USNS Range Recoverer
USNS Range Recoverer (T-AGM-2)
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History | |
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United States | |
Name |
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Namesake | A ship stationed in the anticipated landing area of a space vehicle |
Builder | Wheeler Shipbuilding Corporation, Whitestone, New York |
Completed | for the U.S.Army in 1944 as FS-278 |
Acquired | by the Navy April 1960 |
In service | 22 June 1960 as USNS Range Recoverer (T-AG-161) |
Out of service | 1972 |
Reclassified | 27 November 1960 as Missile Range Instrumentation Ship (T-AGM-2); as Range Tender YFRT-524 (date unknown) |
Refit | Pacific Ship Repair, San Francisco, California (as missile tracker) |
Identification |
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Fate |
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General characteristics | |
Type | missile range instrumentation ship |
Displacement |
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Length | 176' 6" |
Beam | 32' |
Draft | 11' 5" |
Propulsion | Diesel, two 500hp GE Diesel engines, twin screws |
Speed | 10 knots |
Complement | 24 personnel |
Armament | none |
USNS Range Recoverer (T-AG-161/T-AGM-2/YFRT-524) was a
track data on missiles launched from American launch sites.She was built during World War II as
U.S. Army
FS-278 was built for the Army in 1944, by the Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp.,
The ship was acquired by the Navy in April 1960; converted by Pacific Ship Repair,
Missile tracking activities
Named Range Recoverer on 12 July, she reported to the Navy's
Manned by a
Since that time, into 1970, Range Recoverer operated out of Little Creek primarily between Wallops Island and the splash down area near Bermuda.
Other services provided
During the mid-sixties the ship traveled to Greece for coordinated research on a solar eclipse and was visited by the Greek royal family.
Final disposition
Range Recoverer was placed out-of-service in 1972 and reclassified as range tender YFRT-524. She was struck from the Navy List (unknown date) and sold for scrap 1 November 1974.
Despite being sold for scrap, Range Recoverer remained extant until at least 2016 as the Virginia-based fishing vessel Reedville.[4]
Footnotes
- ^ From May 1958 until transfer of range facilities ordered 16 November 1963 and effective 1 July 1964 the Pacific Missile Range was under Navy. Range Recoverer transferred to the Atlantic before the range was transferred to Air Force and was never an Air Force Western Test Range ship.
See also
- Missile Range Instrumentation Ship
References
- ^ USCG Historian. "World War II Coast Guard-Manned U.S. Army Freight and Supply Ship Histories". Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- ^ U.S.A.F. History Office (Vandenburg). "U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet". U.S.A.F. History Office (Vandenburg). Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
- ^ a b NASA. "SP-4311 Way Station to Space-Chapter 4: Space Science Research". Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- ^ "REEDVILLE". MarineTraffic. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - T-AG-161 / T-AGM-2 / YFRT-524 Range Recoverer