USS Tringa (ASR-16) was a Chanticleer-class submarine rescue ship

Submarine rescue ship

A Submarine rescue ship serves as a surface support ship for submarine rescue and deep-sea salvage operations. Methods employed are the McCann Rescue Chamber, Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles and deep sea diving operations....

 of the United States Navy. She was laid down on 12 July 1945 at Savannah, Georgia

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...

, by the Savannah Machine & Foundry Co.; launched on 25 June 1946; sponsored by Mrs. Nola Dora Vassar, the mother of Curtis L. Vassar, Jr., missing in action; and commissioned on 28 January 1947, Lt. Comdr. Paul C. Cottrell in command.

1947–1960

Upon commissioning, Tringa was assigned to Submarine Squadron (SubRon) 8 and operated out of the submarine base at New London, Connecticut

New London, Connecticut

New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....

. During her first six years of active service, she remained close to the eastern seaboard. Fortunately, her services as a submarine

Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

 rescue vessel were not required. On the other hand, Tringa remained busy practicing simulated submarine rescues and serving as target ship and recovery ship for submarines in torpedo-firing drills. In addition, she participated in a number of rescue experiments for the Bureau of Ships

Bureau of Ships

The United States Navy's Bureau of Ships was established by Congress on June 20, 1940, by a law which consolidated the functions of the Bureau of Construction and Repair and the Bureau of Engineering. The new Bureau was to be headed by a Chief and Deputy-Chief, one selected from the engineering...

, testing diving bell

Diving bell

A diving bell is a rigid chamber used to transport divers to depth in the ocean. The most common types are the wet bell and the closed bell....

s, submarine buoy

Buoy

A buoy is a floating device that can have many different purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly in UK English, although some orthoepists have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation...

s, ground tackle, mooring gear, and related equipment.

Her most significant contribution during those six years came in January 1950 when Missouri (BB-63)

USS Missouri (BB-63)

|USS Missouri is a United States Navy Iowa-class battleship, and was the fourth ship of the U.S. Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of Missouri...

 ran aground in the vicinity of Thimble Shoals Light

Thimble Shoal Light

Thimble Shoal Light is a sparkplug lighthouse in the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay, north of the Hampton Roads channel. The third light at this location, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-History:...

 and Old Point Comfort

Old Point Comfort

Old Point Comfort is a point of land located in the independent city of Hampton. It lies at the extreme tip of the Virginia Peninsula at the mouth of Hampton Roads in the United States....

, Hampton Roads, Virginia. Tringa and her sister rescue vessels joined tugs

Tugboat

A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...

 in refloating the battleship

Battleship

A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...

 on 1 February.

In August 1953, Tringa was called upon to cross the Atlantic Ocean to aid Harder (SS-568)

USS Harder (SS-568)

USS Harder , a Tang-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the harder, a fish of the mullet family found off South Africa....

, which had broken down off the coast of Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. The ship returned to New London with the submarine and then resumed operations along the east coast of the United States. During the early months of 1955, Tringa escorted USS Nautilus (SSN-571)

USS Nautilus (SSN-571)

USS Nautilus is the world's first operational nuclear-powered submarine. She was the first vessel to complete a submerged transit beneath the North Pole on August 3, 1958...

, the world's first atomic-powered ship

Nuclear marine propulsion

Nuclear marine propulsion is propulsion of a ship by a nuclear reactor. Naval nuclear propulsion is propulsion that specifically refers to naval warships...

, during her sea trial

Sea trial

A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...

s.

That fall, she joined USS Albacore (AGSS-569)

USS Albacore (AGSS-569)

USS Albacore was a unique research submarine that pioneered the American version of the teardrop hull form of modern submarines. The revolutionary design was derived from extensive hydrodynamic and wind tunnel testing, with an emphasis on underwater speed and maneuverability...

 for experiments at Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...

. The submarine rescue vessel conducted deep submergence tests on a new submarine rescue chamber, RC-21. In the midst of that operation, RC-21 parted its tow and sank in 230 feet of water. Tringa spent the next 25 days struggling against foul weather, treacherous currents, and fouled wreckage, but successfully salvaged RC-21 in the end. For their part in the operation, three officers and 10 divers assigned to Tringa received commendations.

Early in 1957, she began serving as school ship for the submarine Prospective Commanding Officers' School. That duty took her to the warm waters of the British West Indies

British West Indies

The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...

 in April and again in July. After her return to normal duty at New London, Tringa was called upon to assist the newly constructed Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

vian submarine Iquiqui, which on 27 August had run aground on Long Sand Shoal in Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...

. The rescuer arriver on the scene, passed a tow wire to the stranded boat, and pulled her off at the next high tide.

Late in the summer, a voyage to Europe broke Tringa's routine. On 3 September, she stood out of New London in company with Fulton (AS-11)

USS Fulton (AS-11)

USS Fulton was the leader of her class of seven submarine tenders, launched on 27 December 1940 by Mare Island Navy Yard and sponsored by Mrs. A. T. Sutcliffe, great-granddaughter of Robert Fulton. Fulton was commissioned on 12 September 1941, with Commander A. D...

 and a submarine group to participate in a NATO fleet exercise. En route to Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, Tringa made a brief side trip to Newfoundland

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...

 to deliver a critically ill Fulton crewman to the naval hospital at Argentia

Naval Station Argentia

Naval Station Argentia is a former base of the United States Navy that operated from 1941-1994. It was established in the community of Argentia in what was then the Dominion of Newfoundland, which later became the tenth Canadian province .-Construction:Established under the British-U.S...

. She reached Rothesay

Rothesay, Argyll and Bute

The town of Rothesay is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It can be reached by ferry from Wemyss Bay which offers an onward rail link to Glasgow. At the centre of the town is Rothesay Castle, a ruined castle which dates back to the 13th...

 on 13 September but soon moved on to Portland, England. During the two-day trip, hurricane "Carrie" struck and enlivened Tringa's passage through the Irish Sea. On 28 September, the ship departed England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 and headed for France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. At Le Havre

Le Havre

Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...

, she provided tender services for the submarines returning from the exercises until 11 October when she headed home toward the United States.

Tringa reentered Newport on 23 October and, after three weeks of upkeep, sailed for Bermuda

Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...

 and another tour of duty with the submarine Prospective Commanding Officers' School. In January 1958, she served as target ship for the submarine school at New London and recovered practice torpedoes fired at her. She underwent her biennial overhaul at Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

 that spring and, after refresher training in June, made a two-week goodwill cruise to Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 ports in July.

Tringa returned to New London on 22 July and, through the first month and a half of 1959, trained divers, served as target and torpedo recovery ship for New London-based submarines, and conducted drills. On 25 February, she got underway for Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....

, where she served as Kittiwake's (ASR-13)

USS Kittiwake (ASR-13)

USS Kittiwake was a United States Navy Chanticleer-class submarine rescue vessel in commission from 1946 to 1994.-Construction and commissioning:...

 stand-in during that ship's overhaul. She operated as a temporary unit of SubRon 6 until 1 April at which time she departed Norfolk and moved north. After a brief rendezvous with Torsk (SS-423)

USS Torsk (SS-423)

The USS Torsk is docked at the Baltimore Maritime Museum and is one of two Tench Class submarines still located inside the United States. It is nicknamed the "Galloping Ghost of the Japanese Coast." In 1945, Torsk made two war patrols off Japan, sinking one cargo vessel and two coastal defense...

 during the latter's post-overhaul dives and a three-day stopover at Philadelphia, Tringa returned with the submarine to New London on the 9th.

After demonstrating her rescue capabilities during an operational readiness inspection, she resumed training divers, conducting underway training, and providing services to submarines. She also escorted submarines during their post-construction trials. In this regard, Tringa assisted Barbel (SS-580)

USS Barbel (SS-580)

USS Barbel was the lead ship of her class of submarines in the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship named for the barbel, a cyprinoid fish, commonly called a minnow or carp....

 in May and Seadragon (SSN-584)

USS Seadragon (SSN-584)

USS Seadragon , a , was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the seadragon, a small fish commonly called the dragonet....

 in October. In December, the ship escorted the fleet ballistic missile (FBM) submarine George Washington (SSBN-598)

USS George Washington (SSBN-598)

USS George Washington , the lead ship of her class of nuclear ballistic missile submarines, was the third United States Navy ship of the name, in honor of George Washington , first President of the United States, and the first of that name to be purpose-built as a warship.-Construction and...

 on her trials. In January 1960, she conducted diving operations in Narragansett Bay

Narragansett Bay

Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound. Covering 147 mi2 , the Bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor, and includes a small archipelago...

 with a group of four Norfolk-based minesweeper

Minesweeper (ship)

A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...

s in a search for debris from an exploded aircraft. Following the annual "Springboard" exercise in mid-February, Tringa visited Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

, the Virgin Islands

Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...

, and the Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

 before resuming duty out of New London late in March. Toward the end of the following month, the ship sailed to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where she spent a month as recovery ship for the Naval Ordnance Test Facility's missile program. In May, she returned north and, after a visit to Kingston, New York

Kingston, New York

Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...

, and a brief rendezvous with Dogfish (SS-350)

USS Dogfish (SS-350)

USS Dogfish , a Balao-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the dogfish.Her keel was laid down on 22 June 1944 by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 27 October 1945 sponsored by Mrs. A. M. Morgan, and commissioned on 29...

 for that submarine's sea trials and deep dives, Tringa returned to New London to prepare for overhaul.

1960–1970

Following post-overhaul refresher training, Tringa resumed her normal duty out of New London. In December, she began assisting in the fleet ballistic missile submarine ordnance evaluation program by recovering test missiles fired in practice. The following spring, she returned to Norfolk to serve as "ready duty ASR" for most of the Atlantic coast during a period when the other Atlantic Fleet submarine rescue vessels were either in overhaul or deployed overseas. By July 1961, however, she was able to return to New London and resume her usual routine. In the fall, she steamed south to Florida but remained in southern waters only briefly — assisting the Bureau of Weapons

Bureau of Naval Weapons

The Bureau of Naval Weapons was part of the United States Navy's material organization between 1959 and 1966, with responsibility for procurement and support of naval aircraft and aerial weapons. The bureau was established August 18, 1959, by an Act of Congress...

 in tests — before the requirements of the FBM program called her back to New London.

Over the next two years, the ship alternated two deployments to the Mediterranean with 2d Fleet operations along the eastern seaboard. After returning from submarine operations near Bermuda, Tringa operated from New London until early in April 1962. At that time, she put to sea for a three-month deployment during which she provided support services to 6th Fleet submarines. After visiting a number of Mediterranean ports, she left the "middle sea" in July 1962 and visited Lisbon

Lisbon

Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

, Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

, and then headed for Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. At Holy Loch

Holy Loch

The Holy Loch is a sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.Robertson's Yard at Sandbank, a village on the loch, was a major wooden boat building company in the late 19th and early 20th centuries....

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 she picked up an APL and a YRDM for tandem tow to the United States and departed the British Isles on 12 August. Tringa delivered her charges to Norfolk

Norfolk

Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...

 on 3 September and continued on to New London where she arrived on the 5th. After four weeks of leave and upkeep, she resumed duty escorting and towing targets for units of Submarine Flotilla (Sub-Flot) 2.

Tringa underwent another overhaul from March to July 1963 and, after refresher training, resumed duty with Atlantic Fleet

United States Fleet Forces Command

The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...

 submarines. In August, she visited the site of Thresher's (SSN-593)

USS Thresher (SSN-593)

The second USS Thresher was the lead ship of her class of nuclear-powered attack submarines in the United States Navy. Her loss at sea during deep-diving tests in 1963 is often considered a watershed event in the implementation of the rigorous submarine safety program SUBSAFE.The contract to build...

 sinking to support units operating with the deep submergence vehicle

Deep Submergence Vehicle

A Deep Sea Submergence Vehicle is a deep diving manned submarine that is self-propelled. The term DSV is generally one used by the United States Navy, though several navies operate vehicles that can be accurately described as DSVs...

 Trieste

Bathyscaphe Trieste

The Trieste is a Swiss-designed, Italian-built deep-diving research bathyscaphe with a crew of two, which reached a record maximum depth of about , in the deepest known part of the Earth's oceans, the Challenger Deep, in the Mariana Trench near Guam, on January 23, 1960, crewed by Jacques Piccard ...

. In mid-September, she escorted Thomas Jefferson (SSBN—618)

USS Thomas Jefferson (SSBN-618)

USS Thomas Jefferson , an nuclear-powered submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Thomas Jefferson , the third President of the United States...

 during trials. Later that month, she was called upon to assist Grouse (MSCO-15) aground on the Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 coast at Cape Ann

Cape Ann

Cape Ann is a rocky cape in northeastern Massachusetts on the Atlantic Ocean. The cape is located approximately 30 miles northeast of Boston and forms the northern edge of Massachusetts Bay. Cape Ann includes the city of Gloucester, and the towns of Essex, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and...

. Her divers attached cables to Grouse, but three attempts to pull the stranded ship off the rocks failed. Grouse was destroyed by fire, and Tringa returned to New London on 30 September. Normal operations and escort duty for two newly constructed FBM submarines — Nathan Hale (SSBN-623) and Lafayette (SSBN-616)

USS Lafayette (SSBN-616)

USS Lafayette , the lead ship of her class of ballistic missile submarine, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named to honor Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette , a French military hero who fought with and significantly aided the Continental Army during the American...

 — occupied the ship for the remainder of the year.

Tringa deployed to the Mediterranean for the second time on 3 April 1964 and returned to the United States on 1 September. After a three-week upkeep period, she resumed local operations by escorting Haddo (SSN-604)

USS Haddo (SSN-604)

USS Haddo , a Thresher/Permit-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the haddo, a pink salmon fish prevalent on the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada....

 and Tecumseh (SSBN-628)

USS Tecumseh (SSBN-628)

USS Tecumseh , a ballistic missile submarine, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Tecumseh , the leader of the Shawnee people.-Construction and commissioning:...

 during their sea trials. That employment occupied her to the end of 1964 and through 1965.

She cleared New London on 31 January 1966 to participate in Operation "Springboard." Three days out of port, the ship was ordered to the Mediterranean to join in the search for the nuclear weapon missing after the mid-air collision of a B-52

B-52 Stratofortress

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...

 bomber

Strategic bomber

A strategic bomber is a heavy bomber aircraft designed to drop large amounts of ordnance onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating an enemy's capacity to wage war. Unlike tactical bombers, which are used in the battle zone to attack troops and military equipment, strategic bombers are...

 with a KC-135

KC-135 Stratotanker

The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...

 tanker aircraft. Upon her arrival off Palomares

Palomares, Almería

Palomares is an agricultural, fishing and tourist village on the Mediterranean Sea in the Almería province of Andalusia, Spain. It is about 20 meters above sea level...

, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, Tringa was fitted out with underwater television equipment with which she conducted visual inspections of sonar contacts while her divers assisted in the recovery. The submarine rescue ship completed her part of the operation on 25 March and headed back to New London, where she arrived on 9 April. Local operations out of New London occupied her time until the end of September when she entered the James S. Munro Shipyard at Chelsea, Massachusetts

Chelsea, Massachusetts

Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. It is the smallest city in Massachusetts in land area, and the 26th most densely populated incorporated place in the country.-History:...

, for overhaul.

Tringa completed overhaul on January 1967 and then returned to New London. She remained there until 30 January when she sailed for the West Indies. During February and the first week in March, the ship underwent inspection and survey at San Juan

San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...

, conducted refresher training near Guantánamo Bay, and assisted in test-firings of SUBROC missiles at the Grand Turk

Grand Turk Island

Grand Turk Island is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is the largest island in the Turks Islands with . It contains the territory's capital, Cockburn Town and the JAGS McCartney International Airport...

 missile range. On 15 March, Tringa reentered New London and began preparations for a deployment to European waters. The ship cleared New London on 3 April and reported for duty at Rota

Naval Station Rota, Spain

Naval Station Rota is a Spanish naval base commanded by a Spanish Vice Admiral and fully funded by the United States of America. Located in Rota, Spain, and near the Spanish town of El Puerto de Santa María, NavSta Rota is the largest American military community in Spain and houses US Navy...

, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, later in the month. She operated along the Spanish and Portuguese

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 coasts for two months, escorting submarines, towing targets, and recovering practice torpedoes. On 14 June, Tringa headed for the submarine base at Holy Loch. During the following month, she provided services to the submarines based there and visited Dublin and Derry

Derry

Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...

. On 26 July, she returned to New London from her European deployment and took up duties with SubFlot 2 once again.

The submarine rescue vessel served in coastal waters of the United States for the remainder of 1967 and throughout 1968. During that period, she departed northeastern coastal waters only once, in mid-November 1968, when she made a short cruise to Bermuda with units of SubRon 8. On 6 January 1969 — in company with Sea Robin (SS-407)

USS Sea Robin (SS-407)

USS Sea Robin , a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the sea robin. This is a spiny-finned fish with red or brown coloring on its body and fins...

, Becuna (AGSS-319)

USS Becuna (SS-319)

USS Becuna , a Balao-class submarine, is a former ship of the United States Navy named for the becuna, a pike-like fish of Europe.-World War II:...

, Halfbeak (SS-352)

USS Halfbeak (SS-352)

USS Halfbeak , a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the halfbeak, a garlike fish with a beak formed by an extension of the lower jaw, found in warmer seas....

, and Thornback (SS-418)

USS Thornback (SS-418)

USS Thornback , a Tench-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the thornback, a slender member of the shark family with a long pointed snout and a sharp spine at the end of each dorsal fin, native to northern Atlantic waters ranging from the temperate to the...

 — she departed New London and headed for duty with the 6th Fleet. She reached Rota, Spain, on 20 January and joined United States naval forces assigned to the Mediterranean area. The deployment with the 6th Fleet lasted until 15 April when she left Rota and headed back across the Atlantic. Tringa entered New London on the 25th and began post-deployment leave and upkeep. A little over two months later, the ship resumed operations from New London and remained so occupied until the end of November when she entered the Boston Naval Shipyard

Boston Navy Yard

The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...

.

1970–1977

Tringa completed overhaul early in March 1970. During refresher training, she received orders reassigning her to Submarine Division 121 based at Key West, Florida

Key West, Florida

Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...

. She reported to her new home port on 29 April; and, for the rest of the year, she operated in the Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...

 and along the southeastern coast of the United States. Early in June, the ship accompanied Darter (SS-576)

USS Darter (SS-576)

USS Darter , a unique submarine based on the , but incorporating many improvements, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the darter , a type of small American fresh-water fish closely related to the perch....

 during her sea trials. Later that month, she picked up a Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

n refugee family adrift on the ocean some 35 miles from Key West and brought them into that port. Through the fall of 1970, Tringa continued normal operations from Key West.

Over the next five years, Tringa alternated tours of duty in the Mediterranean with service along the east coast of the United States. Within that time period, she made two deployments with the 6th Fleet: the first during the spring of 1971 and the second in the summer of 1972. Upon her return to the United States on each occasion, she resumed her duties at Key West conducting torpedo exercises with Atlantic Fleet

United States Fleet Forces Command

The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...

 submarines.

In June 1973, Tringa rushed to the rescue when disaster struck a civilian deep-submergence vehicle test project. On the 17th, she received orders to go to the aid of Dr. Edmund Link, whose submersible

Submersible

A submersible is a small vehicle designed to operate underwater. The term submersible is often used to differentiate from other underwater vehicles known as submarines, in that a submarine is a fully autonomous craft, capable of renewing its own power and breathing air, whereas a submersible is...

, the "Sea-Link," was reported "in distress, bottomed in approximately 360 feet of water with four men on board." Tringa made a four-point moor above the stricken craft and for two days provided a platform for divers engaged in the rescue operation. Finally, on 18 June, a civilian salvage vessel

Marine salvage

Marine salvage is the process of rescuing a ship, its cargo, or other property from peril. Salvage encompasses rescue towing, refloating a sunken or grounded vessel, or patching or repairing a ship...

, A. B. Wood, arrived on the scene and joined in the salvage/rescue operation. Utilizing a television camera and a crane, A. B. Wood succeeded in hauling "Sea-Link" to the surface that night. Though Tringa divers tried to revive the two men in the after chamber of the submersible by warming it with HeO and hot water, the two men were pronounced dead at 0800 on 20 June. The two men in the forward chamber survived.

The following month, Tringa was reassigned to New London, and spent August and September engaged in the familiar role of standby rescue and target recovery ship for New London-based submarines. Following an overhaul which lasted from November 1973 until mid-February 1974, the ship returned to duty at New London. The next three years brought Tringa more routine duty supporting Atlantic Fleet submarines, testing diving equipment, training divers, and escorting newly built submarines on their trial cruises. The ship departed the western Atlantic only once during that period, in July 1975, to participate in a series of oceanographic surveys conducted from the submarine base at Holy Loch, Scotland. She returned to New London early the following November and operated along the eastern seaboard until 30 September 1977 when she was decommissioned at the Submarine Base, New London, Connecticut. Her name was struck from the Navy List

Navy List

A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....

concurrently with decommissioning.

External links

• Photo gallery at navsource.org