USS Raleigh (LPD-1)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
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| Namesake: | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Ordered: | 19 December 1958 |
| Builder: | New York Naval Shipyard |
| Laid down: | 23 June 1960 |
| Launched: | 17 March 1962 |
| Commissioned: | 8 September 1962 |
| Decommissioned: | 13 December 1991 |
| Struck: | 25 January 1992 |
| Fate: | Disposed of as a target, 4 December 1994 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Raleigh-class amphibious transport dock |
| Displacement: | 13,600 long tons (13,818 t) |
| Length: | 522 ft (159 m) |
| Beam: | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Draft: | 23 ft (7.0 m) |
| Speed: | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Complement: | 490 officers and men |
| Armament: | 8 × 3"/50 caliber guns |
USS Raleigh (LPD-1), the lead ship of her class of amphibious transport docks, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy named for the capital of North Carolina, which in turn honors the English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh, the first to attempt the establishment of an English settlement in North America.
Her keel was laid down by the New York Naval Shipyard of Brooklyn, New York, on 23 June 1960. She was launched on 17 March 1962 sponsored by Mrs. Terry Sanford, wife of the Governor of North Carolina, and commissioned on 8 September 1962 with Captain A.W. Whitney in command.
She was decommissioned in 1991 after deploying for the Gulf War.
After fitting out through mid-December, Raleigh steamed to Norfolk, Virginia for the holiday season. In January 1963, she steamed for shakedown to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, but returned to the building yard in late February for the correction of design deficiencies in her aviation gasoline system. Returning to Guantánamo in April, she completed shakedown, then assisted Commander, Amphibious Force, Atlantic in hosting the Navy League national convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Returning to Norfolk on 1 June, Raleigh completed a week's amphibious training at Little Creek, Virginia, and then deployed to the Caribbean Sea in July with Amphibious Squadron 8. Raleigh proved herself during this deployment by simultaneously landing troops and equipment by means of boats and amphibious vehicles from her well and by helicopters from her flight deck. During this cruise she made one trip to Haiti as tension there rose.
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Wikipedia