 USS Charleston (LKA-113) in 1987 |
| History |
|---|
 United States |
|---|
| Name | USS Charleston |
| Namesake | Charleston, South Carolina |
| Ordered | 11 June 1965 |
| Builder | Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. |
| Laid down | 5 December 1966 |
| Launched | 2 December 1967 |
| Commissioned | 14 December 1968 |
| Decommissioned | 27 April 1992 |
| Stricken | 31 August 2015 |
| Homeport | Norfolk, VA |
| Nickname(s) | "Chuckie" or "The Chuck" |
| Fate | Awaiting disposal by scrapping |
| General characteristics |
|---|
| Class and type | Charleston-class amphibious cargo ship |
| Displacement | 18,465 tons (full load) |
| Length | 576 ft (176 m) |
| Beam | 82 ft (25 m) |
| Draft | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
| Propulsion | Steam Turbine |
Boats & landing
craft carried | LCM, LCVP, motor whale boat |
| Complement | 50 officers, 592 men |
| Armament | |
| Service record |
|---|
| Operations: | Vietnam War, Desert Storm |
USS Charleston (AKA-113/LKA-113) was an amphibious cargo ship, and was the lead ship of her class in the United States Navy. She was the fifth ship to be named Charleston for Charleston, South Carolina. She served as a commissioned ship for 23 years and 4 months.
She was laid down as AKA-113 at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Virginia, and was launched on 2 December 1967. She was commissioned on 14 December 1968, and was redesignated as LKA-113 on 1 January 1969.
Charleston was involved in the Vietnam War, and earned eight awards and campaign ribbons for her service.
Decommissioned 1992, she was mothballed at Portsmouth, Virginia. She is berthed at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, awaiting disposal.
There is no DANFS entry for the ship.
USS Hunt (DD-194) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy following World War I. She also served in the United States Coast Guard, as USCGD Hunt (CG-18). She was later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Broadway (H90).
USS St. Louis (AKA-116/LKA-116), a Charleston class amphibious cargo ship, was the sixth US ship to bear the name. She served as a commissioned ship for 22 years and 11 months.
Amphibious cargo ships were U.S. Navy ships designed specifically to carry troops, heavy equipment and supplies in support of amphibious assaults, and to provide naval gunfire support during those assaults. A total of 108 of these ships were built between 1943 and 1945—which worked out to an average of one ship every eight days. Six additional AKAs, featuring new and improved designs, were built in later years. They were originally called Attack Cargo Ships and designated AKA. In 1969, they were renamed as Amphibious Cargo Ships and redesignated LKA.
USS Vermilion (AKA-107/LKA-107), was a Tolland-class attack cargo ship of the United States Navy, named after a parish in southern Louisiana and a county in eastern Illinois. She served as a commissioned ship for 25 years and 9 months.
USS Algol (AKA-54) was an Andromeda-class attack cargo ship. She was the first ship of the United States Navy by this name, after Algol, a fixed star in the constellation Perseus. Algol served as a commissioned ship for 22 years and 1 month.
USS Rankin (AKA-103/LKA-103) was a Tolland-class attack cargo ship in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1947 and again from 1952 to 1971. She was finally sunk as an artificial reef in 1988.
USS Skagit (AKA-105/LKA-105) was a Tolland-class attack cargo ship in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1949 and from 1950 to 1969. She was scrapped in 1974.
USS Oglethorpe (AKA-100) was an Andromeda-class attack cargo ship in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1968. She was scrapped in 1969.
USS Tulare (AKA-112/LKA-112) was a Tulare-class attack cargo ship in service with the United States Navy from 1956 to 1986. She was sold for scrap in 2011.
USS Durham (LKA-114) was a Charleston-class amphibious cargo ship in service with the United States Navy from 1969 to 1994. She was sunk as a target in August 2020.
USS Mobile (AKA-115/LKA-115) was a Charleston class amphibious cargo ship named after the city of Mobile, Alabama. She was the fourth U.S. Navy ship to bear that name. She served as a commissioned ship for 24 years and 4 months. LKAs had the distinction of being the only ships in the "Gator Navy" that were not flat bottom. They would drop anchor several hundred yards offshore and use their Mike 8s (LCM-8) and Mike 6s (LCM-6) to ferry in the Marines and their equipment.
USS El Paso (AKA-117/LKA-117) is a Charleston-class amphibious cargo ship named after the city of El Paso, Texas. She served as a commissioned ship for 24 years and three months.
USS Merrick (AKA-97/LKA-97) was an Andromeda-class attack cargo ship named after Merrick County, Nebraska.
USS Muliphen (AKA-61/LKA-61) was an Andromeda-class attack cargo ship in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1970. She was sunk as an artificial reef in 1989.
USS Oberon (AK-56/AKA-14/T-AKA-14/LKA-14) was a Arcturus-class attack cargo ship in the United States Navy. She was named after Oberon, one of the moons of the planet Uranus.
USS Alchiba (AKA-6) was an Arcturus-class attack cargo ship of the United States Navy, named after Alchiba, a star in the constellation Corvus. She served as a commissioned ship for 4 years and 7 months.
USS Pandemus (ARL-18) was one of 39 Achelous-class landing craft repair ships built for the United States Navy during World War II and was in commission from 1945 to 1946 and from 1951 to 1968. Named for Pandemus, she has been the only U.S. Navy vessel to bear the name.
USS Adroit (AM-509/MSO-509) was an Acme-class minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the task of removing mines that had been placed in the water to prevent the safe passage of ships.
USS Gallatin (APA-169/LKA-169) was a Haskell-class attack transport acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II for the task of transporting troops to and from combat areas.
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