USS Skylark (ASR-20)

USS "Skylark" was a 1735-ton "Penguin"-class submarine rescue ship, built at Charleston, South Carolina. Begun as the fleet tug "Yustaga" (ATF-165), she was redesignated ASR-20 and renamed "Skylark" in late 1945. Launched in March 1946 and completed a few months later, the ship was placed in reserve and not commissioned until March 1951.

Based at New London, Connecticut, throughout her active career, she was periodically deployed to other locations along the U.S. Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean area during her first decade of service. Beginning in January 1962, she began a pattern of regular tours in the Mediterranean and also operated in support of ballistic missile submarine activities at Holy Loch, Scotland.

In 1963 and 1968, she assisted in the searches for the lost submarines USS "Thresher" (SSN-593) and USS "Scorpion" (SSN-589).

Decommissioned in June 1973, "Skylark" was sold to Brazil, in whose navy she served under the name Gastão Moutinho, initially as a submarine rescue vessel (K 10). In 1989 she was redesignated as coastal patrol vessel (U 20), and stricken in 1996.

External links

* [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-s/asr20.htm USS Skylark (ASR-20), 1951-1973] - image of ship dith description