Military Sealift Command's rescue and salvage ship USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52) successfully escorted prepositioning vessel USNS Sgt. Matej Kocak (T-AK 3005) from Okinawa, Japan, to Singapore, arriving April 4.

Kocak ran aground off the East Coast of Okinawa Jan. 22 and remained in Okinawa to make initial repairs ahead of a drydocking availability in Singapore.

According to Salvor's civilian master, Capt. Mark Wilson, Salvor was prepared to tow Kocak in case the ship lost propulsion during the 10-day, 2,027-nautical-mile transit. Ultimately, Kocak made the transit under her own power.

For the mission, Salvor embarked a detachment of 17 Navy divers assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1. The divers split their detachment between both ships during the transit.

"Both ships and the dive team developed a towing plan for Kocak and prepared her to receive tow wires and chains in case Salvor was needed," said Chief Navy Diver Brodie Kraft, assigned to MDSU 1.

The 234-foot Salvor displaces 3,283 tons of water, and yet she was well-prepared to tow the much larger 821-foot Kocak with a displacement of 51,612 tons. According to Kraft, Salvor is capable of towing ships as large as Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, which displace 97,000 tons.

"Salvor completes towing, salvage and rescue missions," said Wilson. "She was fully mission capable and executed the tasking as directed by 7th Fleet. This is what we do."

The divers and crew aboard Salvor regularly conduct salvage, diving, towing, heavy lift operations and theater security cooperation missions for 7th Fleet, including most phases of the bilateral exercise series Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) in South and Southeast Asia. Additionally, the crew recently completed a two-week bilateral salvage operation with the Republic of Korea Navy, Salvex Korea 2015.

Kocak ran aground on a reef approximately 6 miles east of Okinawa in late January. The ship sustained some damage during the incident to include minor flooding, but no crew members were harmed. U.S. Navy and Japanese officials are investigating the cause of the incident.

Salvor is a forward-deployed rescue and salvage ship operating out of 7th Fleet and is part of Task Force (CTF) 73. CTF 73 conducts advanced planning, organizes resources and directly supports the execution of maritime exercises, such as the bilateral series Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) with Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste; the Naval Engagement Activity (NEA) with Vietnam and the multi-lateral Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

For more news from Commander, Task Force 73, visit www.navy.mil/.