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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive
Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USNS Salvor (T-ARS-52)
ex
 USS Salvor (ARS-52) (1986 - 2007)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Lima - November - Bravo
 NLNB
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Secretary of the Navy Letter of Commendation
Precedence of awards is from left to right
Navy Battle "E" Ribbon (3) - National Defense Service Medal
Safeguard Class Rescue and Salvage Ship:
  • Laid down, 16 September 1982, at Peterson Builders, Sturgeon Bay, WI.
  • Launched, 12 November 1983
  • Commissioned USS Salvor (ARS-52), 14 June 1986, LCDR. R. A. Reish USN, in command
  • Salvor is assigned to ComNavSurfPac and homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, HI.
  • Decommissioned, 12 January 2007, at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, HI.
  • Transferred to the Military Sealift Command (MSC) the same date and placed in service as USNS Salvor (T-ARS-52)
    Specifications:
    Displacement 2,633 t.(lt) 3,282 t.(fl)
    Length 255'
    Beam 51'
    Draft 17' (max.)
    Speed 14 kts.
    Complement 6 Officers, 94 Enlisted
    Armament
    two MK-38 25mm chain guns
    two .50 cal machine guns
    Propulsion four Caterpillar 399 diesel engines, two shafts, 4,200hp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed By
    /Source
    USS Salvor (ARS-52)
    Salvor 99k USS Salvor (ARS-52) underway south of Oahu by HSL helo for antenna identification pictures. Note that the aft kingpost and stack are painted out haze grey, this was accomplished in the early 90's during Desert Storm, when the contrast black/grey was deemed a missile hazard..
    US Navy photo.    		 USS Salvor (ARS-52) web site
    Salvor 67k
    Salvor 77k USS Salvor (ARS-52) returns home after a three month deployment, 5 September 2002, in which she stood in for USS Safeguard (ARS 50) to participate in the CARAT 2002 exercise.
    US Navy photo by PH1(AW) William R. Goodwin, from Hawaii Navy News Online web site.     		Bill Gonyo
    Salvor 76k USS Salvor (ARS-52) moored, Pier 2, Naval Station San Diego, 2003. Photo by Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
    Salvor 86k USS Salvor (ARS-52) moored, Pier 2, Naval Station San Diego, 2003. Photo by Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
    Salvor 130k RBN divers aboard USS Salvor (ARS-52) watch a US Navy diver demonstrate the MK20 dive mask.
    US Navy photo # 040621-N-2573M-015 by EM1 Elysian McIntyre.    		 Bill Gonyo
    Salvor 148k USS Salvor (ARS-52) pulls into Pearl Harbor following a deployment to the Western Pacific, 20 September 2004. The ship departed Hawaii to participate in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2004 exercise. CARAT is a regularly scheduled series of bilateral military training exercises with Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines.
    US Navy photo # 040920-N-0106C-001 by JO1 Daniel J. Calderón    		 USS Salvor (ARS-52) web site
    Salvor 628k USS Salvor (ARS-52) operates at sea during the Singapore phase of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2006. CARAT is an annual series of bilateral maritime training exercises between the United States and six Southeast Asia nations designed to build relationships and enhance the operational readiness of the participating forces.
    US Navy photo # 060607-N-4205W-003 South China Sea (June 7, 2006) by MC1 Kathryn Whittenberger.    		 Bill Gonyo
    Salvor 87k QM3 Robert Arredondo, explains to visitors from the Navy division of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) how USS Salvor (ARS-52) is controlled from the bridge. Visits to Vietnam by U.S. Navy ships symbolize the continuation of normalized relations between two nations. Sailors from Salvor and the mine countermeasures ship USS Patriot (MCM-7) will have an opportunity to interact with the Vietnamese people through a variety of events, including a community service project at a local orphanage and a volleyball game with the Navy division of the PAVN.
    US Navy photo # 60704-N-9851B-003 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (July 2, 2006) by MC2 John L. Beeman    		 Bill Gonyo
    Salvor 59k USS Salvor (ARS-52) moored at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 4 July 2006. Salvor is in holiday dress for a 4th of July celebration, while in port at Ho Chi Minh City. Visits to Vietnam by US Navy ships symbolize the continuation of relations between the two nations. Sailors from Salvor and the mine countermeasures ship USS Patriot (MCM 7) will have an opportunity to interact with the Vietnamese people through a variety of events, including a community service project at a local orphanage and a volleyball game with the Navy division of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN).
    US Navy photo # 060704-N-9851B-009 by MC2 John L. Beeman.    		 Lee Wahler
    Salvor 57k USS Salvor (ARS-52) at anchor in the Strait of Madura, off the coast of Indonesia, 15 July 2006. Salvor (ARS 52) was conducting familiarization dives with Indonesian Navy divers. US Navy and Indonesian Navy divers were conducting familiarization dives to give Indonesian divers an opportunity to see how US divers conduct operations. Salvor is currently participating in the third phase of exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT). CARAT is an annual series of bilateral maritime training exercises between the United States and six Southeast Asia nations designed to build relationships and enhance the operational readiness of the participating forces.
    US Navy photo # 060715-N-9851B-005 by MC2 John L. Beeman.    		 Lee Wahler
    Salvor 1025k Sailors aboard USS Salvor (ARS-52) man the rails as they prepare to moor pierside at Naval Station Pearl Harbor. Salvor returned home after completing a five-month deployment to Southeast Asia in support of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT). CARAT is an annual series of bilateral maritime training exercises between the Navy and the armed forces of Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Philippines.
    US Navy photo # 061002-N-4965F-006 Pearl Harbor (Oct. 2, 2006) by MC1 James E. Foehl.    		 Bill Gonyo
    Salvor 103k USS Salvor (ARS-52) sailors man the rails for the final time during decommissioning at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, HI., 12 January 2007. Salvor was later placed in service as USNS Salvor (T-ARS-52) and transferred to the Military Sealift Command (MSC)
    US Navy photo # 070112-N-4400J-020 by MC1 Keith Jones.    		 Lee Wahler
    USNS Salvor (T-ARS-52)
    Salvor 939k The Pearl Harbor-based guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal (CG-73) ran aground 5 February, 2009, about a half-mile south of the Honolulu airport while off-loading personnel into a small boat. USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52), which included an embarked detachment of Mobile Diving Salvage Unit One (MDSU-1) personnel, MV Dove, and seven Navy and commercial tugboats freed Port Royal off a shoal on 9 February.
    US Navy photo # 090207-N-0000X-002 PEARL HARBOR (Feb. 7, 2009).    		 Lee Wahler
    View the USS Salvor (ARS-52) / USNS Salvor (T-ARS-52)
    Histories/Command Operations Reports located at the US Naval Historical Center
    Commanding Officers
    LCDR Reish, Robert A. 14 June 1986 - 29 July 1989
    LCDR Steadley, Joel F. 29 July 1989 - 25 October 1991
    LCDR Pauls, James M. 25 October 1991 - 19 November 1993
    LCDR Howes, Randall S. 19 November 1993 - 12 January 1996
    LCDR Henson, Christopher Michael 12 January 1996 - 23 January 1998
    LCDR Bush, Babette Bolivar 23 January 1998 - 14 January 2000
    LCDR Nault, William Joseph 14 January 2000 - 12 September 2001
    LCDR Carter, John Allen 12 September 2001 - 17 June 2003
    LCDR McCartney, Michael Alan 17 June 2003 - 28 January2005
    LCDR Howard, John Colby 28 January 2005 - 12 January 2007

    Special thanks to Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Fleet Reserve Association
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors
    US Navy Fact File - Rescue and Salvage Ships - ARS
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Service Ship Photo Index Back To The Salvage Ship (ARS) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    © 2005 Gary P. Priolo © 1996 - 2009 NavSource Naval History. All Rights Reserved.
    Last Updated 27 March 2009