_at_anchor%2c_circa_in_1944.jpg) USS Feland (APA-11), a ship of theDoyen class | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Doyen-class |
| Builders | Consolidated Steel |
| Operators |  United States Navy |
| Preceded by | Frederick Funston class |
| Succeeded by | Windsor class |
| Built | 1942 – June 1943 |
| In commission | 22 May 1943 – 20 March 1946 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Retired | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | MCV hull type P1-S2-L2 |
| Displacement | 4,351 tons (lt), 6,720 tons (fl) |
| Length | 414 ft 6 in (126.34 m) |
| Beam | 56 ft (17 m) |
| Draft | 19 ft (5.8 m) |
| Propulsion | Gearedturbine drive, twin screws, 8,000-8,800horsepower |
| Speed | 19knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
| Capacity | Troops: 1,100 |
| Complement | 453 |
| Armament | 4 ×3"/50 caliber dual-purpose guns, variable secondary |
TheDoyen-class attack transport was a class of twoattack transports that saw service with theUS Navy inWorld War II. Ships of the class were named after generals of theUnited States Marine Corps.
Like all attack transports, the purpose of theDoyen class was to transport troops and their equipment to hostile shores in order to executeamphibious invasions. To perform this task, attack transports were equipped with a substantial number of integrallanding craft, and heavily armed withantiaircraft weaponry to protect themselves and their vulnerable cargo of troops from air attack in the battle zone.
There were only two ships of theDoyen class. They were based on theMaritime Commission's P1 hull type, specifically the P1-S2-L2 type. Both were built by theConsolidated Steel Corporation ofLos Angeles, California.
Laid down as part of the Navy's 1940 fiscal program, they were each designed to carry a battalion of theMarine Expeditionary Force which was maintained on both coasts of theUnited States in peacetime. Thelead ship,Doyen, was launched in July 1942 while her sister shipFeland was not launched until the following November, butFeland was first to be commissioned, on 22 May 1943, about a month beforeDoyen. Both ships were reclassified from transports (AP) to attack transports (APA) while still dockside, in February 1943.
TheDoyen-class ships, at only 414 feet in length and with a displacement of 4,351 tons, were considerably smaller than most other classes of attack transport. However, it appears their troop carrying capacity was adequate, withFeland listed as able to carry 1,100 troops. No information is available on their cargo capacity.
TheDoyens were also slightly faster than most other classes of attack transport, listed as having a top speed of 19 knots compared to the 16–18 knots of other classes. Like most of the early classes of attack transport, their main armament was four3"/50 caliber guns, later classes would be fitted with either one or two5" guns and considerably more40mm weapons.
The profile of the ships is somewhat unusual, as the aft funnel was shorter than the fore one. The two masts were also unusually close together amidships, mounted on the front and rear superstructure. The main deck was cut away atquarterdeck level and fitted with a special ramp aft for the launching of landing craft or the offloading of tanks and other heavy equipment.
Both vessels served exclusively in thePacific Theatre, often on the same missions. The two saw action together at Tarawa, Saipan, Guam, Luzon and Iwo Jima.Doyen, however, saw additional action atKiska in theAleutians and atKwajalein and earned sixbattle stars toFeland's five.
Both returned to theUnited States shortly before the end of the war for overhaul, after which they each made one more journey to the Pacific,Doyen on aMagic Carpet mission, andFeland on a cargo mission. Like most other attack transports, they were then decommissioned in March 1946 and laid up in theNational Defense Reserve Fleet.
Feland was eventually scrapped in 1964, but in 1959Doyen received a new lease of life as TSBay State, a training ship with theMassachusetts Maritime Academy. She was returned to theMaritime Commission in January 1974 and resold.