USS Conserver (ARS-39)
# USS Conserver (ARS-39)

USS Conserver (ARS-39) was a Bolster-class rescue and salvage ship acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels.

Conserver was launched 27 January 1945 by Basalt Rock Company in Napa, California; sponsored by Mrs. H. Price; and commissioned 9 June 1945 at South Vallejo, California.

## End-of-World War II operations

Conserver arrived at Sasebo, Japan, 21 September 1945, and until 3 March 1946, she carried out salvage operations at Sasebo, Okinawa, Yokosuka, Aomori, and Hakodate in support of the occupation.

## Participation in nuclear testing

After preparations at Pearl Harbor, Conserver arrived at Bikini Atoll 29 March. She served in the Marshall Islands, aiding in Operation Crossroads, the atomic weapons tests of 1946, until 2 September 1947, when she arrived at Manila for duty in the Philippines. From 9 April 1948 to 26 September, she served in Hawaiian waters, and then in Alaskan waters, returning to Pearl Harbor 13 January 1949.

## Korean War era operations

From Pearl Harbor, Conserver returned to operate off Alaska between 14 April 1949 and 7 June, and from 10 December to 25 March 1950. With the outbreak of the Korean war, she arrived at Yokosuka 15 July, and between 15 July and 1 August carried out salvage and diving assignments in Korean waters. After a brief overhaul at Yokosuka, she salvaged a fuel pipeline at Iwo Jima, and from 10 September until 24 December returned to Korean waters.

After a final towing voyage from Japan to Korea in January 1951, Conserver returned to local operations at Pearl Harbor from 16 February to 28 May. After salvage duty at Kwajalein and Majuro, she returned to Pearl Harbor to prepare for her second tour of duty in the Korean War. She arrived at Sasebo 27 September, and operated primarily in Korean waters until 7 May 1952, when she cleared for San Diego, California.

After operating on the U.S. West Coast until 4 August 1952, Conserver sailed for brief duty at Pearl Harbor, Kwajalein, Guam, Subic Bay, Bangkok, Singapore, and Sangley Point, returning to Pearl Harbor 22 October. On 6 April 1953, she returned to Sasebo for duty in Korean waters until 9 November, when she cleared for Pearl Harbor.

## Post-Korean War activity

From the close of the Korean war through 1960, Conserver alternated operations in the Hawaiian Islands with occasional towing and salvage duty in Pacific islands and tours of duty in the Far East in 1954, 1955, 1955–56, 1957, 1958–59, 1959, and 1960.

Between 20 September 1958 and 20 October, she gave salvage and towing service off Taiwan as American ships stood by during the Quemoy Crisis.

The Conserver participated in Operation Dominic between 25 April - 11 July 11, 1962 as a part of West Pac which involved nuclear testing near Christmas Island.

The Conserver also saw duty as part of Task Force 71 of the US Seventh Fleet in search of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 shot down by the Soviets off Sakhalin Island on 1 Sept. 1983.

LCDR Joseph Sensi jr. served as commanding officer for her last two years of service.

Former Florida State Senator Richard Renick and comedian Ron White served on Conserver during their naval service.

## Decommissioning

Conserver was decommissioned twice. Her first decommissioning occurred on 30 September 1986. She was re-commissioned one year later on 30 September 1987. Her final decommissioning took place on 1 April 1994. She was struck from the Naval Register 1 April 1994 and laid up in the Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Final Disposition, Conserver was sunk as a SINKEX target on or about 13 November 2004 in the Hawaii area.

## Chronology

| Date | Deployment/Event |
| - | - |
| 10 AUG 1944 | Keel Laid |
| 27 JAN 1945 | Launch Date |
| 9 JUN 1945 | Commissioned |
| 12 SEPT 1945 - 21 FEB 1946 | US Navy occupation of Japan. |
| 21 SEPT 1946 - 3 MAR 1946 | Salvage operations at Sasebo, Okinawa, Yokosuka, Aomori, and Hakodate during American occupation of Japan. |
| 29 MAR 1946 -2 SEPT 1947 | Served in Operation Crossroads in the Marshall Islands at Bikini Atoll. |
| 9 APR 1948 - 26 SEPT 1948 | Served in Hawaiian and Alaskan Waters |
| 14 APR 1949 - 7 JUN 1949 | Operated in Alaskan Waters |
| 10 DEC 1949 - 25 MAR 1950 | Operated in Alaskan Waters |
| 15 JULY 1950 - 1 AUG 1950 | Salvage Operations Yokosuka, Japan and Korea |
| 10 SEPT 1950 -24 DEC 1950 | Operated in Korean Waters |
| 15 SEPT 1950 - 17 SEPT 1950 | Ichon landing during the Battle of Inchon. |
| JAN 1951 | Towing voyage from Japan to Korea |
| 16 FEB 1951 - 28 MAY 1952 | Operated near Sasebo, Korea |
| 5 AUG 1952 - 22 OCT 1952 | Operated near Pearl Harbor, Kwajalein, Guam, Subic Bay, Bangkok, Singapore, and Sangley Point. |
| 6 APR 1953 - 9 NOV 1953 | Operated near Sasebo, Korea |
| AUG 1957 - DEC 1957 | West Pac |
| 20 SEPT 1958 - 20 OCT 1958 | Operated tow service during the Quemoy Crisis |
| JAN 1960 - JUN 1962 | West Pac |
| 25 APR 1962 - 11 JULY 1962 | As a part of West Pac participated in Operation Dominic Nuclear Testing. |
| 24 JUL 1965 – 26 AUG 1965 | Salvage of the USS Frank Knox DDR-742 at Practice Reef near Hong Kong |
| JUN 1966 - OCT 1966 | West Pac-Vietnam |
| 23 NOV 1966 - 31 JAN 1967 | Vietnamese Counter Offensive: Phase II |
| SEP 1967 - NOV 1967 | West Pac-Vietnam |
| 27 MAR 1968 - 1 APR 1968 | Tet Counter Offensive |
| 2 APR 1968 - 30 JUN1968 | Vietnamese Counter Offensive: Phase IV |
| 1 JUL 1969 - 11 JUL 1969 | Vietnamese Counter Offensive: Phase V |
| 3 AUG 1969 - 10 OCT 1969 | Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969 |
| SEP 1970 - MAR 1971 | West Pac-Vietnam |
| 23 AUG 1970 - 24 NOV 1970 | Vietnamese Counter Offensive: Phase VII |
| MAY 1972 - OCT (or Nov.) 1972 | West Pac-Vietnam |
| NOV 1973 - MAY 1974 | West Pac-Vietnam |
| 1975 | West Pac |
| JUL 1978 - JAN 1979 | West Pac |
| JUL 1979 - JAN 1980 | West Pac |
| SEP 1979 - APR 1980 | Dry Dock |
| 25 – 30 NOV 1982 | Hurricane Iwa restore power operation at Nawiliwili Harbor, Kauai |
| SEP 1983 - OCT 1983 | Towed Sonar Array Flight KAL 007 |
| FEB 1985 - JUL 1985 | West Pac |
| APR 1986 - JUL 1986 | Westpac cruise |
| SEPT 30, 1986 | First Decommissioning |
| JUNE 22,1987 - SEPT 25, 1987 | Teardown/Rebuild |
| SEPT 30, 1987 | Recommissioning |
| 3 MAR 1988 | Shellback Initiation - Pacific Ocean |
| MAR 1988 - APR 1988 | Golden Shellback Ceremony |
| MAY 1991 - JUL 1991 | Panama Canal |
| 1 APR 1994 | Decommissioned and Struck from Naval Register |
| 13 NOV 2004 | Sunk as a SINKEX target |

### Operation Dominic Chronology

| Date/Time | Nuclear Bomb |
| - | - |
| 25 APR 1962 0646 | ADOBIE |
| 27 APR 1962 0702 | AZTEC |
| 2 MAY 1962 0920 | ARKANSAS |
| 4 MAY 1962 1005 | QUESTA |
| 9 MAY 1962 0901 | QUESTA |
| 8 MAY 1962 0901 | YUKON |
| 9 MAY 1962 0801 | MESILLA |
| 11 MAY 1962 0637 | MUSKEGON |
| 12 MAY 1962 0803 | ENCINO |
| 14 MAY 1962 0622 | SWANEE |
| 19 MAY 1962 0637 | CHETCO |
| 30 JUNE 1962 0637 | BLUESTONE |
| 8 JULY 1962 2300 | STARFISH |
| 10 JULY 1962 0732 | SUNSET |
| 11 JULY 1962 0637 | PAMLICO |

## Military awards and honors

USS Conserver was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East:

| MEDAL/ACTION | DATES |
| - | - |
| Navy Occupation Service Medal: | 12 September 1945 to 21 February 1946 |
| China Service Medal (extended): | 2 to 5 April 1956 |

Conserver received nine battle stars for Korean war service:

| MEDAL/ACTION | DATES |
| - | - |
| North Korean Aggression: | 18 to 29 July 1950, 18 September to 2 November 1950 |
| Communist China Aggression: | 3 to 13 November 1950, 25 November 1950 |
| Inchon Landing: | 15 to 17 September 1950 |
| First UN Counter Offensive: | 25 to 28 January 1951 |
| UN Summer-Fall Offensive: | 30 October to 12 November 1951 |
| Second Korean Winter: | 19 December 1951 to 6 January 1952, 2 February to 2 March 1952, 14 March 1952, 18 March 1952, 12 to 30 April 1952. |
| Third Korean Winter: | 8 to 30 April 1953 |
| Korea, Summer-Fall 1953: | 1 to 2 May 1953, 10 to 27 July 1953 |

She received the following campaign stars for the Vietnam War:

| MEDAL/ACTION | DATES |
| - | - |
| Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II: | 23 November to 16 December 1966, 25 to 31 January 1967 |
| Tet Counteroffensive: | 27 March to 1 April 1968 |
| Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV: | 2 to 15 April 1968, 14 May to 7 June 1968, 10 to 30 June 1968 |
| Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V: | 1 to 11 July 1969 |
| Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969: | 3 to 14 August 1969, 20 August to 10 October 1969 |
| Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VII: | 23 August to 8 September 1970, 16 September to 13 October 1970, 26 October to 9 November 1970, 18 to 24 November 1970 |

Her crew was eligible for the following medals, ribbons, and commendations:

* Secretary of the Navy Letter of Commendation
* Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
* Navy Battle "E" Ribbon (4)
* China Service Medal
* American Campaign Medal
* Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
* World War II Victory Medal
* Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
* National Defense Service Medal (2)
* Korean Service Medal (8)
* Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Taiwan Straits)
* Vietnam Service Medal (6)
* Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
* Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
* United Nations Service Medal
* Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
* Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

## Health Effects

Asbestos was used in the construction of the USS Conserver. Those who served aboard her before her 1986-1987 overhaul and recommissioning may have been exposed to asbestos. Sailors who participated in Operation Crossroads or Operation Dominic while aboard the Conserver may have been exposed to radiation related to nuclear bomb testing.

