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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Patch at left contributed by Mike Smolinski, patch at right courtesy Paul Knierim via NAFTS

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Bolster (ARS-38)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Echo - Whiskey NHEW

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Secretary of the Navy Letter of Commendation
Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (3)
Second Row - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2)
Fourth Row - Korean Service Medal (7) - Vietnam Service Medal (11) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (2)
Fifth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Bolster Class Rescue and Salvage Ship:

Laid down, 20 July 1944, at Basalt Rock Co., Napa, CA.

Launched, 23 December 1944

Commissioned USS Bolster (ARS-38), 1 May 1945, LT. William F. Lewis in command

During and following World War II USS Bolster was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and performed Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods: 20 September to 27 October 1945 and 5 to 6 May 1947

During the Korean War USS Bolster participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Korean War Campaigns
North Korean Aggression 15 September to 2 November 1950	Second Korean Winter 8 to 23 February 1952 13 March to 12 April 1952
Communist China Aggression 3 November 1950 to 19 January 1951	Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 3 to 16 June 1952 15 July 1952
First UN Counter Offensive 9 February to 10 March 1951 11 to 16 April 1951	Korea Summer-Fall 1953 8 March to 11 April 1953
Communist China Spring Offensive 17 to 21 May 1951

During the Vietnam War USS Bolster participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Vietnam War Campaigns
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 11 to 17 February 1966	Sanctuary Counteroffensive 1 to 14 May 1970 7 to 24 June 1970
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 21 October to 19 December 1967 24 to 29 January 1968	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VII 24 July to 12 August 1970 30 August to 15 September 1970
Tet Counteroffensive 30 January to 27 February 1968	Consolidation I 26 October to 30 November 1971
Tet 69/Counteroffensive 3 to 7 March 1969 7 April to 25 May 1969	Consolidation II 1 to 3 December 1971 1 January to 29 March 1972
Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969 7 July to 4 August 1969	Vietnam Ceasefire 30 March to 30 September 1972
Vietnam Winter-Summer 1970 26 to 30 April 1970

Decommissioned, 24 September 1994

Struck from the Naval Register, 24 September 1994

USS Bolster earned seven battle stars for her Korean War service and eleven campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Transferred, 1 February 1999, to the Maritime Administration for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.

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 23 May 2011. Scrapping completed 17 Nov 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	Source
	37k	Bolster (ARS-38) under construction in Drydock No.1. at Basalt Rock Co., Napa, CA., date unknown. Photo from USS Bolster Decommissioning program, courtesy National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors	Robert Hurst
	35k	Bolster (ARS-38) leaving Drydock No. 1, at Basalt Rock Co., Napa, CA., 23 December 1944. Photo from USS Bolster Decommissioning program, courtesy National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors	Robert Hurst
	29k	*USS Bolster* (ARS-38)** underway during builders trials, San Francisco Bay, 20 May 1945	Courtesy John Ackerman via NAFTS National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors
09373820	102k	*USS Bolster* (ARS-38)** dive boat crew towinghttps://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2232627/rescue-and-salvage-ships-t-ars/ a repaired four-inch fuel line into position. The repaired line will rest at the bottom of the sea and enable tankers to discharge their loads at sea off the coast of Vietnam, July 1965. US Navy photo by JOC Lee W. Coleman - Flickr - Ronnie Bell	John Spivey
19-N-85859	94k	*USS Bolster* (ARS-38)** underway during builders trials, San Francisco Bay, 20 May 1945. US National Archives, RG-19-LCM, Photo No.s 19-N-85859 and 19-N-85860 US Navy Bureau of Ships photos now in the collections of the US National Archives, courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Mike Green
19-N-85860	87k		Mike Green
09373819	128k	U.S.Navy salvors pose aboard the wrecked Royal Thai Navy frigate HTMS Prasae off the coast of North Korea in January 1951. Left to right: Chief Petty Officer E.P. Wacham, Lieutenant (jg) D.Taylor, Petty Officer C.K.Harvard of the salvage vessel *USS Bolster* (ARS-38)**, and a Korean colleague. Images and text from "Mud, Muscles, and Miracles: Marine Salvage in the United States Navy". 2nd Edition. Captain Charles A. Bartholomew, USN, and Commander William I. Milwee, Jr., (Ret.). Naval History & Heritage Command, Naval Sea Systems Command, Department of the Navy, Washington, D.C., 2009.	Robert Hurst
	102k	*USS Bolster* (ARS-38)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, September 1951.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
	357k	Bow view of the Mare Island model of *USS Bolster* (ARS-38)** Photo is dated 11 February 1952. File name: ARS 38 11856-2-52, Navy Photo, 2/11/52	Darryl Baker
	334k	Model of *USS Bolster* (ARS-38)** at the Office of the Curator of Navy Ship Models, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Carderock, Bethesda, MD., 2013	Photo by Dan Treadwell
	50k	*USS Bolster* (ARS-38)** on her way to assist SS Meridian Victory after that ship ran aground on a reef while entering Sunyong Man, South Korea, circa 1952. Photo from National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors, contributed by Chuck Durand	Robert Hurst
	38k	*USS Bolster* (ARS-38)** towing an unidentified submarine, date and location unknown. Photo from USS Bolster Decommissioning program, courtesy National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors	Robert Hurst
	30k	*USS Bolster* (ARS-38)**, at Yokosuka, Japan, 1952	Courtesy Lynn Miller via NAFTS National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors
	49k	*USS Bolster* (ARS-38)** underway, date and location unknown.	NAFTS National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors
	49k	The main deck of the ROK 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
	67k	*USS Bolster* (ARS-38)** at anchor, date and location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	186k	*USS Bolster* (ARS-38)** 1983 outboard profile.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	152k	*USS Bolster* (ARS-38)** underway, circa 1978, location unknown. US Navy photo "All Hands" magazine, December 1978.	Robert Hurst
	347k	*USS Bolster* (ARS-38)** returning from sea to Naval Station Long Beach, Spring 1992.	Photo by ©David Buell
	348k	*USS Bolster* (ARS-38)** plaque	Steven Manson
	108k	Stern view of ex-*USS Bolster* (ARS-38)** moored in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA., November/December 2006.	Christopher Edwards

USS Bolster (ARS-38)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Lewis, William Francis	1 May 1945 - 26 December 1945
02	LT. Maul, Henry Patrick, USN	26 December 1945 - 4 August 1947
03	LT. Root, Merton Francis	4 August 1947 - 4 December 1948
04	LT. Whitworth, Billis Lonzo	4 December 1948 - 18 February 1951
05	LT. Harding, Harold J.	18 February 1951 - 31 December 1951
06	LT. Eason, George Emery	31 December 1951 - 18 June 1954
07	LCDR. Herver, George Henry	18 June 1954 - 15 June 1956
08	LCDR. Taylor, Robert Henry, USN (USNA 1947)	15 June 1956 - 1 January 1959
09	LCDR. Jennings, Gerald Warren	1 January 1959 - 1 January 1961
10	LCDR. Nourse, James Arnold	1 January 1961 - 6 July 1963
11	CDR. Looney, Francis Leroy	6 July 1963 - 5 November 1965
12	LCDR. Alldredge, Donald Leslie	5 November 1965 - 24 June 1967
13	LCDR. Connolly, Leo Joseph	24 June 1967 - 15 January 1968
14	LCDR. Reed, Calvin Clarke	15 January 1968 - 18 March 1970
15	LCDR. Marckfeld, William Edwin, USN	18 March 1970 - 29 May 1970
16	LT. Hamilton, J. D. M.	29 May 1970 - 5 June 1970
17	LCDR. Melton, Jack Leroy	5 June 1970 - 25 October 1973
18	LCDR. Siemer, John Robert	25 October 1973 - 7 May 1975
19	LCDR. Malkus, Kenneth Charles	7 May 1975 - 20 April 1977
20	LCDR. Landers, Michael Francis	20 April 1977 - 2 July 1979
21	LCDR. Lynch, Robert Burgess	2 July 1979 - 1 October 1980
22	CDR. Lundahl, David C.	1 October 1980 - 25 June 1982
23	LCDR. Speer, John Paul	25 June 1982 - 1 July 1983
24	LCDR. McCampbell, David Perry, USN (USNA 1970)	1 July 1983 - 21 September 1985
25	LCDR. Herb, Michael Curtis	21 September 1985 - 21 November 1987
26	LCDR. Murray, Christopher Cyrus	21 November 1987 - 22 September 1990
27	LCDR. D'Amico, William T.	22 September 1990 - 23 October 1992
28	LCDR. Scholley, Barbara L.	23 October 1992 - 24 September 1994


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
National Register Eligibility Assessment
Historic American Engineering Record
National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors

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

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Last Updated 5 July 2024