The USS Chain (ARS-20/T-AGOR-17) was a Diver-class rescue and salvage ship constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. Launched on June 3, 1943, by the Basalt Rock Company in Napa, California, and commissioned on March 31, 1944, the vessel was designed to aid distressed ships through rescue and salvage operations. Following her commissioning, the Chain departed San Diego on May 14, 1944, heading through the Panama Canal to Trinidad, arriving on June 2. Her early wartime duties involved towing barge YF-324 to Recife, Brazil. From July 2, 1944, she operated with the U.S. 4th Fleet from Recife and Bahia, providing essential support in the South Atlantic Theater until June 18, 1945. Her role was crucial in enabling the 4th Fleet to execute its mission of maritime patrol and protection in the region. After returning to Norfolk, Virginia, for overhaul and training, the Chain set out on a postwar mission in September 1945, rendezvousing with Italian submarines off Key West, Florida, and subsequently transporting them to Taranto, Italy, arriving on November 3. She also towed the covered lighter YF-445 from Palermo, Sicily, back to Charleston, South Carolina, arriving December 31, 1945. In 1946, while operating along the U.S. East Coast, the Chain grounded in Block Island Sound on March 29. She was quickly refloated by the Coast Guard Cutter Dix and repaired in New London, Connecticut, until June. Decommissioned on November 9, 1946, she was placed in reserve at Orange, Texas. Reactivated in 1958 for the Military Sea Transportation Service, the vessel was reclassified as USNS Chain (T-AGOR-17) and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System research fleet. The ship was struck from the Naval Register on December 30, 1977, and scrapped in June 1979. Throughout her service, USS Chain played a versatile role, transitioning from wartime rescue and salvage to oceanographic research, exemplifying maritime versatility and enduring service significance.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.