Contents

Casa Grande-class dock landing ship

USS Cabildo c. 1950s
Class overview
Name	Casa Grande class
Builders	Newport News Boston Navy Yard Gulf Shipbuilding Philadelphia Naval Yard
Operators	Royal Navy  United States Navy  Spanish Navy  Hellenic Navy  French Navy  Republic of China Navy
Preceded by	Ashland-class dock landing ship
Succeeded by	Thomaston-class dock landing ship
Planned	19
Completed	17
Cancelled	2
Retired	17
General characteristics
Type	Dock landing ship
Displacement	4,032 tons (light) 7,930 tons (seagoing)
Length	454 ft (138 m) at waterline 457 ft 9 in (139.52 m) oa
Beam	72 ft 2 in (22.00 m)
Draught	15 ft 10 in (4.83 m)
Propulsion	2-shaft turbines, 2 boilers 7,000 shp (LSD13-21 and 25-27) 9,000 shp (LSD22-24)
Speed	15.6 knots (18.0 mph; 28.9 km/h)
Range	7,400 nmi (13,700 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h)
Boats & landing craft carried	One of the following arrangements: 3 × LCT Mark V or VI or 2 × LCT Mark III or IV or 14 × LCM Mark III or 41 × LVT or 47 × DUKWs
Capacity	1,500 tons of cargo (if not carrying boats)
Complement	17 officers and 237 men
Armament	1 × 5"/38 guns 12 × 40 mm Bofors guns (2 × 2), (2 × 4) 16 × 20mm guns

The Casa Grande class was a classofdock landing ships used by the Royal Navy and the United States Navy during the Second World War. Nineteen ships were planned, but two, USS Fort Snelling and USS Point Defiance were cancelled before being completed.

Design[edit]

The 'Landing Ship Dock' or LSD developed from a British staff requirement for a type of self-propelled drydock to transport beaching craft over long distances, that would in turn deliver trucks and supplies onto the beach.^[1] A flooding deck aft capable of holding either two of the larger British Landing craft tanks (LCTs) or three of the new US LCTs was included in the designs.^[1] With the option of fitting extra decks, large numbers of vehicles could be transported, and loaded into landing craft via ramps. Despite an initial specification for a speed of 17 knots (20 mph; 31 km/h), the LSDs were capable of only 15.6 knots (18.0 mph; 28.9 km/h).^[1]

Service[edit]

The British initially ordered seven of the class from US dockyards, numbered LSD-9 to 15.^[1] Only four were delivered, numbers 9 to 12, while 13 to 15 were retained by the US Navy, which ordered another twelve to the design, but only built ten.^[1][2] In total thirteen of the ships served with the US Navy, while four ships served with the Royal Navy.^[1]

Ships[edit]

United States Navy[edit]

Royal Navy[edit]

Gallery[edit]

• 
  AnLCVP bucks in the well of USS Catamount (LSD-17) during mine clearance operations off Chinnampo, North Korea, in November 1950
• 
  LVTs embarking British commandos leave USS Fort Marion (LSD-22) for the beach at Sorye Dong, Korea, on 7 April 1951
• 
  USS Casa Grande (LSD-13) discharging LCU-1491 from her well deck, circa 1957
• 
  USS San Marcos (LSD-25, front) with USS Donner (LSD-20, rear)
• 
  Decommissioned USS Shadwell (LSD-15) in Mobile Bay as a Fire Research asset, 2014

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Casa Grande class dock landing ships.

• Casa Grande class at Uboat.net
• "Mother of Minesweepers." Popular Mechanics, February 1952, pp. 97–104.