USS Casa Grande (LSD-13)

USS *Casa Grande* (LSD-13)
History
USS Casa Grande at Hampton Roads in 1951
United States
Awarded:	10 September 1942
Laid down:	11 November 1943
Launched:	11 April 1944
Commissioned:	5 June 1944
Decommissioned:	6 October 1969
Struck:	15 April 1976
Fate:	Sold, 6 April 1992
General characteristics
Class and type:	Casa Grande-class dock landing ship
Displacement:	7,930 tons (loaded), 4,032 tons (light draft)
Length:	457 ft 9 in (139.52 m) overall
Beam:	72 ft 2 in (22.00 m)
Draft:	8 ft 2 ¹⁄₂ in (2.502 m) fwd, 10 ft ¹⁄₂ in (3.061 m) aft (light); 15 ft 5 ¹⁄₂ in (4.712 m) fwd, 16 ft 2 in (4.93 m) aft (loaded)
Propulsion:	2 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 2 Skinner Uniflow Reciprocating Steam Engines, 2 propeller shafts – each shaft 3,700 hp (2,800 kW), at 240 rpm total shaft horse power 7,400, 2 11 ft 9 in diameter, 9 ft 9 in pitch propellers
Speed:	17 kn (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Range:	8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried:	3 × LCT (Mk V or VI) each w/ 5 medium tanks or 2 × LCT (Mk III or IV) each w/ 12 medium tanks or 14 × LCM (Mk III) each w/ 1 medium tank or 1,500 long tons cargo or 47 × DUKW or 41 × LVT or Any combination of landing vehicles and landing craft up to capacity
Capacity:	22 officers, 218 men
Complement:	17 officers, 237 men (ship); 6 officers, 30 men (landing craft)
Armament:	1 × 5 in (127 mm)/ 38 cal. DP gun; 2 × 40 mm quad AA guns; 2 × 40 mm twin AA guns; 16 × 20 mm AA guns
Aircraft carried:	modified to accommodate helicopters on an added portable deck

USS Casa Grande (LSD-13) was a Casa Grande-class dock landing ship of the United States Navy, named in honor of Casa Grande Ruins National Monument near Coolidge, Arizona.

The ship was originally authorized under the Lend-Lease Act as BAPM-5, the fifth of seven British Mechanized Artillery Transports, to be named HMS Portway (F144). Reclassified a Landing Ship Dock, LSD-13, on 1 July 1942, the contract for LSD-13 was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Virginia, on 10 September 1942. Renamed HMS Spear, LSD-13's keel was laid down, on 11 November 1943. While under construction, LSD-13, Rushmore (LSD-14), and Shadwell (LSD-15) were reassigned back to the United States. The ship was renamed Casa Grande, and, as the first of her class in the U.S. Navy, gave her name to the class.

Casa Grande was launched 11 April 1944, sponsored by Mrs. G. Delapalme; and commissioned 5 June 1944, Lieutenant Commander F. E. Strumm, USNR, in command.

Sailing from Hampton Roads 19 July 1944, Casa Grande was delayed at Balboa, Panama Canal Zone for repairs en route to Pearl Harbor, where she arrived 21 August. Here she offloaded landing craft brought from the east coast, and loaded men and equipment for the invasion of Yap. However, upon her arrival at Eniwetok on 25 September, she was ordered to Manus Island to prepare for the Leyte operation. Assigned to the Southern Attack Force, she entered Leyte Gulf uneventfully, and took part in the initial assault on 20 October. Her men worked at fever pace under enemy air attack as they launched their landing craft and serviced other small craft engaged in this triumphant return to the Philippines, and on 22 October, she withdrew for Hollandia. During the next month, she made two voyages from New Guinea to Leyte, ferrying reinforcements, and evacuating casualties.

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Wikipedia