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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:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Korean War Campaigns
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:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal
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
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
09374210	228k		Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.Ret Mike Green
	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
	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
	115k	*USS Reclaimer* (ARS-42)**, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	Dennis Stephenson SMC USN Ret
	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
	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
	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.
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
	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.
	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.
	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
Contributed by Mike Smolinski	Contributed by Tommy Trampp	Contributed by Mike Smolinski

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

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Bendinelli, Donald Anthony, USN	20 December 1945 - 23 June 1947
	Decommissioned	23 June 1947 - 1 December 1950
02	LT. Kilpatrick, Marion Clifford, USN	1 December 1950 - April 1952
03	LCDR. Calhoun, Aubra, USN	April 1952 - April 1953
04	LT. Smith, Kenneth E.	April 1953 - August 1955
05	LCDR. Rueber, Gerhardt William, USN	August 1955 - 22 August 1957
06	LCDR. Danforth, Norman Charles, USN	22 August 1957 - 10 August 1959
07	LCDR. Bailey, Ira Vann, USN	10 August 1959 - 15 June 1960
08	LCDR. May Sr., Robert Carl, USN	15 June 1960 - 19 July 1961
09	LCDR/CDR. McGonagle, William Loren, USN	19 July 1961 - 30 September 1963
10	LT/LCDR. Evard, William Edward, USN	30 September 1963 - 22 December 1965
11	LCDR. Friddle Jr., Frank Robinson, USN	22 December 1965 - 16 December 1967
12	LCDR. Reed, Calvin Clarke, USN	16 December 1967 - 1 December 1968
13	LT. Johnson, Bradley, USN	1 December 1968 - 12 March 1968
14	LCDR. Fondren, George, USN	12 March 1968 - 12 March 1970
15	LCDR. Savage, Billy Bob, USN	12 March 1970 - April 1973
16	LCDR. Caruso, Sam Joseph, USN	April 1973 - January 1975
17	LCDR. Norton, Douglas Marvin, USN (USNA 1965)	January 1975 - January 1977
18	LCDR. Long, Laurence Graves, USN	January 1977 - January 1979
19	LCDR. Banks, Bruce Christian, USN	January 1979 - 1 December 1980
20	LCDR. Owens, Richard Lee, USN	1 December 1980 - 16 December 1982
21	LCDR. Evans, James Marvin, USN	16 December 1982 - 15 January 1986
22	LCDR. Bruno, Paul Nicholas	15 January 1986 - December 1989
23	LCDR. Barcus, Richard Scott	December 1989 - October 1991
24	LCDR. Helmkamp, Mark Thomas	October 1991 - September 1993
25	LCDR. Perez Jr., Samuel, USN (USNA 1980) :RADM	September 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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Last Updated 16 August 2024