USS Restorer ( ARS - 17 ) USS Restorer ( ARS - 17 ) was an commissioned by the U . S . Navy during World War II . Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels . " Restorer " ( ARS - 17 ) was laid down by Snow Shipyards , Inc . , Rockland , Maine , 25 March 1942 ; launched 24 October 1942 ; sponsored by Mrs . Jessica C . Moore ; and commissioned 6 October 1943 , Lt . C . M . Boyd , USNR , in command . World War II service . Following shakedown off the U . S . East Coast , " Restorer " joined a convoy en route to North Africa , mooring at Mers - el - Kebir 22 December . She moved to Algiers on the 31st where , despite several air raids , she assisted in salvage and fire - fighting on . Italy and North Africa operations . " Restorer " got underway 21 February 1944 for Naples , Italy , whence she escorted an LST convoy to Anzio . Arriving off the assault area 28 February , she relieved as senior salvage vessel and through March was engaged in various salvage and fire - fighting operations . Undamaged by occasional shellfire , bombs , and aerial torpedo attacks , she got underway 14 April for Naples ; and , after salvage work on , she continued on back to North Africa . She remained in various Algerian ports from 18 May to 6 July , then got underway for Naples again . At the end of the month she destroyed the sunken hulk of off Anzio . The navigator was Grover H . Roberson of Stokes , N . C . Mr . Roberson had just been recently re - assigned by the US Navy to the Rockland Naval Shipyard , Rockland , Maine to assist in the shakedown cruise for the USS " Restorer " . Once the " Restorer " was commissioned , Mr . Roberson was re - assigned to the U . S . Naval Shipyard at Boston , MA . before he shipped out to Algeria . The Restorer saw action when she came to Anzio , Italy , at the Battle of Anzio , to attend to the then sunken U . S . S . Swerve . At the conclusion of the Battle of Anzio , Mr . Roberson was honored to travel to Rome , with other naval officers and appear in an audience with Pope Pius XII at the Vatican . Attending to USS Swerve . " Restorer " spent most of August in the Gulf of Calvi , Corsica . Then in September she proceeded to southern France , spending the last of the month in harbor clearance work in Marseilles . Most of October and all of November were devoted to work as salvage and fire - fighting ship at Marseilles . Back in Algeria for December , she returned to Marseilles in January 1945 to continue harbor clearance which lasted through February . Returning to Italy , she conducted salvage operations and demolition work on the sunken off Naples during March , then next steamed back to Algeria , whence she got underway for the United States on 7 April . She reached Charleston , South Carolina , on 19 May . End - of - war operations . On 22 July " Restorer " departed the southeastern coast for Newfoundland and was at Argentia when the war ended . On 1 September she departed Argentia for Bermuda , her base until 10 January 1946 . She then got underway for New York with a tow . Arriving on the 14th she moored at Tompkinsville , where she remained until decommissioned 6 March 1946 . Post - war decommissioning . Struck from the Navy list 19 July 1946 , she was transferred to War Shipping Administration , 22 April 1947 and sold to Denmark . She was commissioned as a Royal Danish Naval Vessel on 27 February 1948 at New Orleans , Louisiana , and named " Vitus Bering " . The Danish Navy operated her in 1948 and 1949 as a patrol vessel in Greenland waters , preferring wooden hulls in the cold conditions . The vessel was found to be unsuitable , however , due to numerous leaks and the corrosion problems associated with diesel - electric drives in a salt water environment . The vessel was retired from Danish Naval service in 1949 and scrapped . Military awards and honors . " Restorer " earned two battle stars for World War II service : Her crew was eligible for the following medals :