The code below is a simplified version of what I'm working on.
I get the same result if the service is dynamic, with the
necessary changes to the macros and svc.conf file.

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class ORB_Task : public ACE_Task_Base
{
public:
  void orb (CORBA::ORB_ptr the_orb)
  {
    orb_ = the_orb;
  }

  int svc (void)
  {
    ACE_DEBUG ((LM_TRACE, "ORB running\n"));
    orb_->run ();
    return 0;
  }

private:
  CORBA::ORB_ptr orb_;
};

class App_Object : public ACE_Service_Object
{
public:
  int init (int argc, ACE_TCHAR *argv[])
  {
    orb_ = CORBA::ORB_init (argc, argv);
    ACE_DEBUG ((LM_TRACE, "ORB created\n"));
    orb_task_.orb (orb_.in ());
    orb_task_.activate ();
    return 0;
  }

  int fini (void)
  {
    orb_->destroy ();
    ACE_DEBUG ((LM_TRACE, "ORB destroyed\n"));
    return 0;
  }

private:
  CORBA::ORB_var orb_;
  ORB_Task orb_task_;
};

int main (int argc, ACE_TCHAR *argv[])
{
  int status = ACE_Service_Config::open (argc,
                                         argv,
                                         ACE_DEFAULT_LOGGER_KEY,
                                         0);

  if (status != 0)
    {
      ACE_ERROR_RETURN ((LM_ERROR,
                         "ACE_Service_Config::open failed\n"),
                        status);
    }

  ACE_OS::sleep (5);

  /* Without this call, there is a crash.

  status = ACE_Service_Config::close ();

  if (status != 0)
    {
      ACE_ERROR_RETURN ((LM_ERROR,
                         "ACE_Service_Config::close failed\n"),
                        status);
    }

  */

  return 0;
}

ACE_FACTORY_DEFINE (ACE_Local_Service, App_Object)

ACE_STATIC_SVC_DEFINE (App_Object_Service
                       ACE_TEXT ("App_Object_Service"),
                       ACE_SVC_OBJ_T,
                       &ACE_SVC_NAME (App_Object),
                       ACE_Service_Type::DELETE_THIS |
                       ACE_Service_Type::DELETE_OBJ,
                       0)

ACE_STATIC_SVC_REQUIRE (App_Object_Service)

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svc.conf file:

static App_Object_Service ""