A submarine rescue ship is a surface support ship for submarine rescue and deep-sea salvage operations. Methods employed include the McCann Rescue Chamber, deep-submergence rescue vehicles (DSRV's) and diving operations.
HMS Challenger was a Royal Navy diving support vessel, operational from 1984 to 1990.
A deep-submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV) is a type of deep-submergence vehicle used for rescue of personnel from disabled submarines and submersibles. While DSRV is the term most often used by the United States Navy, other nations have different designations for their equivalent vehicles.
The third USS Pigeon (ASR–21) was the lead ship of her class of submarine rescue ships. Laid down on 17 July 1968 by the Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Co., Mobile, Alabama, the ship was launched on 13 August 1969, sponsored by Mrs. Allen M. Shinn, wife of Vice Admiral Shinn, Commander Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and commissioned on 28 April 1973. She was a sister ship to USS Ortolan (ASR-22).
USS Widgeon (AM-22/ASR-1) was an Lapwing-class minesweeper acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing. Later converted to a submarine rescue ship. Widgeon was named by the Navy after the widgeon, a freshwater duck.
USS Ortolan (ASR-22), a twin-hulled submarine rescue ship, laid down 28 August 1968 by the Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company, Mobile, Alabama; launched 10 September 1969; sponsored by Mrs. Nels C. Johnson; and was commissioned 14 July 1973.
The first USS Ortolan(AM-45/ASR-5) was a Lapwing-class minesweeper in the United States Navy. She was later converted to a submarine rescue ship. She was named after the ortolan, a European bunting.
The second USS Bluebird (ASR-19) was a Penguin-class submarine rescue ship in the United States Navy.
The McCann Submarine Rescue Chamber is a device for rescuing submariners from a submarine that is unable to surface.
The Cheonghaejin class is a submarine rescue ship class of the Republic of Korea Navy. Only one ship has been built in the class, ROKS Cheonghaejin, in 1995. Its operations include rescuing trapped sailors in submarines, naval operation support for submarines, underwater research and mapping support, and recovery of sunk vessels. It is equipped with a deep submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV) that operates up to 500 metres (1,600 ft), and a rescue chamber that holds up to nine people.
JS Chiyoda was a submarine rescue ship of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The 189 One Member LLC, trading as the 189 Shipbuilding Company, also operating under its military designation Z189 Shipyard or Z189 Factory, is a state-owned shipyard in Vietnam, operated by the Ministry of Defense.
JS Chihaya (ASR-403) is a submarine rescue ship of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
JS Chiyoda (ASR-404) is a submarine rescue ship of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
JDS Fushimi (ASR-402) was a submarine rescue ship of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
JDS Chihaya (ASR-401) was a submarine rescue ship of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
Vietnam People's Navy Ship 927–Yết Kiêu is a multipurpose submarine search-and-rescue ship (MSSARS) of the Vietnam People's Navy. The ship is stationed at the Vietnamese Cam Ranh Naval Base, and it is purposed to support the operation of VPN's fleet of six Kilo-class diesel-electric attack submarines which were formally acquired in 2009 and firstly commissioned in early 2014.
ROKS Cheonghaejin (ASR-21) is the only ship of the Cheonghaejin-class submarine rescue ship in the Republic of Korea Navy. She is named after the military headquarter, Cheonghaejin.
The James River Reserve Fleet (JRRF) is located on the James River in the U.S. state of Virginia at near Fort Eustis. James River Reserve Fleet, a "ghost fleet", is part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet. The Reserve Fleet ships in storage, called "mothballed", that can be ready for use if needed. Many are awaiting scrapping due to the age or condition of the ship. Some ships are used for target practice or as artificial reefs. A few ships became museum ships and other sold to private companies. Ships can be readied for use in 20 to 120 days during national emergencies or natural disaster. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) provides oversight of the James River Reserve Fleet. For the United States Navy ships the United States Navy reserve fleets stored these ships and submarines.
Submarine rescue is the process of locating a sunk submarine with survivors on board, and bringing the survivors to safety. This may be done by recovering the vessel to the surface first, or by transferring the trapped personnel to a rescue bell or deep-submergence rescue vehicle to bring them to the surface. Submarine rescue may be done at pressures between ambient at depth, and sea level atmospheric pressure, depending on the condition of the distressed vessel and the equipment used for the rescue. Self-rescue of submarine personnel by buoyant free ascent at ambient pressure is considered submarine escape. Survivors may require recompression treatment for decompression illness.
Vietnam's state-owned Z189 shipyard has begun assembly work on the first submarine rescue vessel for the People's Army of Vietnam Navy (PAVN). A keel-laying ceremony for the ship, known as MSSARS 9316 (multipurpose submarine search-and-rescue ship 9316), was held on 24 May at Z189's facilities in the northern coastal city of Haiphong, said the shipyard in a statement.
A model image of the MSSARS 9316, Việt Nam's first submarine search and rescue ship, which begins construction on Thursday in Hải Phòng.