Newport-class tank landing ship

Newport-class tank landing ship
USS Newport (LST-1179)
Class overview
Builders:	Philadelphia Naval Shipyard National Steel and Shipbuilding Company
Operators:	Formerly United States Navy, sold to a number of other navies.
Preceded by:	De Soto County-class tank landing ship
Succeeded by:	None
Built:	1966–1972
In commission:	1969–2002 (USN)
Completed:	20
Active:	0 (US)
Laid up:	4
Retired:	12
General characteristics
Type:	Tank Landing Ship
Displacement:	approx. 4,793 tons light loaded, 8,500 tons fully loaded
Length:	522 ft (159 m)
Beam:	70 ft (21 m)
Draft:	17.4 ft (5.3 m)
Propulsion:	6 ALCO diesels (3 per shaft) 16,000 shaft horsepower; 800 hp GE bow thruster. 2 Hydraulically Controlled Variable Pitch Reversible Props and 1 Variable Pitch Bow Thruster 3 ALCO/GE Generators (750 kW, 1201 A each)
Speed:	20+ knots (37+ km/h) 27 knots (50 km/h) confirmed in 1991.{See: http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/16/161179.htm then click on "Amphibious," followed by a click on "LST Tank Landing Ship." Look for LST-1179 Newport}
Troops:	Marines – approximately 400 including officers and enlisted, when embarked
Complement:	Navy – 14 officers, 210 enlisted

Newport-class tank-landing ships are an improved class of American tank-landing ship (LST), intended to provide substantial advantages over their World War II-era predecessors. Of the twenty completed, four were sunk as targets, four were retained as inactive reserves and the rest were sold to foreign navies.

Class description

Twenty ships of the Newport tank landing ship class were built to replace the traditional bow door design LST.

The Newport class has higher speeds and trimmer lines than the LSTs of World War II. The vessels have two huge derricks used to extend and retract a bow ramp. The 110-foot (34 m) ramp has a 75-ton capacity.

The Newport class is the first amphibious ship to be fitted with an internal side propulsion unit located below the waterline near the bow. The bow thruster allows the bow to be pushed from side to side while the stern remains nearly stationary.

This class of LST also has a stern gate. It allows them to load and launch amphibious assault vehicles, and permits sterngate matings with Landing Craft Utility (LCU) units.

Units

Ship Name	Hull No.	Builder	Commission– Decommission	Fate	Link
Newport	LST-1179	Philadelphia Naval Shipyard	1969–1992	Sold to Mexican Navy as Papaloapan (ARM A-411)	[1]
Manitowoc	LST-1180	Philadelphia Naval Shipyard	1970–1993	Sold to Republic of China Navy as ChongHe (LST-232)	[2]
Sumter	LST-1181	Philadelphia Naval Shipyard	1970–1993	Sold to Republic of China Navy as ChongPing (LST-233)	[3]
Fresno	LST-1182	National Steel & SB	1969–1993	Proposed for transfer to the Peruvian Navy from inactive reserve	[4]
Peoria	LST-1183	National Steel & SB	1970–1994	Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 7/12/2004	[5]
Frederick	LST-1184	National Steel & SB	1970–2002	Sold to Mexican Navy as Usumacinta (ARM A-412), 11/22/2002	[6]
Schenectady	LST-1185	National Steel & SB	1970–1993	Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 11/23/2004	[7]
Cayuga	LST-1186	National Steel & SB	1970–1994	Sold to Brazilian Navy as NDCC Mattoso Maia (G-28)	[8]
Tuscaloosa	LST-1187	National Steel & SB	1970–1993	Inactive reserve, 2/18/1994. Proposed for transfer to the Chilean Navy.	[9][10]
Saginaw	LST-1188	National Steel & SB	1971–1994	Sold to Royal Australian Navy as HMAS Kanimbla, Decommissioned in 2011	[11]
San Bernardino	LST-1189	National Steel & SB	1971–1995	Sold to Chilean Navy to as Valdivia (LST 93), Decommissioned in 2010	[12]
Boulder	LST-1190	National Steel & SB	1971–1994	Inactive reserve, 2/28/1994. Proposed for transfer to the Royal Moroccan Navy.	[13][14]
Racine	LST-1191	National Steel & SB	1971–1993	Proposed for transfer to the Peruvian Navy from inactive reserve	[15]
Spartanburg County	LST-1192	National Steel & SB	1971–1994	Sold to Royal Malaysian Navy as KD Sri Indera Pura (A-1505)	[16]
Fairfax County	LST-1193	National Steel & SB	1971–1994	Sold to Royal Australian Navy as HMAS Manoora, Decommissioned in 2011	[17]
La Moure County	LST-1194	National Steel & SB	1971–2000	Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 7/10/2001	[18]
Barbour County	LST-1195	National Steel & SB	1972–1992	Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 4/06/2004	[19]
Harlan County	LST-1196	National Steel & SB	1972–1995	Sold to Spanish Navy as Pizarro (L-42)	[20]
Barnstable County	LST-1197	National Steel & SB	1972–1994	Sold to Spanish Navy as Hernán Cortés (L-41)Decommissioned in 2009	[21]
Bristol County	LST-1198	National Steel & SB	1972–1994	Sold to Moroccan Navy as Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah (407)	[22]

Image gallery

USS San Bernardino (LST-1189) during a landing exercise in 1979.

The USS Frederick (LST-1184) with its bow ramp dropped to take on U.S. Marines and equipment.

Aft view of Spartanburg County returning from Operation Desert Storm, 1991.

Racine bow view with bow ramp sitting on deck.

See also

• Kanimbla-class landing platform amphibious

External links

• Federation of American Scientists page on Newport class.