Page 5: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 1986)

ON THE COVER

Auxiliary Rescue Salvage Vessel

Commissioned At Peterson Shipyard

Several hundred people gathered at the Sturgeon Bay, Wise., ship- yard of Peterson Builders, Inc. (PBI) recently for the commission- ing ceremonies of the USS Salvor (ARS-52), one of the most versatile support ships in the U.S. fleet. She is the third of four vessels of this class contracted to PBI by the

Navy.

The ship's new commanding offi- cer, Lt. Cdr. Robert A. Reish,

USN, assumed command in re- sponse to the commissioning direc- tive read by Comdr. John R.

Drucker, USN, Commander of

Service Squadron Five. Principal speaker at the ceremony was Vice

Adm. Robert L. Walters, USN (Ret.). Other speakers on the occa- sion were Ellsworth L. Peterson, president of PBI; Rear Adm. Har- ry K. Fiske, USN, Assistant Depu- ty Commander for Surface Ships

Logistics Management; and Capt.

Thomas J. Kile, USN, Super- visor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair at Sturgeon Bay. Mrs.

Diana Walters, sponsor of the ship at her christening 33 months earlier, was also in attendance.

In addition to being equipped with a recompression chamber to treat diving-related accidents, this new class of salvage ship will replace an older class of rescue vessels with state-of-the-art lift, towing, and div- ing equipment. The ARS-50 Class has an overall length of 255 feet, beam of 51 feet, draft of 16 feet 7 inches, and displacement of about 3,200 long tons. The Salvor carries a crew of six officers and 85 enlisted personnel; as a non-combatant sup- port vessel, both men and women are eligible to serve in the crew.

Main propulsion is provided by four Caterpillar diesels, each with an output of 1,200 bhp, driving two

Bird-Johnson controllable-pitch propellers via GEC reduction gears.

A Brunvoll bow thruster provides enhanced maneuverability. Service speed is 14.5 knots.

The Salvor is equipped with a

Raytheon SPS-64 navigational ra- dar fitted with a computerized colli- sion-avoidance system. This unit automatically tracks up to 20 sepa- rate surface targets up to a range of 48 miles, giving true course and speed, closest point of approach for each contact, and warns the watch if any ship will pass closer than de- sired.

Installed on the signal bridge di- rectly below the mast are two 19- inch Xenon searchlights that can be trained and focussed remotely from the pilothouse. Four fire monitors are located fore and aft on the signal bridge, on the forward kingpost, and on the forecastle for off-the-ship firefighting. Each monitor is capa- ble of pumping 1,000 gallons of water or foam per minute. The mon- itor on the kingpost is remotely con- trolled from the signal bridge.

Aft of the superstructure is a 40- ton boom that can be operated from a chest harness control unit, allow- ing the operator to be positioned anywhere from the port or star- board bulwark. This boom provides the capability for loading/offload- ing, moving onboard equipment, striking below and breaking out sal- vage equipment, plumbing the hold of a disabled vessel to increase its buoyancy, and launching/recovering boats. A 7V2-ton boom on the fore- castle has similar capabilities.

Retractable tow rollers are in- stalled on the fantail to restrain the sweep of the twin 3,000-foot, 2!/4- inch wire towing hawsers when raised. When rotated to the re- tracted position, the rollers are clear of the hawsers' sweep. This ship is capable of towing alone an aircraft carrier of the Nimitz Class at a speed of five knots.

Ships of the ARS class carry a complement of divers to perform underwater ship's husbandry and salvage operations, as well as under- water search and recovery. The div- ing equipment is the MK-12, a tech- nologically advanced replacement for the copper MK-5 deepsea diver's equipment, which has recently been retired from service. The advanced diving gear allows divers to descend to a depth of 190 feet.

Built to assist ships in peril on the high seas, the Salvor's mission is fourfold. In addition to assisting disabled vessels, she is designed to fight fires alongside other ships, re- cover submerged objects, and per- form manned diving operations. Her sturdy steel construction combined with speed and endurance make the

ARS Class ships well suited for res- cue and salvage operations around the world.

For additional information on the facilities and capabilities of Peter- son Builders,

Circle 64 on Reader Service Card

USS SALVOR

Major Suppliers

Main engines (4) Caterpillar

Reduction gears (2)

GEC of England

Propellers (2) Bird-Johnson

Bow thruster . . . .Brunvoll

Generators (3)Caterpillar/GE

Boilers Cyclotherm

Switchboards Nelson Electric

Ship control system Henschel

Machinery control system

Eldec

Steering system Paul Munroe

Windlass/capstans

New England Trawler

Anchors/chain .... Baldt

Radars Raytheon

Cathodic protection

Engelhard

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Circle 222 on Reader Service Card

August, 1986 7