Casa Grande Class

  Displacement: 9375 tons full load
Dimensions: 457' 9" long; 72' 2" beam; 18" draft
Propulsion: Steam turbines, 7,000 shp, 2 shafts, 15.4 knots
Armament: 1-5" dual purpose gun, 12-40mm AA, 24-20mm AA
Well Deck: space for 3 lcu's and 18 lcm's
Cargo Capacity:
Troops: about ???
Aviation: as built: none, but a helicopter deck was added later
Crew: about 240
Misc Notes: Largest class of LSD's ever built.  The 5" gun was removed soon after commissioning because of damage to the ship when it was fired.
 
  13. Casa Grande: Built at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock, Co., Newport News, VA/ Commissioned: June 5, 1944/ Decommissioned: October 9, 1969/ Stricken: November 1, 1976/ Transferred to NDRF: October 21, 1970, title was transferred in 1992/ Sold: reported sold for scrap February 1, 1983/ Price: unknown/ Fate: reported scrapped in 1983, however she may have existed into the early 1990's as that's when the title was transferred to Marad.
 
  14. Rushmore: Built at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock, Co., Newport News, VA/ Commissioned: July 3, 1944/ Decommissioned: September 10, 1970/ Stricken: November 1, 1976/ Transferred to NDRF: February 10, 1971/ Fate: Reacquired by USN from NDRF, James River, 4/1/93. Sunk as target off Puerto Rico 4/29/93 by 2 HARM and 2 Harpoon missiles. Earned 3 battle stars for World War 2.
 
15. Shadwell: Built at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock, Co., Newport News, VA/ Commissioned: July 24, 1944/ Decommissioned: March 9, 1970/ Stricken: November 1, 1976/ Transferred to NDRF: September 9, 1970/ Fate: reacquired from NDRF Va 1986, moored in Mobile, Al as test hulk, still there in January 2001. The upper link at the left is for another interesting site related to Shadwell, the lower link to the left will let you see what the Shadwell is doing now.
 
  16. Cabildo: Built at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock, Co., Newport News, VA/ Commissioned: March 15, 1946/ Decommissioned March 31, 1970/ Stricken: October 15, 1976/ Transferred to NDRF: July 9, 1970/ Fate: reacquired from NDRF, Suisun Bay and used as a target, on her last trip out she was set adrift near San Nicholas Island.  When the tugs tried to regain tow after the target practice, she went aground on San Nicholas.  Some parts were salvaged, but she ship was a loss and sank. Earned 2 battle stars for Korea.  Other awards include: Purple Heart, American Campaign Medal, Victory Medal (WW II), Navy Occupation Medal, China Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, Korean Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, United Nations Service Medal, Korean Presidential Unit Citation, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
 
  17. Catamount: Built at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock, Co., Newport News, VA/ Commissioned: April 9, 1945/ Decommissioned: Date unknown/ Stricken: October 31, 1974/ Sold: December 4, 1975/ Price: $178,148.45/ Fate: sold for scrap to Max Rouse & Sons, Beverly Hills, Ca. Earned 7 battle stars for Korea.
 
  18. Colonial: Built at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock, Co., Newport News, VA/ Commissioned: May 15, 1945 /Decommissioned: September 4, 1970 /Stricken: October 15, 1976/ Transferred to NDRF: Date unknown /Sold: September 8, 1993/ Price: $353,725/ Fate: sold for scrap to California Imports & Exports, Shanghai, China. Earned 7 battle stars for Korea.
 
  19. Comstock: Built at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock, Co., Newport News, VA/ Commissioned: July 2, 1945/ Decommissioned: April 20, 1970/ Stricken: June 30, 1976/ Transferred to NDRF: Date unknown/ Sold: October 1, 1984 /Price: unknown/Fate: sold for scrap, however she was purchased by the Taiwanese Navy and has been in service them since 1985, replacing White Marsh. Name in Taiwan service: RCS Tung Hai (LSD-191). This was also x-White Marsh's Taiwanese name and hull number causing confusion with the ships identity. Comstock was decommissioned by the Taiwanese Navy in 1999 and is for disposal. Earned 10 battle stars for Korea.
 
  20. Donner: Built at Boston Navy Yard/ Commissioned: July 31, 1945/ Decommissioned: October 23, 1970/ Stricken: November 11, 1976/ Transferred to NDRF: April 27, 1971/ Was considered for conversion to AGS, but this was cancelled/ Title transferred to MARAD: November 12, 1993/ Fate: still in NDRF, James River, was put on sale for scrap for an auction held on November 18, 1998.  No bids were received on her.  Donner is on the list to be scrapped in the near future.  There is an effort to save her as a museum.  Please join in this effort as she's the best and realistically the last chance to preserve one of the wartime ships.
 
  21. Fort Mandan: Built at Boston Navy Yard/ Commissioned: October 31, 1945/ Decommissioned: January 23, 1971/ Stricken: February 8, 1980/ Transferred to Greece: January ??, 1971/ Name in Greek service: Nafkratoussa/ Purchased by Greece: February 8, 1980/ Price: unknown/ Fate: reported decommissioned at end of February 2000, the ship was to be stored either in Salamis or Crete naval stations and sold as scrap later.  Was Flagship Amphibious Forces.  No current news about her fate.
 
  22. Fort Marion: Built at Gulf Shipbuilding, Chicksaw, AL/ Commissioned: January 29, 1944/ Decommissioned:  February 23, 1970/ Stricken: October 31, 1974/ Transferred to Taiwan: April 15, 1977/ Name in Taiwanese service: Chen Hai/ Purchased by Taiwan: April 15, 1977/ Price: unknown/ Fate: Decommissioned by the Taiwanese Navy in 1999 and is for disposal, replaced by the Pensacola(LSD-38). Earned 5 battle stars for Korea.
 
  23. Fort Snelling: Built at Gulf Shipbuilding, Chicksaw, AL/ Construction cancelled 8/11/45/ Completed for commercial service/ later reacquired 1/15/59 as ak-273/Taurus.
 
  24. Point Defiance: Built at Gulf Shipbuilding, Chicksaw, AL/ Construction cancelled 8/17/45. Launched by private owner/ Fate: unknown
 
  25. San Marcos: Built at Philadelphia Navy Yard/ Commissioned: April 15, 1945/ Decommissioned: July 1, 1971/ Stricken: August 1, 1974/ Transferred to Spain: July 1, 1971/ Name in Spanish service: Galicia/ Purchased by Spain: August 1, 1974/ Price: unknown/ Fate: decommissioned from Spanish Armada in 1988 and scrapped 1989.
 
  26. Tortuga: Built at Boston Navy Yard/ Commissioned: June 8, 1945/ Decommissioned: January 26, 1970/ Stricken: October 15, 1976 /Transferred to NDRF: October 6, 1970/ Fate: Sunk August 21, 1988.  Tortuga was reacquired by the Navy on May 26, 1983 from NDRF, Suisun Bay, for use as a target.  In December 1987, while still in use as a target, Tortuga ran aground on San Miguel Island during a storm.  The ship was mostly salvaged in August 1988 and was sunk 20 miles off the island.  Just a small piece of her stern remained on the island, but it has since been removed.  Earned 5 battle stars for Korea and 8 more for Vietnam.
 
  27. Whetstone: Built at Boston Navy Yard/ Commissioned: February 12, 1946/ Decommissioned: April 2, 1970/ Stricken: April 30, 1976/ Transferred to NDRF: April 2, 1970/ Fate: sold February 1, 1983, reacquired by Navy on March 28, 1983 from NDRF, Suisun Bay, for transfer to scrap yard. Earned 4 battle stars for Korea and 7 more for Vietnam. Click here for the latest newsletter from the Whetstone Reunion Association.