USS Denver (LPD-9)
_on_30_September_1997_(970930-N-0000U-016).jpg) USS Denver LPD-9 |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Type | Amphibious Transport Dock |
| Namesake | City of Denver |
| period of service |
1969-2014 |
| Technical specifications | |
| length |
173.7 meters |
| width |
25.2 meters |
| Draft |
7.0 meters |
| crew |
24 officers, 396 men, up to 900 Marines |
| speed |
21 knots |
| Armament |
2 machine cannons, 8 machine guns, 2 Phalanx CIWS |
The USS Denver (LPD-9) was an Austin-class amphibious transport ship . It was the third ship in the United States Navy to bear this name. The Austin-class units were used for amphibious warfare. The ship was in active service from 1969 to 2014.
ship
Hull and drive
As with all ships of the class, the hull of the USS Denver is around 174 meters long and 25 meters wide. The ship displaces approx. 17,000 tn. l. The front half is covered with the deckhouse, the rear with a helicopter landing deck. There is space for up to six CH-46 Sea Knights . In the hull there is a 51 meter long corrugated deck , with 70 meters of storage space behind it.
The drive consists of two steam boilers that drive two geared turbines . This technology is not yet used on any other US Navy ship. Each of these kettles drives a screw; the power of the drive system is 24,000 shaft horsepower. The ship thus reaches a top speed of 21 knots.
Armament
For defense against rubber dinghies and speedboats, the USS Denver has two Mk. 38 automatic cannons and eight Browning M2 machine guns in .50 caliber. Two short-range defense systems of the Phalanx CIWS type are installed to defend against approaching missiles .
History and stakes
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The Austin-class ships were built between 1965 and 1971. After all, the ships' operating time was longer than expected and the Navy was planning a large-scale modernization program for all eleven ships in the class from 1988 onwards. The planned program was called SLEP (Service Life Extension Program) and should ensure an extension of the life of the ships from 10 to 15 years until at least 2005. In 1987, the then US Congress refused to finance the program. Nevertheless, the USS Denver is still in active service today and has seen many missions in different conflicts and parts of the world during its long service life.
In 1970 the USS Denver played a role in the case of the SS Columbia Eagle . A mutiny occurred on board this ship and two crew members took command of the ship on March 14, 1970. The Columbia Eagle was a US military leased transport ship that was supposed to bring napalm to Cambodia.
During the Vietnam War , the ship took part in Operation Frequent Wind, with which Saigon was evacuated.
In 1984 the Denver took part in Westpac 84 and in various operations such as "Beach Guard", "Operation Cobra Gold" (joint maneuver of Thailand and UK in the Pacific) and "Operation Valiant Usher". In December 1984 the Denver collided with her sister ship USS New Orleans (LPD-18) .
On July 13, 2000, the Denver took part in a military exercise with the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) . The Denver was off the coast of Oahu and was refueled by the USNS Yukon . Three quarters of the Denver's hull were damaged in a collision with the tanker . In Pearl Harbor , the ship was repaired for two weeks before it could sail to its current port of San Diego , California .
On August 14, 2014 , after leaving its homeport of Sasebo , the USS Denver was decommissioned in a solemn ceremony in Pearl Harbor. At the time of decommissioning, she was the oldest active ship in the US Navy.
Web links
- Fact sheet of the US Navy (Engl.)
- Austin-class amphibious transport dock on globalsecurity.org (Engl.)
