USS Tringa
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | USS Tringa |
Builder | Savannah Machine & Foundry Co. |
Laid down | 12 July 1945 |
Launched | 25 June 1946 |
Commissioned | 28 January 1947 |
Decommissioned | 30 September 1977 |
Stricken | 30 September 1977 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Chanticleer-class submarine rescue ship |
Displacement | 1,780 long tons (1,809 t) |
Length | 251 ft 4 in (76.61 m) |
Beam | 42 ft (13 m) |
Draft | 14 ft 3 in (4.34 m) |
Speed | 16 knots (18 mph; 30 km/h) |
Complement | 102 |
Armament | 2 × 3"/50 caliber guns |
USS Tringa (ASR-16) was a Chanticleer-class submarine rescue ship of the United States Navy. She was laid down on 12 July 1945 at Savannah, Georgia, by the Savannah Machine & Foundry Co.; launched on 25 June 1946; sponsored by Mrs. Nola Dora Vassar, the mother of Curtis L. Vassar, Jr., missing in action; and commissioned on 28 January 1947.
Service history
1947–1960
Upon commissioning, Tringa was assigned to Submarine Squadron (SubRon) 8 and operated out of the submarine base at New London, Connecticut. During her first six years of active service, she remained close to the eastern seaboard. Fortunately, her services as a submarine rescue vessel were not required. On the other hand, Tringa remained busy practicing simulated submarine rescues and serving as target ship and recovery ship for submarines in torpedo-firing drills. In addition, she participated in a number of rescue experiments for the Bureau of Ships, testing diving bells, submarine buoys, ground tackle, mooring gear, and related equipment.
Her most significant contribution during those six years came in January 1950 when
In August 1953, Tringa was called upon to cross the Atlantic Ocean to aid Harder (SS-568), which had broken down off the coast of Ireland. The ship returned to New London with the submarine and then resumed operations along the east coast of the United States. During the early months of 1955, Tringa escorted USS Nautilus (SSN-571), the world's first atomic-powered ship, during her sea trials.
That fall, she joined USS Albacore (AGSS-569) for experiments at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The submarine rescue vessel conducted deep submergence tests on a new submarine rescue chamber, RC-21. In the midst of that operation, RC-21 parted its tow and sank in 230 feet of water. Tringa spent the next 25 days struggling against foul weather, treacherous currents, and fouled wreckage, but successfully salvaged RC-21 in the end. For their part in the operation, three officers and 10 divers assigned to Tringa received commendations.
Early in 1957, she began serving as school ship for the submarine Prospective Commanding Officers' School. That duty took her to the warm waters of the British West Indies in April and again in July. After her return to normal duty at New London, Tringa was called upon to assist the newly constructed Peruvian submarine Iquiqui, which on 27 August had run aground on Long Sand Shoal in Long Island Sound. The rescuer arriver on the scene, passed a tow wire to the stranded boat, and pulled her off at the next high tide.
Late in the summer, a voyage to Europe broke Tringa's routine. On 3 September, she stood out of New London in company with
Tringa reentered Newport on 23 October and, after three weeks of upkeep, sailed for Bermuda and another tour of duty with the submarine Prospective Commanding Officers' School. In January 1958, she served as target ship for the submarine school at New London and recovered practice torpedoes fired at her. She underwent her biennial overhaul at Boston that spring and, after refresher training in June, made a two-week goodwill cruise to Canadian ports in July.
Tringa returned to New London on 22 July and, through the first month and a half of 1959, trained divers, served as target and torpedo recovery ship for New London-based submarines, and conducted drills. On 25 February, she got underway for
After demonstrating her rescue capabilities during an operational readiness inspection, she resumed training divers, conducting underway training, and providing services to submarines. She also escorted submarines during their post-construction trials. In this regard, Tringa assisted
1960–1970
Following post-overhaul refresher training, Tringa resumed her normal duty out of New London. In December, she began assisting in the fleet ballistic missile submarine ordnance evaluation program by recovering test missiles fired in practice. The following spring, she returned to Norfolk to serve as "ready duty ASR" for most of the Atlantic coast during a period when the other Atlantic Fleet submarine rescue vessels were either in overhaul or deployed overseas. By July 1961, however, she was able to return to New London and resume her usual routine. In the fall, she steamed south to Florida but remained in southern waters only briefly — assisting the Bureau of Weapons in tests — before the requirements of the FBM program called her back to New London.
Over the next two years, the ship alternated two deployments to the
Tringa underwent another overhaul from March to July 1963 and, after refresher training, resumed duty with
Tringa deployed to the Mediterranean for the second time on 3 April 1964 and returned to the United States on 1 September. After a three-week upkeep period, she resumed local operations by escorting Haddo (SSN-604) and Tecumseh (SSBN-628) during their sea trials. That employment occupied her to the end of 1964 and through 1965.
She cleared New London on 31 January 1966 to participate in Operation "Springboard." Three days out of port, the ship was ordered to the Mediterranean to join in the search for the nuclear weapon missing after the
Tringa completed overhaul in January 1967 and then returned to New London. She remained there until 30 January when she sailed for the
The submarine rescue vessel served in coastal waters of the United States for the remainder of 1967 and throughout 1968. During that period, she departed northeastern coastal waters only once, in mid-November 1968, when she made a short cruise to Bermuda with units of SubRon 8. On 6 January 1969 — in company with
1970–1977
Tringa completed overhaul early in March 1970. During refresher training, she received orders reassigning her to Submarine Division 121 based at
Over the next five years, Tringa alternated tours of duty in the Mediterranean with service along the east coast of the United States. Within that time period, she made two deployments with the 6th Fleet: the first during the spring of 1971 and the second in the summer of 1972. Upon her return to the United States on each occasion, she resumed her duties at Key West conducting torpedo exercises with Atlantic Fleet submarines.
In June 1973, Tringa rushed to the rescue when
The following month, Tringa was reassigned to New London, and spent August and September engaged in the familiar role of standby rescue and target recovery ship for New London-based submarines. Following an overhaul which lasted from November 1973 until mid-February 1974, the ship returned to duty at New London. The next three years brought Tringa more routine duty supporting Atlantic Fleet submarines, testing diving equipment, training divers, and escorting newly built submarines on their trial cruises. The ship departed the western Atlantic only once during that period, in July 1975, to participate in a series of oceanographic surveys conducted from the submarine base at Holy Loch, Scotland. She returned to New London early the following November and operated along the eastern seaboard until 30 September 1977 when she was decommissioned at the Submarine Base, New London, Connecticut. Her name was struck from the
Notes
- ^ Melson, June 1967, p.33
References
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
- Melson, Lewis B., CAPT USN (June 1967). "Contact 261". United States Naval Institute Proceedings.
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External links
- Photo gallery at navsource.org