USS Pigeon (ASR-21)
The lead ship of her submarine-rescue ship class, USS Pigeon (ASR-21), was commissioned on April 28, 1973, at Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company, Mobile, Alabama. Designed to operate with deep submergence rescue vehicles, her twin-hull enabled the rescue ship to have enhanced stability for deep-water operations and provide ample deck working-space whilst being able to maintain precise position over a disabled submarine during rescue operations. She also carried a McCann diving bell. Pigeon served until August 31, 1992, when she was decommissioned and placed into the reserves. Reacquired by the U.S. Navy in March 2002, she was utilized by the Naval Education and Training Command's Center for Security Purposes at San Diego, California, to train Sailors for counter-terrorism and security. Serving in this capacity for ten years, Pigeon was sold for scrapping in early 2012.
A model of Pigeon is on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Bldg. 76, Bay 17, Left Side.
Image: 330-CFD-DN-SC-05-06689: USS Pigeon (ASR-21), 1986. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.
