When I photograph any ship or vessel for the first time I invariably know nothing about their history. That is certainly true of the Turkish Naval Salvage Vessel TCG Isin featured in this image captured in September 2006. Internet sources indicate that she was built in 1944 for the American Navy and was named USS Safeguard. Around 1987 she was transferred to the Turkish Navy and renamed TCG Isin A589. At the time I saw her tied up to a buoy in the waters around Istanbul Turkey she was already 62 years old, an absolute credit to her builders and the American and Turkish Navies who had maintained her. It would appear that she remained in operational service until around 2015 but sadly I could find no precise date for her de-commissioning. There is a wealth of information on the Internet about her life and service.