Brian Moum News

By Journalist 3rd Class Davis J. The recovery and salvage ship USS Grasp (ARS 51) was decommissioned after 20 years of service and transferred to Military Sealift Command (MSC) in a ceremony at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek Jan. 19. Past and present crew members attended the 11 a.m. ceremony to say farewell to the ship. “There’s always a little bit of sadness at the end of a career,” said Grasp’s executive officer Lt. Cmdr. As a U.S. Navy ship, Grasp had a crew of approximately 100 Sailors. As an MSC asset, the ship will now have a crew of 26 civilian mariners and four enlisted military personnel. According to many on board, the relatively small crew enabled them to come together more so than on other ships.