About this Unit
USS **Chanticleer** (ASR-7) was a Chanticleer-class submarine rescue ship commissioned by the United States Navy in 1942. During World War II, she served in the Pacific Theater, providing vital rescue, salvage, and diving support for submarines and other vessels. After the war, Chanticleer continued her service, participating in submarine exercises, training missions, and occasional rescue operations during the Cold War period. She was decommissioned in 1973, having played a crucial role in undersea rescue and salvage operations for over three decades.
Historical Facts
• USS Chanticleer (ASR-7) was a Chanticleer-class submarine rescue ship commissioned by the United States Navy in 1942.
• The ship was named after the rooster "Chanticleer," a character from Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, following a Navy tradition of naming rescue ships after roosters.
• Chanticleer was originally constructed as a fleet submarine rescue vessel, designed to support and rescue submariners in distress, and was equipped with sophisticated diving and salvage gear for its era.
• During World War II, USS Chanticleer served in the Pacific Theater, notably supporting submarine rescue and salvage operations around Pearl Harbor, Midway, the Marianas, and the Philippines.
• One of her notable missions was the rescue and salvage efforts of submarines damaged during wartime operations, including support to the USS Robalo and USS Sealion.
• Chanticleer was fitted with a McCann Rescue Chamber, an early submarine rescue device capable of retrieving trapped submariners from sunken submarines.
• Post-World War II, the ship participated in important Cold War activities, including submarine training exercises and rescue operations in the Pacific Fleet.
• The vessel played a key role in the search and salvage operation after the loss of the USS Thresher (SSN-593) in 1963, providing support in one of the most tragic submarine disasters in U.S. Navy history.
• USS Chanticleer earned two battle stars for her World War II service, recognizing her contributions to naval operations and the safety of submarine crews.
• Decommissioned in 1973 after over 30 years of service, Chanticleer was sold for scrapping in 1974, but her legacy lives on in the advancements she brought to submarine rescue and salvage operations.
