Charleston class
_underway_1988.JPEG) the lead ship Charleston in August 1988 |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Type | amphibious cargo ship |
| units | 5 built, 0 in service |
| Namesake | Charleston, South Carolina |
| period of service |
1968 to 1994 |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
18,322–18,600 ts fully loaded |
| length |
176 meters |
| width |
25 meters |
| Draft |
7.9 meters |
| crew |
50 officers, 592 men |
| drive |
2 steam boilers |
| speed |
20 knots |
| Armament |
4 × 3-inch / 50- caliber guns |
The Charleston-class was a class of amphibious cargo ships in the United States Navy . The total of five units of the type came into service between 1968 and 1969. The class is the last ever built for the United States Navy ships of this type. Their tasks took over from 2005 the units of the San Antonio class . The Charleston-class ships were retired between 1992 and 1994 more than a decade earlier.
history
The five Charleston-class units were built in the Newport News Shipbuilding yard in 1966 and entered service between 1968 and 1969. The ships took part in operations during the Vietnam War, among other things , but were mostly in the reserve fleet in the late 1970s and early 1980s . It was not until 1982 that all five units in the class returned to active service.
On April 27, 1992, the lead ship USS Charleston (LKA-113) was retired as the first unit of the class after 24 years of service. The remaining four units followed by April 21, 1994. All five ships were added to the reserve fleet, where they spent more than 20 years. All five freighters were removed from the Naval Vessel Register on August 31, 2015 . The USS St. Louis (LKA-116) was sunk as a target ship on September 21, 2018, followed by the USS Durham (LKA-114) on August 30, 2020. The other three units are to be scrapped.
units
| Surname | shipyard | Keel laying | Launch | Commissioning | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USS Charleston (LKA-113) | Newport News Shipbuilding , Newport News | 5th December 1966 | 2nd December 1967 | December 14, 1968 | decommissioned on April 27, 1992, demolition planned |
| USS Durham (LKA-114) | Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News | July 10, 1967 | March 29, 1968 | May 24, 1969 | Decommissioned on February 25, 1994, sunk as a target ship in 2020 |
| USS Mobile (LKA-115) | Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News | 15th January 1968 | 19th October 1968 | 20th September 1969 | Decommissioned on February 4, 1994, demolition planned |
| USS St. Louis (LKA-116) | Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News | 3rd April 1968 | 4th January 1969 | November 22, 1969 | Decommissioned on November 2, 1992, sunk as a target ship in 2018 |
| USS El Paso (LKA-117) | Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News | October 22, 1968 | 17th May 1969 | 17th January 1970 | Decommissioned on April 21, 1994, demolition planned |