USS Bluebird ( ASR - 19 ) The second USS " Bluebird " ( ASR - 19 ) was a " Penguin " - class submarine rescue ship in the United States Navy . " Bluebird " was laid down on 23 June 1945 at Charleston , South Carolina , by the Charleston Shipbuilding & Drydock Co . as the fleet ocean tug " Yurok " ( ATF - 164 ) . It was redesignated as the submarine rescue ship ASR - 19 on 7 November 1945 , and renamed " Bluebird " on 3 December 1945 . " Bluebird " was launched on 15 February 1946 , sponsored by Mrs . Paul Lambert Borden , and commissioned at the Charleston Naval Shipyard on 28 May 1946 , with Lt . Comdr . P . R . Hodgson in command . " Bluebird " reported to the Commander , Training Group , Atlantic Fleet , in mid - July and completed shakedown training in Chesapeake Bay . After post - shakedown repairs at Charleston , the submarine rescue vessel reported for duty with the Submarine Force , Atlantic Fleet on 28 August . On the following day , however , she departed Charleston under orders to join Submarine Squadron ( SubRon ) 5 , Pacific Fleet . She transited the Panama Canal on 5 September and , on the 7th , resumed her voyage to Pearl Harbor in company with , and two tows . The ship arrived in Pearl Harbor on 12 October and relieved as rescue vessel for SubRon 5 . " Bluebird " remained at Pearl Harbor for the next six months inspecting rescue and salvage equipment on board SubRon 5 submarines and assisting them in training missions . On 29 April 1947 , she departed Pearl Harbor for the Far East . The ship arrived in Yokosuka , Japan , on 10 May but departed there again the following day . On 14 May , she arrived in Tsingtao , China , and relieved . For the next four months , " Bluebird " conducted rescue and salvage training with submarines at Tsingtao . On 12 October 1947 , she departed that port to return to Hawaii . The submarine rescue vessel reentered Pearl Harbor on 3 November 1941 and began overhaul at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard soon thereafter . The ship completed repairs in April 1948 and resumed duty with Pearl Harbor - based submarines . On 16 May 1949 , she stood out of Pearl Harbor in company with en route to the western Pacific . The two ships conducted exercises along the way before arriving in Yokosuka , Japan , on 20 June 1949 . The submarine rescue vessel operated in the Orient exercising with submarines and destroyers until the following November . She visited such ports as Hong Kong , Guam in the Marianas and Subic Bay in the Philippines . On 25 July 1949 , she assisted SS " John C . Fremont " , which ship had gone aground off Mayango Island . The next month between the 9th and the 10th , " Bluebird " towed the disabled into Yokosuka . On 29 November , she departed Hong Kong in company with to return to Hawaii . The two ships conducted exercises along the way and made a stop at Midway Island before reentering Pearl Harbor on 13 December . After overhaul , she resumed active duty in March 1950 with Submarine Division ( SubDiv ) 12 . She operated with submarines and trained divers until 20 May , at which time she left Oahu for the east coast of the United States . Steaming via the Panama Canal and San Juan , Puerto Rico , the submarine rescue vessel arrived in New London , Connecticut , on 16 June 1950 . Assigned to duty with SubRon 8 , she conducted training for the Turkish crew that would take her over later that summer . " Bluebird " was decommissioned on 15 August 1950 and simultaneously transferred to the Turkish Navy . She was commissioned in that navy as " Kurtaran " . Her name was struck from the U . S . Navy list on 26 September 1950 .