USS Salvager ( ARS ( D ) - 3 ) USS " Salvager " ( ARS ( D ) - 3 ) , a " Gypsy " - class salvage lifting vessel of the United States Navy , was originally conceived as LSM - 551 , was reclassified ARS ( D ) - 3 on 24 April 1945 ; named " Salvager " on 1 May 1945 ; laid down on 27 August 1945 by the Brown Shipbuilding Corporation , Houston , Texas ; launched on 7 December 1945 ; and commissioned on 22 March 1946 , Lieutenant Commander Howard L . Kubel , USNR , in command . 1945 - 1949 . Designed for salvage and rescue work , " Salvager " completed shakedown off Cuba and put into Charleston , SC , on 29 November . She remained there until mid - May 1947 , then got underway for Norfolk , VA . By the end of the month , she had commenced the varied activities which , although conducted primarily along the eastern and southern coasts of the United States and among the islands of the Caribbean , would range from Newfoundland to the coasts of Central America . In May , the salvage lifting ship inspected buoys in Chesapeake Bay . In June , she moved up the east coast to Narragansett Bay ; operated with to lift a sunken tug from 130 feet of water and move it closer to the beach ; then sailed for Bayonne , NJ , for upkeep and replenishment of stores and salvage matériel . Continuing operations with " Windlass " , she sailed south on 6 August ; spent two weeks salvaging two Mexican barges off Veracruz ; and returned to Norfolk . At the end of September , the two ARS ( D ) ' s moved up to Hereford Inlet , NJ , to raise " YP - 387 " ; and , in mid - October , proceeded south to the Georgia coast to locate and demolish another sunken tug . Before the end of the year , " Salvager " received an A - frame and winch on her bow which facilitated recovery of submerged objects and enabled her to lift 78 tons over the bow . With the new year , 1948 , " Salvager " continued her work of removing dangers to navigation ; and , in August , she began salvage tests on the off Piney Point , MD . She tested techniques of salvage and towing on the U - boat into November , then stripped the test boat of all experimental equipment ; sank her temporarily off Point No Point Light ; and planted buoys to mark the spot . Then , with the addition of two sets of beach gear , she resumed normal salvage work , again operating primarily with " Windlass " . Following duty off the southern New England and mid - Atlantic coasts into the spring of 1949 , she moved north to Newfoundland in May . In June , she returned to the Chesapeake Bay to raise " U - 1105 " and tow her to Piney Point , MD , where , in September , the U - boat was sunk in demolition tests . 1950 - 1959 . During the fall , " Salvager " added minesweeping operations to her duties . Overhaul rounded out the year ; and , in January 1950 , she resumed operations by assistonly a portion of her mission ; mine recovery , diver training , and local salvage operations including recovery of airplanes for both the US Navy and the US Air Force were also continued . 1953 brought , for a salvage vessel , relative inactivity . Deployed only twice , to the waters off Florida and to the Caribbean , she remained in the Norfolk area for most of the year . In 1954 , however , she resumed a more hectic schedule . In February , she conducted underwater demolition tests in the U . S . Virgin Islands . During the spring , she operated off the mid - Atlantic seaboard and in the Bermuda area . In July , she destroyed and cleared the wreckage of " YFN - 6 " from Delaware Bay ; and , in August , she moved north to Nantucket , MA to conduct a survey of current and tide conditions and their effects upon the bottom . Three months later , she moved into the British West Indies to clear obstructions near Eleuthera Island ; and , in December , she returned to Norfolk . Through the remainder of the 1950s , " Salvager " continued her varied activities . Major operations included the raising of downed aircraft and sunken district and landing craft ; unbeaching of LST ' s ; refloating a destroyer , ; destruction of the long - sunken hulk of the battleship ; mooring and logistic support for experimental and scientific work ; excavation of trenches and laying of cables ; location and recovery of a misfired space capsule ; and special operations requested by the Bureau of Ships . 1960 - 1972 . " Salvager " began the 1960s in Chesapeake Bay where she completed the demolition of the wreck of the " Texas " , begun in 1958 . Special projects for the Bureau of Ships and deep sea mooring operations followed ; and , in June 1960 , she resumed salvage operations on sunken vessels and aircraft . In July , she added the recovery of the wreckage of a blimp to her record , then assumed salvage standby duty which rounded out the year . The new year , 1961 , started with training operations . But , with the end of winter , she resumed a full schedule of salvage , recovery , and special operations which continued for the next four and a half years . Major salvage operations saw her off the New Jersey coast to assist in refloating the grounded destroyers , in 1961 and in 1962 ; off Morehead City , NC , to clear the wreckage of the oiler , , and off Newfoundland to recover heavy , fleet - type moorings and mines in 1963 ; and in Louisiana waters , to assist in clearance operations following Hurricane Betsy in 1965 . In addition to special operations for the Bureau of Ships during the same period , " Salvager " also supported Naval Oceanographic Office projects . In November 1963 , she towed NOMAD ( Naval Oceanographic Meteorological Automatic Device ) 150 miles out to sea and moored it in 1 , 600 fathoms . Following the initial mooring , she returned several times to bring NOMAD in for checking and to change its position . Following operations during September and October 1965 , in Louisiana after " Betsy , " " Salvager " prepared for inactivation . Decommissioned on 23 November , she remained in reserve for less than two years . During 1966 , she was converted to a non - self - propelled vessel . On 16 October 1967 , she was redesignated YMLC - 3 ( Salvage Craft , Medium ) ; and , in December , she was placed in service and assigned to Advanced Bases , Pacific Area . Then taken to the Philippines , she operated out of Subic Bay until she was ordered back to the east coast of the United States for inactivation in July 1971 . She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 August 1972 . Awards . USS " Salvager " has received :