1946–1949 After fitting out at
Charleston, South Carolina and shakedown at
Guantanamo and
Panama Bays,
Petrel returned to Charleston on 18 December 1946. She sailed for
New London on 6 January 1947 to join SubRon 2, and operated out of that base for the next three years training and qualifying deep-sea divers and salvage crews, and escorting submarines such as and in tests.
1950–1959 Departing New London on 23 January 1950, she steamed off
Old Point Comfort,
Virginia, where the
battleship had run aground. Divers from
Petrel surveyed and excavated around the bottom of the battleship, and on 1 February
Petrel aided in the "big pull" that drew
Missouri into deep water. After this operation,
Petrel returned to New London on 6 February, but was reassigned to
Key West on 5 May.
Petrel continued training operations, with SubRon 4, at Key West throughout the 1950s, with occasional variations. She towed ex- off Dry Tortuga Flats in October 1950 to be sunk in firing exercises by the
destroyer . Exercises in 1952 included re-floating the
U–2513. In 1956,
Petrel had a key role in freeing
Nantahala, aground in Key West Channel. On 14 February 1958,
Petrel received a distress call at
Key West from the
submarine , stranded in heavy seas off
San Salvador,
Bahama Islands. Steaming to the area and off-loading some of ''Guavina's
oil cargo, Petrel'' towed the lightened submarine to Key West.
1960–1969 Petrel continued to operate along the Atlantic coast of the southern United States until sailing in early 1961 for the
Mediterranean for exercises with SubDiv 41, 6th Fleet in June and operated off
Portugal in salvage operations after a
DC-8 passenger airplane crash.
Petrel returned to Charleston on 28 August for coastal operations until she again joined the
6th Fleet from January to May 1964. She departed Charleston on 12 July for
Hamilton, Bermuda, where she aided the U.S. Air Force in recovering wreckage and personnel from a two-plane, mid-air collision. Highlights of subsequent coastal service included accompanying in sea trials in September, work with in April 1965, and duty at
Guantanamo on 28–30 September and during
Hurricane Inez.
Petrel departed
New London on 6 January 1966 for
Holy Loch,
Scotland, with in tow. On 17 January, an Air Force
B-52, carrying four unarmed
Mk.28 nuclear bombs,
collided with a
KC-135 off
Palomares,
Spain.
Petrel was sent to the area to aid in salvage operations and had the delicate task of maintaining position over the bomb. The weapon was brought to the surface on 7 April, by the
ROV CURV, placed on
Petrel, and transferred to the .
Petrel then returned to Charleston. Deployed to the Mediterranean again in 1968,
Petrel searched for the lost
Israeli submarine on 26 January, and missing on the 30th. On 12 February, she helped salvage destroyer at
Rhodes,
Greece. After return to Charleston in May, she joined in the search for missing submarine on the 27th, and returned to Charleston from the
Azores on 12 July. She continued operations with SubDiv 41 into 1970.
1970–1991 Petrel departed her homeport in Charleston, South Carolina in January 1973 to participate in the Roberto Clemente aircraft search and recovery operation off the coast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was decommissioned on 30 September 1991, and struck from the
Naval Vessel Register on 9 October 1991. Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet,
Petrel was transferred to
MARAD custody on 1 May 1999, for lay up in the
National Defense Reserve Fleet, at
James River, Virginia. A contract for scrapping was awarded to Bay Bridge Enterprises of Chesapeake, Virginia, and the ship was towed from the James River on 5 December 2003. ==References==