USS PIGEON was the Navy's third ship to bear the name and the leader of the Navy's first class of ships designed to operate the Navy’s deep submergence rescue vehicles. Equipped to accommodate two DSRVs, the PIGEON was the first seagoing catamaran warship built for the Navy since Robert Fulton’s twin-hulled steam warship FULTON was built at the close of the War of 1812. Both decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list on August 31, 1992, the PIGEON is now berthed at Naval Station San Diego, Calif., serving as a non-operational training ship.
| General Characteristics: | Awarded: November 15, 1967 |
| Keel laid: July 17, 1968 |
| Launched: August 13, 1969 |
| Commissioned: April 28, 1973 |
| Decommissioned: August 31, 1992 |
| Builder: Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Co., Mobile, Ala. |
| Propulsion system: four Diesel engines |
| Propellers: two |
| Length: 251 feet (76.5 meters) |
| Beam: 86 feet (26.2 meters) |
| Draft: 21.4 feet (6.5 meters) |
| Displacement: approx. 4,200 tons |
| Speed: 15 knots |
| Aircraft: helicopter platform only |
| Armament: two Mk-68 20mm guns |
| Crew: 6 officers, 109 enlisted (+ 4 officers and 20 enlisted with embarked DSRV) |