socket TIME_WAIT state

If I am using SOAPHTTPConnection to send and receive soap
messages.  My question is: when are the socket connections 
released?  Do I have to do anything explicitly to close it?  
Server ends says the socket is going into TIME_WAIT state (sometimes?).
Will this happen if client timesout before response is received?
I am on jdk1.3.  Thanks for any help!
 
 
Envelope env = null; 
Message msg = new Message();
SOAPHTTPConnection st = new SOAPHTTPConnection();
msg.setSOAPTransport(st);
st.setTimeout(2000);
 
try {
msg.send(new URL(sURL), soapAction, requestEnvelope);
env = msg.receiveEnvelope();
} 
 
 
Vivian Ching
AT&T
MT A2-2E04
200 S Laurel Avenue
Middletown, NJ 07748
732.420.2452