Raleigh class
![]() USS Raleigh in April 1988 |
|
Overview | |
---|---|
Type | Amphibious Transport Dock |
units | 3 built, 0 in service |
Namesake | Raleigh, North Carolina |
period of service |
1962 to 2005 |
Technical specifications | |
displacement |
8,650-9,559 ts |
length |
159 meters |
width |
30–33 meters |
Draft |
7 meters |
crew |
436-665 |
drive |
2 steam boilers |
speed |
20-23 knots |
Armament |
The Raleigh-class was a class of amphibious transport docks of the United States Navy and the first series of this type of ship. The total of three units of the type came into service between 1962 and 1964. As the last ship in the class, the USS La Salle (AGF-3) was decommissioned in 2005 . All three Raleighs have since been scrapped or sunk as target ships .
history
The Raleigh-class ships were commissioned as the world's first amphibious transport docks in the New York Naval Shipyard . The lead ship USS Raleigh (LPD-1) was launched on March 17, 1962, the commissioning took place on September 8, 1962. In May 1963 the USS Vancouver (LPD-2) followed , the armament and dimensions of which were identical except for small deviations . The last ship of the Raleigh class came in February 1964, the USS La Salle (AGF-3), which had a higher tonnage, better armament and greater crew strength and was slightly faster than its two predecessors.
As early as 1965, the Austin class was a larger and improved successor to the Raleighs , but all three ships of the class remained in service for a long time. The two older units were retired in 1991 and 1992, while the La Salle was converted into a lead ship in 1972. It stayed in service the longest and was finally decommissioned in May 2005 after 41 years of service. Two years later it was sunk as a target ship. The Raleigh suffered the same fate back in 1994. The last existing unit in the class was the Vancouver in 2013 .
units
Surname | shipyard | Keel laying | Launch | Commissioning | Whereabouts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
USS Raleigh (LPD-1) | New York Naval Shipyard , New York | June 23, 1960 | March 17, 1962 | September 8, 1962 | Decommissioned on December 13, 1991, sunk as a target ship in 1994 |
USS Vancouver (LPD-2) | New York Naval Shipyard, New York | November 19, 1960 | September 15, 1962 | May 11, 1963 | Decommissioned on March 31, 1992, sold for demolition in 2013 |
USS La Salle (AGF-3) | New York Naval Shipyard, New York | April 2, 1962 | 3rd August 1963 | February 22, 1964 | Decommissioned on May 27, 2005, sunk in 2007 as a target ship |