USS Reclaimer ( ARS - 42 ) USS " Reclaimer " ( ARS - 42 ) , was a of the United States Navy . It was the only ship of the US Navy to be named " Reclaimer " . Service history . 1940s . " Reclaimer " ( ARS - 42 ) was laid down on 10 November 1944 by Basalt Rock Company in Napa , California ; launched 23 June 1945 ; sponsored by Mrs . Daniel Clark , Jr . ; and commissioned on 20 December 1945 , Lieutenant D . A . Bendinelli in command . After shakedown off San Pedro , " Reclaimer " steamed to Pearl Harbor where she operated until assigned to Joint Task Force 1 , arriving at Bikini on 1 June 1946 . There she served as salvage vessel and was contaminated during the " Operation Crossroads " atomic tests , but received final radiological clearance on 13 January 1947 . She returned to Pearl Harbor in September 1946 and to the west coast in October where she remained until decommissioned 23 June 1947 . She was assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet and berthed at San Diego . 1950s . " Reclaimer " recommissioned on 1 December 1950 for service in the Korean War and , after shakedown off San Diego towed " AP - 23 " to Hawaii . Arriving at Pearl Harbor on 12 February 1951 , she then proceeded on across the Pacific touched at Majuro and Guam , and reached Sasebo , Japan on 29 April . On 8 May " Reclaimer " got underway to aid SS " Muhlenberg Victory " , grounded on Uku Shima , an island near Sasebo . With the aid of , she re - floated the ship a week later and on 27 May towed " YO - 179 " to Pusan , Korea . She then steamed to Wonsan for patrol duties between that port and Songjin . In mid - June , she escorted , damaged by a mine , to Sasebo . Six days later , she returned to Pusan to tow the burning merchantman " Plymouth Victory " , back to Sasebo where the fire was extinguished . During August " Reclaimer " assisted in mine sweeping and laid buoys in Wonsan Harbor . On 7 September , she re - floated the beached Japanese LST Q 081 at Kangnung , Korea . On 10 October , with , she towed the Royal Navy hospital ship RFA " Maine " which had lost a propeller , on a westward passage through the crowded and narrow Shimonoseki Straits . This was the only hospital ship supporting U . N . forces at that time . On 22 January 1952 , she departed Yokosuka to return to her homeport , Pearl Harbor , where she remained until 21 October . Returning to WestPac with " YC - 104 " in tow , " Reclaimer " reached Sasebo on 17 November . On 2 December she arrived at Sokeho Hang , Korea , to rescue two LST ' s aground in heavy seas . With one of the LST ' s in tow she reached Sasebo on 18 December . After brief duty with the Wonsan blockade force , " Reclaimer " took SS " Gulf Haven " in tow while she was foundering in a typhoon , and successfully brought her to Japan . " Reclaimer " continued to operate in Japan and Korea until returning to San Diego on 25 July 1953 . For the next three months she operated on the West Coast , steaming back to Pearl Harbor in late October . In March 1954 , she headed southwest to the Marshall Islands for salvage work during " Operation Castle " , the hydrogen bomb test series at Bikini . Departing Bikini on 4 May she continued on to Japan . Through the summer she operated in Japanese and Korean waters , then , during September and October , stood by off French Indochina while French and American ships , in " Operation Passage to Freedom " , evacuated refugees from what was to become North Vietnam . Returning to the United States , " Reclaimer " spent the first six months of 1955 operating off the West Coast , then deployed to the Far East . During early 1956 , she operated in the Hawaiian Islands , reaching Yokosuka on 30 September . She returned to Pearl Harbor on 12 February 1957 . After freeing the grounded LST from Kauai , Hawaii , she again conducted salvage operations in the Far East from 12 July to 30 November . Returning to Pearl Harbor she began a two - month tour on the West Coast in February 1958 then , following further services at Hawaii , again set sail for a four - month deployment to WestPac . She returned to Pearl Harbor in August and to the West Coast in February 1959 , but was back at Pearl after only a month . In June she deployed to WestPac , returning in September . 1960s . " Reclaimer " spent early 1960 in the Hawaiian area , and installed underwater cables near Midway Atoll to detect missiles fired into the area . Then she steamed for Yokosuka on 6 September . Returning to Pearl Harbor on 21 December , she operated in the Hawaiian Islands until sailing for the Far East on 26 June . Back at Pearl Harbor in November , " Reclaimer " undertook several assignments . Following an overhaul , " Reclaimer " steamed in May 1962 for Christmas Island and another nuclear test , " Operation Dominic " , where she laid target moors and placed target rafts for the next two months . Arriving at Yokosuka on 6 October " Reclaimer " operated in the Far East until she returned to Hawaii early in 1963 and , with the exception of salvaging MV " Shokafu " at Pago Pago , Samoa , in March , operated there throughout the rest of the year . Steaming back to Japan in January 1964 , " Reclaimer " operated there and off Korea , Okinawa , and Taiwan before proceeding to Saigon to salvage , sunk up to her main deck in Saigon Harbor by Viet Cong mines . With , " Reclaimer " re - floated " Card " and towed her to the Philippines , then returned to Pearl Harbor on 22 June and remained there for the rest of 1964 . In 1965 " Reclaimer " participated in " Operation Market Time " off Vietnam for two months , salvaged " LST - 559 " in Da Nang Harbor , and performed various towing assignments , before returning to Pearl Harbor in July . In January 1966 , she was off for WestPac again , and while so deployed was called on for three major salvage operations and for support in amphibious " Operation Jackstay " in rivers of the Rung Sat Special Zone . " Reclaimer " participated in the successful salvage of the Esso tanker SS " Sea Raven " off the beach of Chu Lai . Then , steaming south , she performed similar operations for merchantmen grounded off northern Australia . She returned to Pearl Harbor on 29 August 1966 , and on 9 November was underway for Oregon . She returned from the West Coast to Pearl Harbor a month later . In March 1967 " Reclaimer " rescued SS " Norbega " , dead in the water west of Midway , before deploying to WestPac in April . In June she laid a special radar reflecting buoy in the Gulf of Tonkin to aid SAR patrol ships in navigation . She continued operations off Taiwan and Vietnam , including the salvage of South Vietnamese LSM - 406 aground at Phan Thiết , until returning to Pearl Harbor at the end of 1967 . After spending the first half of 1968 in Pearl Harbor " Reclaimer " arrived at Da Nang , South Vietnam , on 29 August for standby salvage duty . In September she salvaged " LCV - 1616 " and in October " LCU - 1676 " . Returning to the West Coast in mid - 1969 , she deployed to WestPac again at the end of the year . 1970s . " Reclaimer " then operated off Vietnam for the whole of 1970 , entering Pearl Harbor , Hawaii , on 17 March 1971 . At Pearl Harbor " Reclaimer " underwent regular overhaul and , subsequent to overhaul , engaged in salvage and refresher training . In February 1972 , she was re - deployed to WestPac , returning to Hawaii in late August . She remained in the Pearl Harbor area throughout 1972 and the first six months of 1973 . In July 1973 , she steamed westward again for deployment , spending the last six months of 1973 in the western Pacific . As of late January 1974 , " Reclaimer " was making the passage from Apra , Guam , to Pearl Harbor . In June – July 1977 , Reclaimer sailed to Adak , Alaska to assist the USNS Meyer in oceanographic research . In Sept - Oct , Reclaimer worked with an experimental RUWS ( Remote Unmanned Work System . ) late 1980s . " Reclaimer " was Refurbish and returned to service in the late 1980 ' s by the men and women of the Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activity at Pearl Harbor Hawaii ( SIMAPH ) . The Commanding Officer of the Reclaimer awarded SIMAPH ' s personnel with the Meritorious Unit Commendation for returning the Reclaimer to service ahead schedule and under budget . " Reclaimer " was decommissioned and simultaneously struck from the Naval Register on 16 September 1994 . She was transferred to the Maritime Commission ( MARAD ) on 28 July 2001 , for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet , at Suisun Bay , Benecia , California . She was withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet on 28 November 2006 , and transferred to Concord Naval Weapons Station , California for SINKEX preparation . On 12 April 2011 , a contract was issued by MARAD to Marine Metals of Brownsville , Tx to dismantle " Reclaimer " for $ 462 , 223 . 31 . " Reclaimer " departed the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet on 16 May 2011 to be cleaned at BAE Systems San Francisco Ship Repair . " Reclaimer " was towed to Brownsville upon completion of the cleaning and was completely dismantled on 14 October 2011 . Awards . " Reclaimer " earned five battle star s for Korean War service and eight campaign stars for Vietnam . Current status . The fate of the " Reclaimer " was mentioned in a newspaper article published on 11 February 2008 concerning the status of a sister ship .