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USS Gear (ARS-34)
Encyclopedia
USS Gear (ARS-34) was an Diver-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.
Gear (BARS-4), originally intended for the Royal Navy
under terms of the Lend-Lease
Program, was launched as HMS Pacific Salvor (BARS-4) on 24 October 1942 by the Basalt Rock Company
in Napa, California
; acquired by the U.S. Navy and designated Gear (ARS-34) on 21 September 1942; and commissioned 24 September 1943, Lt. J. F. Simmons in command.
, on 6 December 1943 en route via Pearl Harbor
and the Gilbert Islands
to Eniwetok atoll
in, the Marshall Islands
. Here she performed salvage, towing, and repair for ships of the fleet as a unit of Service Squadron 10 until 17 July 1944.
(25 July – 7 August), shifting to Apra Harbor
, Guam
, on 8 August 1944 for various operations that included the towing and sinking of concrete barges on Calalan Bank to serve as a breakwater
; pulling amphibious landing ships off various beaches: and towing a ship to Tinian
and Saipan
before return. She returned to Pearl Harbor
from the Marianas on 6 December 1944 for overhaul, and departed on 29 January 1945 with an amphibious assault force bound for Iwo Jima
.
on 19 February 1945 to witness the landing of U.S. Marines under cover of intensive Naval gunfire and air attack. She proved invaluable in assisting the ships of the fleet, pumping out flooded spaces, repairing mortars, making ship repairs and performing various towing assignments. She returned to Saipan
on 5 March with an LSM and two LCI's in tow.
(21 May – 12 June), then proceeded via Eniwetok with two tank landing ships in tow for Pearl Harbor, arriving 6 July 1945.
on 11 July and arrived at Portland, Oregon
on the 20th. After voyage repairs, she performed towing and salvage for the Alaskan Sea Frontier at Adak, Alaska
, until 6 May 1946, returning to San Pedro, California, on the 23d for services there until decommissioned on 13 December 1946.
.
:
Her crew was eligible for the following medals:
Diver class rescue and salvage ship
The Diver class of rescue and salvage ship were operated by the United States Navy....
rescue and salvage ship
Rescue and salvage ship
Rescue and salvage ships in the United States Navy were common during World War II. Their purpose was to come to the rescue of stricken ships, usually because of their towing ability, and to tow away ships damaged because of enemy action or engine failure....
acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels.
Gear (BARS-4), originally intended for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
under terms of the Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
Program, was launched as HMS Pacific Salvor (BARS-4) on 24 October 1942 by the Basalt Rock Company
Basalt Rock Company
Basalt Rock Company was a multifaceted industrial operation that was founded in 1920. The company started as a rock quarrying operation located a few miles south of Napa, California near the Napa River. It later branched out into the ship building business in 1941 when it started building ships...
in Napa, California
Napa, California
-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...
; acquired by the U.S. Navy and designated Gear (ARS-34) on 21 September 1942; and commissioned 24 September 1943, Lt. J. F. Simmons in command.
World War II service
Gear departed San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, on 6 December 1943 en route via Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
and the Gilbert Islands
Gilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
to Eniwetok atoll
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
in, the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
. Here she performed salvage, towing, and repair for ships of the fleet as a unit of Service Squadron 10 until 17 July 1944.
Support operations at Saipan and Tinian
She provided similar services at SaipanSaipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
(25 July – 7 August), shifting to Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor is a deep-water port on the western side of Guam in the Mariana Islands. The harbor is formed by Orote Peninsula in the south and Cabras Island in the north. To the south, the harbor narrows and then widens again to form an inner harbor. The southern end of the harbor is the location...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, on 8 August 1944 for various operations that included the towing and sinking of concrete barges on Calalan Bank to serve as a breakwater
Breakwater (structure)
Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...
; pulling amphibious landing ships off various beaches: and towing a ship to Tinian
Tinian
Tinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
and Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
before return. She returned to Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
from the Marianas on 6 December 1944 for overhaul, and departed on 29 January 1945 with an amphibious assault force bound for Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
.
Iwo Jima operations
Gear arrived in the outer transport area of Iwo JimaIwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
on 19 February 1945 to witness the landing of U.S. Marines under cover of intensive Naval gunfire and air attack. She proved invaluable in assisting the ships of the fleet, pumping out flooded spaces, repairing mortars, making ship repairs and performing various towing assignments. She returned to Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
on 5 March with an LSM and two LCI's in tow.
Okinawa operations
Four days later she was en route with a transport assault force that arrived off Okinawa on 1 April, D-day of invasion. Here she braved the day and night aerial onslaughts in a busy schedule of battle damage repairs to such gallant fighting ships as (CA-45), (DE-635), (DD-483), (DD-694). She departed Okinawa on 15 May for repair service at UlithiUlithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
(21 May – 12 June), then proceeded via Eniwetok with two tank landing ships in tow for Pearl Harbor, arriving 6 July 1945.
Alaskan Sea Frontier service
Gear departed Pearl HarborPearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on 11 July and arrived at Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
on the 20th. After voyage repairs, she performed towing and salvage for the Alaskan Sea Frontier at Adak, Alaska
Adak, Alaska
Adak , formerly Adak Station, is a city in the Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 326. It is the westernmost municipality in the United States and the southernmost city in Alaska. The city is the former location of the Adak Army Base and Adak...
, until 6 May 1946, returning to San Pedro, California, on the 23d for services there until decommissioned on 13 December 1946.
Reactivation with a civilian crew
Gear was assigned to the San Diego Group, U.S. Pacific Reserve Fleet until 24 February 1953. A civilian crew of the Merritt Chapman Scott Corp. then operated her for Navy towing and salvage service at San Pedro, California. Under contract to the Merritt Chapman Scott Corp., she continued Navy salvage and repair duties at San Pedro with occasional coast towing.Final disposition
Gear was returned to U.S. Navy custody (date unknown) and struck from the Naval Register, 30 April 1981. Final Disposition: she was sold for scrapping, 1 July 1982, by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing ServiceDefense Reutilization and Marketing Service
DLA Disposition Services is part of the United States Defense Logistics Agency...
.
Military awards and honors
Gear won several battle stars during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
:
- Iwo Jima operation
- Okinawa Gunto operation
Her crew was eligible for the following medals:
- American Campaign MedalAmerican Campaign MedalThe American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign MedalAsiatic-Pacific Campaign MedalThe Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945 and was created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was...
(2) - World War II Victory MedalWorld War II Victory MedalThe World War II Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of Congress in July 1945. The decoration commemorates military service during World War II and is awarded to any member of the United States military, including members of the armed forces of...
External links
- http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/4emergencysmall/basalt.htm Basalt Rock Compay Shipbuilding History