Two More Ships to Depart Suisun Bay Fleet

Two obsolete vessels, the Bolster and the Clamp, are scheduled to depart the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet on Monday, May 23, 2011.

The departures mark the 22nd and 23rd ships to leave the National Defense Reserve Fleet since October 2009, when the Obama Administration announced its commitment to clean up the site and improve the surrounding environment. As a result, the U.S. Maritime Administration is more than four months ahead of schedule in removing obsolete U.S. ships from the Reserve Fleet. The disposal schedule calls for 20 ships to be removed from SBRF by September 30, 2011.

The Bolster, formerly the USS Bolster (ARS-38), and the Clamp, formerly the USS Clamp (ARS-33), are Diver class auxiliary salvage and rescue ships built for the U.S. Navy at the end of World War II specifically for salvage work. Both vessels were built by Basalt Rock Company Inc., Shipbuilding Division, Napa, California. The Clamp was launched on October 24, 1942 and the Bolster on December 23, 1944.

The Clamp had a short, but active career before being decommissioned in 1947 and placed into the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. The Bolster served primarily in the Pacific and Far East conducting salvage and towing operations from post World War II throughout the Korean and Vietnam Wars. During the 1970s and 1980s Bolster became more involved in ocean towing before being decommissioned in 1994 and placed in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet.

The Bolster and Clamp will be cleaned of marine growth and loose exterior paint in dry-dock at BAE System Ship Repair in San Francisco before departing for Texas, where they will be recycled by Marine Metal Inc.

What: Ship Departures – Bolster and Clamp

When: Monday, May 23, 2011, beginning at approximately 7:00am (PST)

(Please be advised that departure dates and times are subject to change and are dependent on weather and other conditions.)

Where: Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, Benicia, California