Safeguard is the lead ship of the newest auxiliary rescue and salvage class of vessels constructed for the US Navy. The rugged construction of this steel-hulled vessel, combined with her speed and endurance, make Safeguard well-suited for rescue and salvage operations throughout the world. The hull below the waterline is ice-strengthened.
Like all Safeguard-class rescue and salvage ships, Safeguard serves as an element of the United States Navy's Combat Logistics Support Force and provides rescue and salvage services to the fleet at sea. She also supported the protection of forces ashore through post-assault salvage operations in close proximity to the shore. She is designed to perform combat salvage, lifting, towing, off-ship firefighting, manned diving operations, and emergency repairs to stranded or disabled vessels.[4][5][6]
Salvage of disabled and stranded vessels
Disabled or stranded ships might require various types of assistance before retraction or towing can be attempted. In her 21,000 cubic feet (590m3) salvage hold, Safeguard carries transportable cutting and welding equipment, hydraulic and electric power sources, and de-watering gear. Safeguard also has salvage and machine shops, and hull repair materials to effect temporary hull repairs on stranded or otherwise damaged ships.[4][5]
Retraction of stranded vessels
Stranded vessels can be retracted from a beach or reef by the use of Safeguard's towing machine and propulsion. Additional retraction force can be applied to a stranded vessel through the use of up to six legs of beach gear, consisting of 6,000-pound (2,700kg) STATO anchors, wire rope, chain, and salvage buoys. In a typical configuration, two legs of beach gear are rigged on board Safeguard, and up to four legs of beach are rigged to the stranded vessel.[7]
In addition to the standard legs of beach gear, Safeguard carries 4 spring buoys. The spring buoys are carried beneath the port and starboard bridge wings. Each spring buoy weighs approximately 3,100 pounds (1,400kg), is 10 feet (3.0m) long and 6 feet (1.8m) in diameter, provides a net buoyancy of 7½ tons, and can withstand 125 tons of pull-through force.[7] The spring buoys are used with beach gear legs rigged from a stranded vessel when deep water is found seaward of the stranded vessel.
Towing
Safeguard's propulsion machinery provides a bollard pull (towing force at zero speed and full power) of 68 tons.[8][9]
The centerpiece of Safeguard's towing capability is an Almon A. Johnson Series 322 double-drum automatic towing machine. Each drum carries 3,000 feet (910m) of 2+1⁄4-inch-diameter (57mm), drawn galvanized, 6×37 right-hand lay, wire-rope towing hawsers, with closed zinc-poured sockets on the bitter end. The towing machine uses a system to automatically pay-in and pay-out the towing hawser to maintain a constraint strain.[8][9]
The automatic towing machine also includes a Series 400 traction winch that can be used with synthetic line towing hawsers up to 14inches in circumference. The traction winch has automatic payout but only manual recovery.[8][9]
The Safeguard's caprail is curved to fairlead and prevent chafing of the towing hawser. It includes two vertical stern rollers to tend the towing hawser directly aft and two Norman pin rollers to prevent the towing hawser from sweeping forward of the beam at the point of tow. The stern rollers and Norman pins are raised hydraulically and can withstand a lateral force of 50,000 pounds (23,000kg) at mid barrel.[8]
Two tow bows provide a safe working area on the fantail during towing operations.[8]
Manned diving operations
Safeguard has several diving systems to support different types of operations. Divers descend to diving depth on a diving stage that is lowered by one of two powered davits.
The diving locker is equipped with a double-lock hyperbaric chamber for decompression after deep dives or for the treatment of divers suffering from decompression sickness.[10]
The KM-37 diving system supports manned diving to depths of 190 feet (58m) on surfaced-supplied air. A fly-away mixed gas system can be used to enable the support of diving to a maximum depth of 300 feet (91m).[10]
The MK20 MOD0 diving system allows surface-supplied diving to a depth of 60 feet (18m) with lighter equipment.[10]
Safeguard carries SCUBA equipment for dives that require greater mobility than is possible in tethered diving.[10]
Recovery of submerged objects
In addition to her two main ground tackle anchors [6,000-pound (2,700kg) Navy standard stockless or 8,000-pound (3,600kg) balanced-fluke anchors] Safeguard can use equipment associated with her beach gear to lay a multi-point open water moor to station herself for diving and ROV operations.[5]
A typical four-point moor consists of an X pattern with four Stato Anchors at the outside corners and Safeguard at the center, made fast to a spring buoy for the close end of each mooring leg with synthetic mooring lines. Using her capstans, Safeguard can shorten or lengthen the mooring line for each leg and change her position within the moor.[11]
Safeguard has a 7.5-ton-capacity boom on her forward kingpost and a 40-ton-capacity boom on her aft kingpost.[9][10][12]
Heavy Lift
Safeguard has heavy lift system that consists of large bow and stern rollers, deck machinery, and tackle. The rollers serve as low-friction fairlead for the wire rope or chain used for the lift. The tackle and deck machinery provide up to 75 tons of hauling for each lift. The two bow rollers can be used together with linear hydraulic pullers to achieve a dynamic lift of 150 tons. The stern rollers can be used with the automatic towing machine to provide a dynamic lift of 150 tons. All four rollers can be used together for a dynamic lift of 300 tons[10] or a static tidal lift of 350 tons.[13]
Safeguard also has two auxiliary bow rollers, which can support of 75 ton lift when used together.[10]
Off-ship fire-fighting
Safeguard has three manually operated fire monitors, one on the forward signal bridge, one on the aft signal bridge, and one on the forecastle, that can deliver up to 1,000 gallons per minute of seawater or aqueous film forming foam (AFFF)[10] When originally built, Safeguard had a fourth remotely controlled fire monitor mounted on her forward kingpost,[4] but this was later removed. Safeguard has a 3,600-gallon foam tank.[9]
Emergency ship salvage material
In addition to the equipment carried by Safeguard, the US Navy Supervisor of Salvage maintains a stock of additional emergency fly-away salvage equipment that can be deployed aboard the salvage ships to support a wide variety of rescue and salvage operations.[14][15]
USS H-3 (SS-30) was a H-class submarine originally named Garfish, the only ship of the United States Navy named for the gar, a popular target for recreational anglers.
USS Grapple (ARS-53) is a Safeguard-class rescue and salvage ship in the United States Navy. Her home port is Norfolk, Virginia. On 13 July 2006 Grapple was decommissioned from US Navy service and converted to civilian operation by Military Sealift Command. She was redesignated as USNS Grapple.
USNS Salvor (T-ARS-52) is a Safeguard-class rescue and salvage ship, the second United States Navy ship of that name.
USS Salvager, a Gypsy-class salvage lifting vessel of the United States Navy, was originally conceived as LSM-551, was reclassified ARS(D)-3 on 24 April 1945; named Salvager on 1 May 1945; laid down on 27 August 1945 by the Brown Shipbuilding Corporation, Houston, Texas; launched on 7 December 1945; and commissioned on 22 March 1946.
USNS Catawba is a Powhatan-class tugboat operated by the Military Sealift Command for the United States Navy. It is currently based in Manama, Bahrain. It was launched in 1979 and is the last ship of its class still in service. In December 2020, the Navy announced its intention to retire Catawba during fiscal year 2023.
Rescue and salvage ships are a type of military salvage tug. They are tasked with coming to the aid of stricken vessels. Their general mission capabilities include combat salvage, lifting, towing, retraction of grounded vessels, off-ship firefighting, and manned diving operations. They were common during World War II.
USS Current (ARS-22) was a Diver-class rescue and salvage ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels.
USS Safeguard (ARS-25) was a Diver-class rescue and salvage ship in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1947 and from 1952 to 1979. She was then transferred to Turkey where she served as TCG Işın (A-589) until 2017.
USNS Apache (T-ATF-172) was a U.S. Navy Powhatan-class fleet ocean tugboat that was operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC) from 1981 to 2022. She spent the bulk of her career in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.
USNS Mohawk (T-ATF-170) was a United States Navy Powhatan-class tugboat operated by the Military Sealift Command from 1980 to 2005.
USNS Grasp (T-ARS-51) is a Safeguard-class rescue and salvage ship, the second United States Navy ship of that name.
USNS Navajo (T-ATF-169) was a United States Navy Powhatan-class tugboat operated by the Military Sealift Command which was in service from 1980 to 2016. She spent the bulk of her career in the Pacific and is currently moored in Pearl Harbor, awaiting disposal.
USNS Powhatan (T-ATF-166) was the lead ship of the United States Navy Powhatan-class fleet ocean tugboats. She was in service with the U.S. Navy from 1979 to 1999, and then was leased to a private towing and salvage company. At the end of the lease in 2008, the ship was sold to the Turkish Navy which recommissioned her as TCG Inebolu.
USNS Sioux (T-ATF-171) was a United States Navy Powhatan-class tugboat operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC). She was in service from 1981 to 2021 and spent the bulk of this time supporting the Pacific Fleet.
The Powhatan class of fleet ocean tugs consists of seven ships built for the United States Navy, and operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC). The lead ship of the class was launched in 1978 and the last ship in MSC service will be deactivated in 2023. During their service life, the Powhatan's were the most powerful tugs owned by the Navy.
The United States Navy Combat Logistics Force (CLF), formerly the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force (NFAF), is a subordinate component of the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command. CLF's 42 ships are the supply lines that provide virtually everything that Navy ships at sea needs to accomplish its missions, including fuel, food, ordnance, spare parts, mail and other supplies. NFAF ships enable the Navy fleet to remain at sea, on station and combat ready for extended periods of time. CLF ships also conduct towing, rescue and salvage operations or serve as floating medical facilities. All CLF ships are government owned and crewed by civil service mariners. Some of the ships also have a small contingent of Navy personnel aboard for operations support, supply coordination and helicopter operations.
The Navajo class is a class of Towing, Salvage and Rescue Ships for the Military Sealift Command of the United States Navy. They were ordered in 2017 as the planned replacement for the aging Safeguard-class rescue and salvage ships and Powhatan-class tugboats. A total of ten ships of the class have been planned and none have yet to be put in service.
The Bolster class were a series of rescue and salvage ships designed and built for the United States Navy during World War II. Rescue and salvage ships such as the Bolster class save battle-damaged combat ships from further damage and tow them to safety. Rescue, salvage and towing ships provide rapid fire fighting, pumping, battle damage repair and rescue towing to warships in combat and tow them to repair ships or bases in safe areas.
The Safeguard class is a class of Towing, Salvage and Rescue Ship under the United States Navy.
↑ "US Navy Salvor's Handbook"(PDF). Supervisor of Salvage and Diving. 31 December 2003. Archived from the original(PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
United States, Department of the Navy, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (1991). U.S. Navy Ship Salvage Manual. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command. OCLC39909053.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
United States Naval Sea Systems Command (1989). U.S. Navy Towing Manual. Washington. D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC624048564.
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