 May 1970
    15LCDR. Clark, George Newton30 May 1970 - 25 September 1972
    16LCDR. Bonham, Charles Leonard25 September 1972 - 30 August 1974
    17LCDR. Sowa Jr., Walter, USN (USNA 1964)30 August 1974 - 30 January 1976
    18LCDR. Smallwood, Frederick. K.30 January 1976 - 16 December 1977
    19LCDR. Kenyon, Morton William16 December 1977 - 9 May 1980
    20LCDR. Stephan, Herbert A.9 May 1980 - 27 August 1982
    21LCDR. Brittingham, Robert Peter27 August 1982 - 15 May 1985
    22LCDR. Almy III, Gideon Wilcox15 May 1985 - 12 June 1985
    23LCDR. Hammond, Andrew T.12 June 1985 - 7 December 1987
    24LCDR. Honey, Robert Mark12 July 1987 - 7 December 1989
    25LCDR. Bruno, Paul Nicholas7 December 1987 - 16 January 1989
    26LCDR. Morrissey, Shawn B.16 January 1989 - 1 February 1991
    27LCDR. Dontch III, Michael J.1 February 1991 - 30 March 1993
    28LCDR. McGrath, Kathleen Anne (Kathy)30 March 1993 - 30 September 1994
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
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    Last Updated 17 November 2023