Amphibious cargo ships were U.S. Navy ships designed specifically to carry troops , heavy equipment and supplies in support of amphibious assaults , and to provide naval gunfire support during those assaults. A total of 108 of these ships were built between 1943 and 1945—which worked out to an average of one ship every eight days. Six additional AKAs, featuring new and improved designs, were built in later years. They were originally called Attack Cargo Ships and designated AKA . In 1969, they were renamed as Amphibious Cargo Ships and redesignated LKA .
59-582: USS Tulare (AKA-112/LKA-112) ( / t ʊ ˈ l ɛər i / ) was a Tulare -class attack cargo ship in service with the United States Navy from 1956 to 1986. She was sold for scrap in 2011. USS Tulare was named after a county in California. The ship was designed under project SCB 15 as a Type C4-S-A1 ship and laid down under a Maritime Administration contract as Evergreen Mariner (MA hull 32) on 16 February 1953, at San Francisco, by
118-633: A "ready" status until December brought an easing of the Cuban situation. She arrived in San Diego on 13 December. Iwo Jima operated out of her home port during the first half of 1963, carrying out amphibious exercises and training. She departed on 30 August on her long-delayed Western Pacific cruise. Joining the 7th Fleet , she ranged from Hawaii to the Philippines and Taiwan . On 31 October 1963, Iwo Jima departed Philippine waters for special operations along
177-576: A continued threat to El Paso. Rounds from the Phalanx struck the bridge of Iwo Jima, killing one officer and injuring a petty officer. In October 1990, Iwo Jima was in the Persian Gulf, as part of the buildup for Operation Desert Shield . After two months of operation there she developed a leak in a steam valve which supplied steam to a stand-by electrical generator. She docked in Manama , Bahrain , where
236-537: A few days rest in Subic Bay, she was routed to Sasebo, thence to Buckner Bay , Okinawa, where she embarked Marines and equipment. This was completed on 26 June 1965, when she sailed for Qui Nhon , Republic of Vietnam, in company with USS Talladega and USS Point Defiance . These ships were designated Task Group 76.5, that part of the 7th Fleet that carries the Marine Special Landing Force. On
295-462: A few hours on the 17th to off-load 50 Marines and their equipment. On 1/2 May, she steamed off Vũng Tàu , South Vietnam, flying off 77 Army helicopters loaded with troops and combat cargo. From there, she proceeded to Subic Bay in the Philippines, where troops and equipment were received for amphibious landing and by helicopter at Chu Lai , Vietnam, on 12 May 1965. Iwo Jima remained off Chu Lai for
354-455: A five-day search-and-destroy operation that killed some 600 Viet Cong . The successful Navy-Marine Corps amphibious operation, backed by gunfire support from the cruiser USS Galveston and two destroyers, came to a close late on 24 August. Iwo Jima ' s evacuation and surgical teams kept the American casualties down to a very low percentage. During transit back to Subic Bay, she learned
413-589: A fortnight later, the ship headed home and arrived off San Diego on 18 December. Early in 1965, the ship participated in Exercise "Silver Lance", at Camp Pendleton , California, involving over 50 ships and 10,000 marines—the amphibious force gearing itself to conditions expected in a landing in South Vietnam. After spending March and April 1965 in port at San Diego, the ship conducted underway and refresher training in May. Then
472-578: A goodwill tour of eight Japanese cities. The first few months of 1960 saw the ship participating in Operation "Blue Star", the largest amphibious operation in the Western Pacific since the landings at Inchon, Korea , in September 1950. After returning to San Diego on 29 April 1960, Tulare operated locally in exercises off the west coast, with troop and cargo lifts, until sailing for her fourth deployment to
531-533: A little while. They have made me feel ten feet tall." On 1 July 1967, Iwo Jima was reassigned to Amphibious Squadron 3 from Amphibious Squadron 1 , with which she continued to sail with the Pacific Fleet. On 17 April 1970, Iwo Jima was the flagship of Task Force 130 that waited for the Apollo 13 spaceship's astronauts after their memorable "successful failure" mission and splashdown near American Samoa . In
590-470: A method of cargo storage where the items first needed ashore were at the top of the hold, and those needed later were lower down. Because these ships went into forward combat areas, they had Combat Information Centers and significant amounts of equipment for radio communication, neither of which were present in other cargo ships. As amphibious operations became more important in World War II , planners saw
649-476: A month, protecting Marines and Seabees establishing an air field on the sandy shore. Besides helicopter support ashore, including defense perimeter patrol, she was a support center for laundry, showers, fresh provisions, store, and mail service. She also supervised the continual off-load of ships over the beach for the entire month, then on 7 June 1965, landed squadron personnel and helicopters ashore at Phu Bai Combat Base , some 30 miles north of Da Nang . After
SECTION 10
#1733085014387708-454: A run from Da Nang to San Diego, California, in which she transported Marines, she subsequently rendezvoused with gunboats USS Defiance and USS Welch on 27 October off the coast of Mexico before steaming to Acapulco , Mexico, early in November. She conducted local operations out of San Diego for the remainder of the year 1969 and ended the year preparing for an upcoming voyage to
767-595: The Frank Knox had been refloated, good news for the crew who had put in so many hard and long hours at Pratas Reef. She landed her Marine Special Landing Force at Chu Lai on 1/2 September, embarked 800 Marines of a rotation draft, and sailed for Buckner Bay . Iwo Jima landed the rotation troops at Okinawa, then came off Qui Nhon, 10 September 1965, to cover the landing of the Army 's 1st Air Cavalry Division . She had supported three amphibious assault search-and-destroy raids along
826-664: The Gulf of Tonkin Incident . Tulare quickly loaded marines and equipment, headed south, and joined Task Force (TF) 76 in maintaining a posture of readiness in the South China Sea . After returning to Okinawa and making a brief yard stop at Subic Bay in the Philippines, the ship was ordered in November 1964 to the coast of South Vietnam . However, before she could join American naval forces operating off Vietnam, her orders were changed to allow for local operations between Okinawa and Japan. About
885-519: The USS Tulare (APA/LKA-112) and the Charleston -class . In 1969, the U.S. Navy redesignated all its remaining AKA attack cargo ships as LKA amphibious cargo ships. At the same time, several other "A" designations of amphibious ships were changed to similar "L" designations; for example, all the attack troop transport APAs were redesignated as LPAs. In the 1960s, both the United States Navy and
944-667: The 1982 Falklands War . This top-secret contingency plan was revealed to the staff of the Naval Institute by John Lehman , the U.S. Secretary of the Navy at the time of the Falklands War, from a speech provided to the Naval Institute that Lehman made in Portsmouth , UK on 26 June 2012. Lehman stated that the loan of Iwo Jima was made in response to a request from the Royal Navy , and it had
1003-596: The 1995 film Apollo 13 , Iwo Jima was played by her sister ship, New Orleans (LPH-11) . Iwo Jima ' s skipper, Captain Leland Kirkemo , is portrayed by the film's central protagonist, Captain Jim Lovell . From 10 May 1983 to 8 December 1983, Iwo Jima operated off the Lebanese coast as part of Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group 2-83 (Marg 2-83). The ships hosted the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit (24th MAU) ,
1062-453: The 30th, she arrived at Qui Nhon, about 100 miles south of Chu Lai. The following day, Marines landed ashore to take up defensive positions for the protection of Army engineers and communications units. Iwo Jima remained off Qui Nhon for defensive support until 20 July 1965, then steamed for Pratas Reef about 240 miles southwest of Taiwan. Arriving the morning of the 22nd, her helicopters were immediately pressed into service to aid
1121-632: The 7th Fleet Amphibious Ready Group, a fast-moving assault force that had completed more than 20 search-and-destroy operations along the South Vietnamese coast between March 1965 and September 1966. One of these missions, Operation Deckhouse IV hit only 3 miles south of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone to search out and decimate a regiment of the People's Army of Vietnam 342B Division , which had infiltrated into South Vietnam. During
1180-415: The 8th, she operated for the next 11 days with ARG Alfa before being relieved by USS Wexford County on 19 December. From Christmas of 1967, Tulare conducted lifts in support of Marines battling North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces in the vicinity of Huế and Cửa Việt Base . She returned to Subic Bay for overhaul on 29 January 1968. Tulare continued her support operations until returning to
1239-491: The Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp.; launched on 22 December 1953; sponsored by Miss Carolyn Knight, daughter of the governor of California, Goodwin J. Knight ; renamed Tulare and designated as AKA-112 on 10 June 1954. The ship was then converted to an attack cargo ship by her building yard; turned over to the Navy on 10 January 1956; and commissioned on 12 January 1956. After a year's operations off
SECTION 20
#17330850143871298-549: The British Royal Navy developed amphibious transport docks which gradually took on this unique amphibious role and today have assumed it completely. The last amphibious cargo ship in the U. S. Navy, USS El Paso (LKA-117) , was decommissioned in April, 1994. USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) was the lead ship of her class and type and the first amphibious assault ship to be designed and built from
1357-672: The California seaboard, she overhauled in the Long Beach Naval Shipyard . This work was completed by 7 December 1964, when Iwo Jima began amphibious refresher training ranging to the Hawaiian Islands. On 13 March 1965, she departed Pearl Harbor for San Diego, arriving six days later. Iwo Jima received tons of supplies and scores of Army helicopters, tanker trucks, and vehicles in her hangar and flight deck spaces. Nearly 1,000 troops were embarked for her western transit, which began on 12 April 1965. She stopped at Pearl Harbor for
1416-582: The Far East. Getting underway from San Diego for Vietnam on 23 January 1970, Tulare steamed independently and arrived at Da Nang on 10 February. She embarked marines and loaded cargo soon after her arrival and returned home on 2 March. The ship got underway from San Diego for the Mare Island Naval Shipyard , Vallejo, California, on 23 March, and arrived there two days later to commence overhaul. Drydocked from 22 April to 21 May, Tulare emerged from
1475-615: The Fleet on duty in the South China Sea. After being drydocked at Richmond, California , upon her return to the west coast, Tulare conducted training through late September before she got underway for the Hawaiian Islands on 18 October. She deployed to WestPac with cruises to Subic Bay and Okinawa before getting underway for Vietnam on 4 December. She relieved USS Washtenaw County in providing logistic support for Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) Alfa , at Da Nang on 6 December. Underway on
1534-641: The Philippine Islands supporting the American military presence in the Far East. In between these WestPac deployments, Tulare operated off the southern California coast, participating in local operations and amphibious exercises. Removed from the active amphibious force on 1 July 1975 and assigned to the Naval Reserve Force, Tulare operated from San Francisco, actively involved in the Naval Reserve Training Program, into 1979. Tulare
1593-745: The Vietnam area, she sailed for Japan. Iwo Jima was on the line and underway for special operations in the Mekong Delta region of South Vietnam by 30 December once again, in a Navy-ready group with a two-pronged punch. Early in January 1967, the commanding officer, Captain Nils W. Boe, was relieved by Captain F. X. Timmes. On his departure, Captain Boe said of his crew in a family-gram to mothers and wives, "I want to thank each of you for letting me borrow these magnificent young men for
1652-587: The West Coast, punctuated by one round trip to Pearl Harbor , Tulare departed San Diego on 11 February 1957 for her first deployment to the Western Pacific. In the course of her operations in the Far East, she participated in amphibious exercises at Buckner Bay , Okinawa ; called at four Japanese ports: Yokohama , Yokosuka , Sasebo , and Shimoda ; visited Sydney , Australia; Singapore ; and Pusan, Korea , before returning via Pearl Harbor to San Diego on 26 September. She then took part in amphibious exercises off
1711-581: The attack cargo ship steamed for Subic Bay where she loaded all supplies and ammunition originally earmarked for Iwo Jima . Primed for action, Tulare remained on alert for the first two months of the deployment. The easing of tensions, however, allowed the ship to return to a routine operating schedule. She later took part in SEATO Operation "Jungle Drum II" off Thailand , before visiting Nagasaki , Sasebo, and Yokosuka in March and April 1963. She returned to
1770-454: The coast by 1 October, when she steamed to southern waters, remaining in stand-by status for possible evacuation of U.S. nationals in revolt-torn Indonesia . Eight days later, she sailed for Danang for a helicopter squadron exchange, thence to Subic Bay where she was relieved by USS Valley Forge . Following a visit to Yokosuka, she departed 1 November for return to San Diego, arriving 17 November 1965. Several months later, she again joined
1829-497: The coast of South Vietnam , standing by to protect American nationals during a period of increased strife. She returned to Subic Bay on 12 November. The following months, she sailed with Special Landing Forces of Marines for rigorous amphibious assault and landing raids practice off the coasts of Taiwan and Okinawa . After unloading ammunition at Sasebo , Japan , she departed on 13 April 1964 to return to San Diego, arriving on 28 April. Following amphibious training with Marines along
USS Tulare - Misplaced Pages Continue
1888-527: The deployment, it served as the flagship for Amphibious Squadron Eight (PHIBRON-8), with Morgan France, CAPT USN serving as squadron commander (AKA Commodore"). On 11 October 1989, El Paso (LKA-117) was conducting a live fire exercise off the east coast of the United States using the Phalanx against a target drone. The drone was successfully engaged, but as the drone fell to the sea, the CIWS re-engaged it as
1947-459: The endorsement of U.S. President Ronald Reagan and U.S. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger . The actual planning for Iwo Jima loan-out was done by the staff of the U.S. Second Fleet under the direction of Vice Admiral James Lyons , who confirmed Lehman's revelations with the Naval Institute staff. Contingency planning envisioned American military contractors , likely retired sailors with knowledge of Iwo Jima ' s systems, assisting
2006-475: The first three months of 1966, Iwo Jima was at San Diego for upkeep and improvement changes. From April through June, extensive refresher training occupied all hands as Iwo Jima prepared for her forthcoming Western Pacific deployment. On 24 July, steaming with a task group, she passed the island of Iwo Jima, on board was one of the Marine groups that had landed on Iwo Jima over two decades earlier. After operations in
2065-416: The following day before returning to sea to be replenished while underway by USS Caliente , USS Niagara Falls and USS Mattaponi . She conducted local operations between the Philippines and Okinawa before arriving in her operating area on 8 July to take part in three and one-half weeks of operations supporting Operation Brave Armada while serving with the amphibious ready group. After
2124-881: The former Mare Island Naval Shipyard. On 30 December 2011, Tulare departed Mare Island in tow behind the tug Roughneck en route to the Panama Canal and Brownsville. Tulare passed through the Panama Canal's Pacific Locks heading eastbound on 26 January 2012 and anchored overnight in Gatun Lake. She completed her transit of the Panama Canal the next morning and continued her final voyage en route to Brownsville. Tulare received 11 battle stars , one Navy Unit Commendation , and one Meritorious Unit Commendation for Vietnam service. Attack cargo ship Compared to other cargo ship types, these ships could carry landing craft , were faster, had more armament, and had larger hatches and booms. Their holds were optimized for combat loading ,
2183-483: The incident, with the last surviving until 23:30 that evening. The cause of the accident was determined to be the use of fasteners of the wrong material (namely black oxide coated brass) on the valve, combined with a lack of proper inspection. Iwo Jima was decommissioned on 14 July 1993, and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 24 September. She was sold for scrap on 18 December 1995. The ship's island
2242-476: The keel up as a dedicated helicopter carrier . She carried helicopters and typically embarked USMC elements of a Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU)/later Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) principally the Aviation Combat Element (ACE) to conduct heliborne operations in support of an amphibious operation. There was no well deck to support landing craft movement of personnel or equipment to/from shore. Iwo Jima
2301-518: The main body of which disembarked on 29 May to take position in and around Beirut International Airport, relieving the 22nd MAU as the principal US component of the Multinational Force in Lebanon . On 23 October 1983, an attack on the Marine's barracks caused the death of 241 US servicemen and wounded a further 60. The ship's commanding officer at the time was Arden W. Jones, CAPT USN. During
2360-455: The need for a special kind of cargo ship, one that could carry both cargo and the LCM and LCVP boats with which to attack the beach, and that carried guns to assist in anti-air defense and shore bombardment. Specifications were drawn up, and beginning in early 1943, the first 16 U.S. attack cargo ships were converted from Navy cargo ships that had previously been designated AK. During the course of
2419-512: The remainder of the year, she operated in the Orient, visiting Buckner Bay , Okinawa; Subic Bay, Philippines; Hong Kong; Bangkok , Thailand; Cam Ranh Bay , Phan Rang , and Tuy Hòa , Vietnam; and Yokosuka and Sasebo, Japan. During the year 1966, the ship steamed a total of 43,397 miles; transported 2,076 men, 8,891 tons of cargo, and 483 vehicles; spent 50 days off Vietnam in combat-related operations; and conducted 16 underway replenishments to ships of
USS Tulare - Misplaced Pages Continue
2478-532: The rest of 1961 off the California coast in amphibious exercises. In April 1962, the ship joined Joint Task Force 8 in the Johnston Island - Hawaii area for an important series of nuclear tests . Iwo Jima evacuated several islands and took part in the test evaluation. On 26 July, she sailed from the test area to Pearl Harbor , and continued on to San Diego , where she arrived on 10 August 1962. In September,
2537-512: The salvage of destroyer USS Frank Knox . The close approach of typhoon "Gilda" pounded the grounded destroyer so badly that it was impossible for small boats to get alongside her. Extra men were heli-lifted off the destroyer while surf rose 12 feet high to break completely over the stern of Frank Knox . Support given by Iwo Jima included such items as hot food, clothes, water, pumps, hose, gasoline, air compressors, welding machines, damage control equipment, and technicians. Feed water
2596-550: The ship departed the Far East for the west coast and arrived at San Diego on 12 December 1961. On 6 October 1962, Tulare sailed for her fifth tour in the Orient. Five days out, she assumed new duties as an acting amphibious assault ship for Amphibious Squadron 3, after USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) had received a summons to the Atlantic Fleet during the Cuban Missile Crisis . Operating in this capacity for two weeks,
2655-493: The ship took part in full-scale amphibious exercises in California, departing from San Diego on 17 October for her first deployment to the western Pacific. However, as the crisis flared up on 19 October over the introduction of offensive missiles into Cuba , Iwo Jima returned to San Diego, embarked Marines 22 to 27 October, and departed quickly for the Caribbean. As part of America's powerful and mobile force afloat, she cruised in
2714-581: The shipyard on 30 June and got underway for the San Diego operating area and refresher training which lasted until 11 September. On 21 September, the ship commenced preparations for another WestPac deployment; and she got underway on 2 November for Okinawa. From 1971 to 1973, the ship conducted regular deployments in support of American operations in Vietnam, up to the time of the American withdrawal from that area in February 1973. Thereafter, she conducted troop and cargo lifts to American bases on Okinawa, Japan, and
2773-582: The stepped-up tempo of operations in Southeast Asia resulted in the ship's making two special voyages to Japan and Okinawa carrying troops and equipment. Tulare returned to the west coast late in the year but soon was deployed again to WestPac, departing the west coast on 12 February 1966 and steaming via Hawaii to Chu Lai , South Vietnam. She off-loaded her cargo between 6 and 9 March and then proceeded via Sasebo to Okinawa. The ship later returned to Chu Lai with 47 vehicles and 1,211 tons of other cargo. For
2832-649: The summer and early fall of 1961. En route to the Ryukyus in October, Tulare was designated command ship for search and rescue operations for merchantmen Pioneer Muse and Shiek , both aground off Kito Daito Shima . While Tulare directed the operation, USS Princeton (LPH-5) arrived on the scene and contributed her Marine helicopters which plucked the survivors from the stranded ships. Soon after reaching Okinawa, Tulare participated in Operation "Warm Up", with other units of Amphibious Squadron 3. On 16 November 1961,
2891-402: The valve was repaired by a local contractor under US government inspection. Repairs were completed towards the end of October. On 30 October, as she raised steam to get underway and rejoin the fleet, the valve began to leak once more. The bonnet blew off the valve, flooding the boiler room with steam from two boilers. Ten of the eleven crewmen in the room were killed during or immediately after
2950-522: The war, 108 such ships were built; many of them were converted from non-military ships, or started out as non-military hulls. Attack cargo ships played a vital role in the Pacific War , where many were attacked by kamikazes and other aircraft, and several were torpedoed , but none were sunk or otherwise destroyed. Nine AKAs were present at the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945. After
3009-645: The war, many AKAs were put into the National Defense Reserve Fleet . Others were converted for other uses, such as oceanographic surveying, undersea cable laying, and repairing other ships. Some of the reserve ships were recommissioned for service in the Korean War , and some stayed in service during the Vietnam War . Six more amphibious cargo ships, somewhat faster, larger and of improved design regarding cargo handling, were built between 1954 and 1969:
SECTION 50
#17330850143873068-454: The west coast in the middle of April for overhaul and local operations in the San Diego area, including various phases of amphibious, underway, and operational readiness training. Operations "Pine Tree" and "Cherry Tree" occupied her during the spring of 1964, before she departed the west coast on 18 June for her sixth deployment to the western Pacific. After initial routine cruising, Tulare evaded typhoons in late July and early August before
3127-480: The west coast late in the summer of 1968. On 1 January 1969, the ship was redesignated LKA-112 . She commenced her 10th WestPac deployment on 30 January 1969, departing San Diego in company with USS Paul Revere , USS Belle Grove , USS Alamo , USS Cook , USS Tortuga and USS Valley Forge , bound, via Pearl Harbor and Okinawa, for Southeast Asia. She arrived in her operating area off Vietnam on 7 March and delivered her cargo on
3186-583: The west coast until November 1957 when she entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for repairs. The ship's second deployment to the Far East took her to Yokosuka and Sasebo, Japan; Okinawa; Hong Kong; Guam ; the Philippines ; and Pearl Harbor, before she returned to San Diego on 16 March 1959. In the spring and summer of that year, Tulare operated in the San Diego area and took part in Operation "Twin Peaks." Standing out of San Diego on 13 October, she headed west for extended operations in oriental waters, highlighted by
3245-441: The western Pacific on 19 June 1961. Her special duty on the outbound voyage was to carry cargo to Wake Island . After unloading there, Tulare continued on to Japan. Following two weeks at Yokosuka, the ship visited Beppu , Japan, and headed for Inchon and Pohang , Korea, to take part in Operation "Sharp Edge", in which she embarked 300 Army troops with their equipment. Tulare then visited Hong Kong and several Japanese ports during
3304-708: Was at the Museum of the American GI in College Station, Texas , for several years but due to no funding for maintenance it was scrapped. A July 2012 article by USNI News of the United States Naval Institute revealed that the Reagan Administration offered the use of Iwo Jima as a replacement in case either of the two British carriers, Hermes and Invincible , had been damaged or destroyed during
3363-640: Was decommissioned on 31 March 1986 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 31 August 1992. Tulare was title transferred to MARAD on 1 April 1998 and was stored in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet . On 23 November 2011, Tulare was sold by MARAD to International Shipbreaking Limited of Brownsville, Texas for $ 1,138,000 to be dismantled. Tulare departed the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet on 14 December 2011 to be cleaned of marine growth and loose exterior paint by Allied Defense Recycling at
3422-459: Was heli-lifted in special tanks constructed by the destroyer tender USS Prairie , which had faint hope of keeping the destroyer's boiler alive. Detached from this duty on 1 August 1965, Iwo Jima made a brief call at Hong Kong , then proceeded to the Philippines. On 17 August 1965, Iwo Jima steamed out of Subic Bay for Vung Tau, Republic of Vietnam, to join in Operation Starlite ,
3481-498: Was the second of three ships of the United States Navy to be named for the Battle of Iwo Jima , although the first to be completed and see service ( the first was cancelled during construction). Iwo Jima was laid down on 2 April 1959 by Puget Sound Naval Shipyard , Bremerton, Washington ; launched on 17 September 1960, sponsored by Mrs. Harry Schmidt ; and commissioned on 26 August 1961. Following shakedown training, she spent
#386613