USNS Range Recoverer Mission and Status

The USNS Range Recoverer is a unique vessel with a specialized mission. It's designed to recover and redeploy the Range Instrumentation Unit, a crucial system for tracking missile trajectories.

The Range Recoverer's mission is critical to supporting missile testing and development. This is evident in its ability to operate in a variety of environments, including tropical and arctic conditions.

The USNS Range Recoverer is a vital asset for the US military, playing a key role in ensuring the success of missile testing and development programs.

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Range Recoverer was named on 12 July and reported to the Pacific Missile Range in August 1960.

She was reclassified a missile range instrumentation ship and designated T-AGM-2 on 27 November 1960.

Range Recoverer is equipped with telemetry, data processing, and radio instruments as well as recovery facilities to retrieve nose cones.

She served as a telemetry and recovery ship on the Pacific Missile Range, where she launched, tested, and evaluated the Regulus missile.

In July 1962, Range Recoverer shifted to Little Creek, Virginia, to support the NASA facility at Wallops Island, Virginia.

NASA technical party operators used on board equipment, including helix antennas, data recording systems, and a communications suite with direction finders to locate and recover payloads.

Range Recoverer replaced two T-1 tankers, Dumont and Whitlock, damaged during a storm, and operated out of Little Creek primarily between Wallops Island and the splash down area near Bermuda since then.

She continued to operate in this capacity until 1970.

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Range Recoverer was placed out-of-service in 1972.

She was reclassified as range tender YFRT-524.

Range Recoverer was struck from the Navy List on an unknown date.

She was sold for scrap on 1 November 1974.

Despite being sold for scrap, Range Recoverer remained extant until at least 2016 as the Virginia-based fishing vessel Reedville.