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USS Monrovia (APA-31), a ship of the Crescent City class | |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | Crescent City-class |
Builders | Bethlehem Steel |
Operators | United States Navy |
Preceded by | Harry Lee class |
Succeeded by | President Jackson class |
In commission |
|
Completed | 4 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Crescent City-class attack transport |
Displacement | 7,300 tons (light), 13,910 tons (full) |
Length | 459 ft 3 in (139.98 m) |
Beam | 63 ft (19 m) |
Draft | 24 ft (7.3 m) |
Propulsion | 1 × General Electric geared drive turbine, 2 × Foster-Wheeler D-type boilers, 1 × propeller, designed shaft horsepower 6,000 |
Speed | 16 - 16.5 knots |
Capacity | Troops: Officer 83-91 Enlisted 1,465-1475 Cargo: 150,000 cu ft, 2,700 tons |
Complement | 42-46 officers, 478 enlisted |
Armament | 2 × 5"/38 caliber dual-purpose gun mounts, 2 × Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun mounts, 4 × twin 20mm gun, 12 - 18 × 20 mm single gun mounts. |
Notes | MCV hull type C2-S-B1 |
The Crescent City-class attack transport was a class of U.S. Navy attack transports that saw service in World War II and the Korean War. There were four ships in the class: USS Crescent City, USS Charles Carroll, USS Monrovia, and USS Calvert.
Like all attack transports, the purpose of the Crescent City ships was to transport troops and their equipment to foreign shores in order to execute amphibious invasions using an array of smaller assault boats integral to the attack transport itself. Also like all the attack transports, the class was armed with antiaircraft weaponry to protect itself and its cargo of troops from air attack in the battle zone.
The Crescent City class began as a class of Navy transport ships (classification AP). Like many other transports, they were redesignated attack transports (APA) on 1 February 1943, the date on which the Navy formalized its separate classification of transport vessels into ordinary transports and attack transports. Unlike many other classes of attack transport, there was no consistent naming convention for these vessels, with individual ships being named after cities, national heroes, or counties of the United States.
The four ships of the Crescent City class were based on the Maritime Commission's ubiquitous Type C3 merchant/auxiliary hull (specifically, the C3-P or C3-Delta types). These were pre-war merchant ship hull types which had been specifically designed with prospective Naval auxiliary service in mind.
All four ships were laid down by Bethlehem Steel at their Sparrow's Point shipyard, but the lead ship, the eponymous Crescent City was launched almost two years before the others, in February 1940. The remaining three were launched between March and September 1942. The commissioning dates were not so far apart though, since Crescent City had to undergo several months converting to an attack transport before she was ready to serve in October '41. The rest were commissioned from August to December '42. The build time for these ships, from laying down to commission, appears to have been about nine months - relatively fast for the C3 type.
The Crescent City class ships were notable for their variety of armament - no two ships had the same configuration. The ships were fitted out with either three or four 3"/50 caliber guns but the last two also got one 5"/38 caliber gun - a superior weapon which had proven its effectiveness in the antiaircraft role and which all later classes of APA received. The remainder of the weaponry was made up of an assortment of 40 mm and 20 mm guns.
The ships had a moderate troop capacity of around 1,200 to 1,500 men, and a useful cargo capacity of 2,300 to 2,700 tons.
The last three ships in the class saw service in both the Mediterranean and Pacific Theatres, with one, Charles Carroll, also participating in the Normandy landings in France. Crescent City, the lead ship and first to be commissioned, spent the entirety of the war in the Pacific Theatre, where she accumulated an impressive ten battle stars.
Immediately after the end of the war, the ships were engaged in the redeployment of troops for occupation duties in Japan and its former territories in China and Korea, before taking part in Operation Magic Carpet, the massive sealift organized to return demobilizing troops home to the United States. The ships were then decommissioned between 1946 and 1948, but two, Monrovia and Calvert, were recommissioned in 1950 for the Korean War, where Calvert earned an additional two battle stars to add to the eight received for her World War II service.
Subsequently, the ships were decommissioned one by one, from 1968 to 1977, but Crescent City was given a new lease of life as a training ship for the California Maritime Academy from 1971 to 1995. She was revived again as Artship from 1999 to 2004, but has since joined her sister ships in the scrapyard.
The Crescent City class as a whole earned an impressive 33 battle stars and two Navy Unit Commendations for their military service.
Attack transport is a United States Navy ship classification for a variant of ocean-going troopship adapted to transporting invasion forces ashore. Unlike standard troopships – often drafted from the merchant fleet – that rely on either a quay or tenders, attack transports carry their own fleet of landing craft, such as the landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVP) or Higgins boat.
Haskell-class attack transports (APA) were amphibious assault ships of the United States Navy created in 1944. They were designed to transport 1,500 troops and their combat equipment, and land them on hostile shores with the ships' integral landing craft.
The Tolland-class attack cargo ships were built by North Carolina Shipbuilding Co. in Wilmington, North Carolina during the latter stages of World War II.
The Artemis-class attack cargo ships were a series of attack cargo ships (AKAs) built by Walsh-Kaiser Company of Cranston and Providence, Rhode Island, during World War II.
The Arcturus-class attack cargo ships were converted from other ship types by Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in Chester, Pennsylvania, Tampa Shipbuilding Co. in Tampa, Florida, and Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in Kearny, New Jersey, during World War II.
USS La Grange (APA-124) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1945. She was scrapped in 1975.
USS Calvert (APA-32) was a Crescent City-class attack transport that served with the United States Navy during World War II and the Korean War. In addition to her ten battle stars, Calvert was awarded a Navy Unit Commendation.
The Gilliam-class attack transport was a class of attack transport built for service with the US Navy in World War II.
The Bayfield-class attack transport was a class of US Navy attack transports that were built during World War II.
The Sumter-class attack transport was a class of attack transport built for service with the US Navy in World War II.
The Frederick Funston-class attack transport was a class of two US Navy attack transports. They saw service in World War II and later in the Korean War.
The Windsor-class attack transport was a class of nine US Navy attack transports. Ships of the class saw service in World War II.
USS Crescent City (AP-40/APA-21) was the lead ship of the Crescent City-class attack transports that served with the US Navy during World War II. The ship was built as the cargo and passenger liner Delorleans for the Mississippi Shipping Company's Delta Line. After brief commercial operation the ship was among 28 vessels requisitioned in June 1941 for the Navy and the Army. The Navy renamed the ship Crescent City, a popular nickname for New Orleans, Louisiana, upon commissioning 10 October 1941. The ship was decommissioned and laid up in 1948 before being loaned to the California Maritime Academy to serve as a training ship 1971–1995 and then transferred to a foundation in a failed art colony project. The ship left California for Texas scrapping in 2012.
The Ormsby-class attack transport was a class of US Navy attack transport that saw service in World War II.
The Harris-class attack transport was a class of US Navy attack transport which saw service in World War II. The purpose of any attack transport was to deliver troops and their equipment to hostile shores in order to execute amphibious invasions using an array of smaller integral landing craft. Being intended to serve in forward combat areas, these ships were well armed with antiaircraft guns to protect itself and its vulnerable cargo of troops from air attack in the battle zone.
The McCawley-class attack transport was a class of US Navy attack transport built in 1928 that saw service in World War II.
The President Jackson-class attack transport was a class of seven US Navy attack transport that saw service in World War II.
The Arthur Middleton-class attack transport was a class of three US Navy attack transport that saw most of its service in World War II. Ships of the class were named after signatories of the American Declaration of Independence.
The Doyen-class attack transport was a class of two attack transports that saw service with the US Navy in World War II. Ships of the class were named after generals of the United States Marine Corps.
The Type P1 ship is a United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) designation for World War II passenger ships. P1 was used in World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War. Type P1 were the smallest of the P-class ships, at 400 to 500 feet long. Two P1-S2-L2 ships were built for the Navy and used as attack transports (APA). Many P1 type ships were built on Type C3-class ship hulls.