Lorain County (LST-1177) approaches the Rankin (AKA-103) while underway in the Caribbean Sea, 12 May 1963 | |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | USS Lorain County |
Namesake | Lorain County |
Builder | American Ship Building Company, Lorain, Ohio |
Laid down | 9 August 1956 |
Launched | 22 June 1957 |
Commissioned | 3 October 1958 |
Decommissioned | 1 September 1972 |
Identification | IMO number: 8450342 |
Fate | Scrapped, October 2002 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | De Soto County-class tank landing ship |
Displacement |
|
Length | 446 ft (136 m) |
Beam | 62 ft (19 m) |
Draft | 17 ft (5.2 m) |
Propulsion | 6 Cooper Bessemer fvam-16 direct reversible diesels,2400 HP ea. |
Speed | 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) |
Capacity |
|
Troops | 410 officers and enlisted men |
Complement | 170 officers and enlisted men |
Armament | 3 × twin 3-inch/50-caliber gun mounts |
USS Lorain County (LST-1177) was a De Soto County-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during the late 1950s. Named after Lorain County, Ohio, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
Lorain County was designed under project SCB 119 and laid down 9 August 1956 by the American Ship Building Company of Lorain, Ohio; launched 22 June 1957; sponsored by Mrs. Albert D. Baumhart, Jr., wife of Congressman Baumhart of Ohio; and commissioned at New Orleans 3 October 1958.
This larger, air conditioned, and even more versatile version of the World War II "Landing Ship, Tank" conducted its shakedown out of Little Creek, Virginia and in January 1959 joined PhibRon 6 for the first of many landing exercises on Onslow Beach, North Carolina. On 31 July her squadron steamed from Morehead City, North Carolina with Marines embarked for Mediterranean deployment with the 6th Fleet. Returning to Little Creek 10 February 1961 she concentrated on training with Marines. Each year she served several months with the Caribbean Ready Squadron. Such training proved its value during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when fully loaded, Lorain County remained on standby in the Caribbean from 22 October to 16 December. Castro's revolutionary pronouncements and his act of shutting off the water supply to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base prevented any true relaxation of tension in the area, and in June 1965 Lorain County carried a Marine heavy artillery company to Guantanamo.
Her Caribbean training in 1966 was highlighted by a visit to Aruba, Netherlands West Indies with PhibRon 4. 1967 saw further Caribbean training and landing exercises, and deployment to the Mediterranean from 30 March to 24 May. After further operations in the Caribbean in early 1968, Lorain County began overhaul at Norfolk, Virginia on 24 June. On 2 December she left the yard and prepared for refresher training into 1969. From the time of commissioning, Lorain County spent her entire period of active service with the Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet. In mid 1969 she transited the Panama Canal into the Pacific several weeks before returning through the canal. For 14 years, she engaged in amphibious operations along the east coast of the United States supplemented with extended operations in the Caribbean and regular deployments as a unit of the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean.
Decommissioned on 1 September 1972 the tank landing ship was assigned to the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Norfolk. Transferred to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) 23 December 1994 for lay-up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Fort Eustis, Virginia, the ship was scrapped in October 2002 at ESCO Marine, Brownsville, Texas.
USS Raleigh (LPD-1), the lead ship of her class of amphibious transport docks, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy named for the capital of North Carolina, which in turn honors the English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh, the first to attempt the establishment of an English settlement in the United States of America.
The third USS Austin (LPD-4) was the lead ship of her class of amphibious transport dock ships in the United States Navy. Austin was named in honor of the city of Austin, Texas which in turn was named in honor of Stephen F. Austin, a Texian patriot during the Texas War for Independence and the first Secretary of State of the Republic of Texas.
USS Trenton (LPD-14) was an Austin-class amphibious transport dock, the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the capital of New Jersey. In 2007, it was sold to the Indian Navy and renamed INS Jalashwa.
USS Shreveport (LPD-12) was an Austin-class amphibious transport dock. It was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the city in Louisiana. Her keel was laid down on 27 December 1965 by the Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle, Washington. She was launched on 22 October 1966 sponsored by Mrs. Andrew McBurney Jackson, Jr., and commissioned on 12 December 1970.
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 Saginaw (LST-1188) was the tenth of the Newport-class tank landing ships of the United States Navy which replaced the traditional bow door-design tank landing ships (LSTs). The second ship of that name, Saginaw was named after the river in Michigan. The LST was constructed by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company of San Diego, California, launched in 1970 and commissioned in 1971. During service with the United States Navy, the ship took part in US efforts in the Lebanese civil war and the Gulf War. Saginaw was decommissioned on 28 June 1994 and was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy on 28 August that year.
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 York County (LST-1175) was a De Soto County-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during the late 1950s. The lead ship of her class of seven, she was named after counties in Maine, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Mount McKinley (AGC-7/LCC-7) was the lead ship of the Mount McKinley class of amphibious force command ships. She was named after the highest mountain in North America. She was designed as an amphibious force flagship, a floating command post with advanced communications equipment and extensive combat information spaces to be used by the amphibious forces commander and landing force commander during large-scale operations.
USS Wood County (LST-1178) was a De Soto County-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during the late 1950s. Named after counties in Ohio, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Middlesex County (LST-983) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after counties in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Virginia, she was the only United States Navy vessel to bear the name.
USS Terrebonne Parish (LST-1156), originally USS LST-1156, affectionately nicknamed the "T-Bone" by her early crew, was a Terrebonne Parish-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy in 1952. The lead ship in her class, she was named for Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, the only U.S. Navy vessel to bear the name. The ship was later transferred to Spain and renamed Velasco (L-11), and was scrapped in 1994.
USS Suffolk County (LST-1173) was a De Soto County-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during the late 1950s. Named after counties in Massachusetts and New York, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Graham County (LST-1176/AGP-1176) was a De Soto County-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during the late 1950s. Named after counties in Arizona, Kansas, and North Carolina, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Montgomery County (LST-1041) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after counties in 18 U.S. states, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Barnstable County (LST-1197) was the nineteenth ship of the Newport class of tank landing ships. She was laid down on 19 December 1970 at San Diego, California, by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Corporation and launched on 2 October 1971. She was commissioned on 27 May 1972. The ship was named after Barnstable County, Massachusetts.
USS Wahkiakum County (LST-1162), previously USS LST-1162, was a United States Navy landing ship tank (LST) in commission from 1953 to 1970, and which then saw non-commissioned Military Sealift Command service as USNS Wahkiakum County (T-LST-1162) from 1972 to 1973.
USS Walworth County (LST-1164), previously USS LST-1164, was a United States Navy landing ship tank (LST) in commission from 1953 to 1971, and which then saw non-commissioned Military Sealift Command service as USNS Walworth County (T-LST-1164) from 1972 to 1973.
USS Waldo County (LST-1163), previously USS LST-1163, was a United States Navy landing ship tank (LST) in commission from 1953 to 1970, and which then saw non-commissioned Military Sealift Command service as USNS Waldo County (T-LST-1163) from 1972 to 1973.
USS Traverse County (LST-1160), previously USS LST-1160, was a United States Navy landing ship tank (LST) in commission from 1953 to 1970, and which then saw non-commissioned Military Sealift Command service as USNS Traverse County (T-LST-1160) from 1972 to 1973.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .The entries can be found here and here.