.jpg) USSDuluth in 2004 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Duluth |
| Namesake | Duluth, Minnesota |
| Ordered | 21 September 1961 |
| Laid down | 18 December 1963 |
| Launched | 14 August 1965 |
| Commissioned | 18 December 1965 |
| Decommissioned | 13 October 2005 |
| Stricken | 28 September 2005 |
| Homeport | San Diego, California |
| Identification | Hull number: LPD-6 |
| Motto |
|
| Nickname(s) | Dirty D or the Battle Pig or Dulucifier-"A billion dead spirits with hammers of hell pass through the waters ringing evils bell". |
| Fate | Scrapped in 2014 |
| Notes | One of the anchors is now in Duluth, Minnesota on display. |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Austin-classamphibious transport dock |
| Displacement |
|
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Draft | 22 ft 0 in (6.7 m) maximum |
| Speed | 20knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Troops | about 600 |
| Complement | 101 officers, 1,337enlisted |
USSDuluth (LPD-6), anAustin-classamphibious transport dock, was the second ship of theUnited States Navy named forthe city inMinnesota.
Duluth was laid down on 18 December 1963 by theNew York Naval Shipyard. She waslaunched on 14 August 1965 andcommissioned on 18 December 1965. She was the last ship to be launched from theBrooklyn Navy Yard before it was closed.
The ship left New York Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn, in April 1966 for the US Naval Shipyard Philadelphia for final fitting out and preparation for refresher training and transit to its Home Port of US Naval Station San Diego, California. On 15 June 1966, aSikorsky H-34 fromHC-4 made the first helicopter landing on board.Duluth arrived via the Panama Canal in San Diego in September 1966. In April 1967 ship sailed via Hawaii and Australia to join the Amphibious Ready Group,U.S. 7th Fleet in theVietnam War.
In 1967, from the months of May until NovemberDuluth operated with Amphibious Ready Group, Seventh Fleet, in South China Sea. Conducted amphibious landing operationsBear Claw andBeacon Guide atHuế (7 June),Chu Lai (12 June),Cửa Việt Base (3, 27 July) andPhú Lộc (21 July). Took part in OperationsBeacon Gate at Song Cua Dai and Chu Lai ( 7–16 August) andBeacon Point offThừa Thiên Province. The LPD then steamed offQuảng Nam andQuảng Tín Provinces duringOperation Ballistic Charge (16–28 September). After refitting atU.S. Naval Base Subic Bay,Duluth participated in helicopter-centeredOperation Bastion Hill near Cửa Việt (10 October – 1 November). Following vehicle ferry operations from Subic early in the month, the LPD steamed toHong Kong, arriving there 17 November.
Underway for a WestPac cruise on 1 May 1970,Duluth loaded BLT1st Battalion, 9th Marines atOkinawa for transfer to Subic Bay at the end of the month. She then made several cargo lifts toDa Nang or toYankee Station, delivering anH-3 helicopter toUSS America, spare parts, and carried YFU-52 back to Subic Bay before steaming toUnited States Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan, for rest and recreation 3–15 July. Returning to Subic on 19 July, she spent the next three months conducting amphibious training and logistics operations from Subic to Da Nang andVũng Tàu. In mid-October,Duluth embarked 140 Philippine marines for a joint exercise nearManila, but disaster recovery efforts in the wake ofTyphoon Joan forced a cancellation of the operation. Arriving in Lagoney Gulf on 22 October,Duluth operated as a fuel stop and ready deck ship for helicopters during three days of relief operations in a swath of devastated barrios and villages 80 by 20 miles (32 km) wide and including the cities of Virac and Naga. Following another month of logistics support out of Subic Bay,Duluth steamed for home, reaching San Diego on 10 December.
After a restricted availability to repair a damaged rotor blade in her port turbine,Duluth sailed for another WestPac deployment on 1 October 1971. The ship loaded elements of BLT2nd Battalion, 4th Marines at Okinawa on 18 October before resuming Da Nang logistics support operations out of Subic Bay. The LPD delivered vehicles, equipment and humanitarian supplies to Da Nang and embarked deck cargo and damaged PTFs for return to Subic. The LPD remained there until through the winter, conducting the occasional amphibious exercise in the Philippines and transporting troops and supplies between Subic Bay and Buckner Bay. On 1 April, following the outbreak of the North VietnameseEaster Offensive,Duluth sailed to a holding station off South Vietnam to await developments. With the North Vietnamese offensive blunted by the end of the month, the LPD steamed to Subic Bay for rest and relaxation, 8–21 May. Returning to Vietnam,Duluth embarked 300South Vietnamese marines at Tan My and landed them inQuảng Trị Province on the 24th, during which operationDuluth took desultory enemy fire from a shore battery. The LPD conducted a similar mission in early July, when Marine helicopters deployed South Vietnamese marines duringOperation Lam-Son 72, before sailing for home on 14 July and arriving in San Diego on 4 August 1972.
On 28 March 1975,Duluth got underway for a WestPac deployment via Pearl Harbor, Okinawa and Subic Bay. Arriving off Vũng Tàu on 21 April,Duluth participated inOperation Frequent Wind, the evacuation ofSaigon, Vietnam.[1] On 29 April, fourteen South Vietnamese, Marine and Air America helicopters landed delivering over 900 refugees toDuluth alone, including the Italian ambassador. The refugees were later transferred toUSNS Sgt. Truman Kimbro. The following day another 1,391 refugees arrived, forcingDuluth's crew to jettison threeRepublic of Vietnam Air Force helicopters over the side to make room for the arrivingCH-53 helicopters. The ship then steamed to Subic Bay and disembarked the refugees on 5 May. Over the next four days, working parties of volunteers reported toGrande Island to assist and process refugees. The LPD was reassigned to the task force heading toCambodia to participate in therescue operation of SSMayaguez.Duluth was approaching her mission when the rescue operation was cancelled before the second wave could strike. They steamed back to Subic Bay to continue with assisting and processing of the South Vietnamese refugees.
In March,Duluth participated as one of many amphibious ships in OperationTeam Spirit '82. This was a joint training exercise between the U.S. Navy/U.S. Marine Corps and the forces of South Korea. Her specific mission was to transport the1st Battalion, 1st Marines fromOkinawa toSouth Korea and back. There was also a training evolution in support of a U.S. Marine CorpsAV-8 Harrier unit. This involved landing and refueling some of the jets on the flight deck. During the transit to South Korea,Duluth was over flown by a SovietTu-95 Bear while in international waters.
Duluth sailed on 12 November 1981 for a Westpac/Indian Ocean deployment as part of Amphibious Ready Group Alpha/Amphibious Squadron One (USS Tripoli,USS Mount Vernon,USS Fresno and MAU 31st/HMM-265 'Flying Tigers' (REIN)) during which USSDuluth and Amphibious Squadron One visitedFremantle,Western Australia for R&R from 28 January to 3 February 1982. USSDuluth returned home on 15 May 1982
In August, September and October 1983Duluth served in support of the multi-national peace keeping mission to Beirut, Lebanon, and participated in the evacuation of Ambassador Robert Collins and family.
In JuneDuluth embarked1st Battalion 9th Marines, fromCamp Pendleton, California, as Battalion Landing Team One Slant Nine and set out on its six-month WestPac tour. The official deployment was designated as the 13th MAU SOC (Marine Amphibious Unit, Special Operations Capable). Included in this deployment wereUSS Tripoli,USS Germantown,USS Durham andUSS Frederick. AboardGermantown, LCAC's (Landing Craft Air Cushion) 2, 3 and 4 were carried. It was the first time that the LCACs were deployed in support of Naval and Marine Corps operations. Several Humanitarian missions were executed in the Philippines and Indonesia. Marines were also deployed to the Mediterranean to assault several terrorist-held oil rigs. The Marines were also called upon to restore order and security around the Subic Naval Base after several "Sparrow teams" killed high ranking government officials in an attempted coup. The ship received a Battle "E" and the Marines a Meritorious Unit Citation for actions throughout the deployment.
In January 1989Duluth sailed on a WestPac cruise with MSSG-13 and SEAL Team 5 embarked. In addition to port calls in Okinawa, the Philippines, Japan and Hong Kong,Duluth participated in Team Spirit 89 in Korea. In late May after operations with the Australian Army and Navy,Duluth's port call in Mackay, Australia was cut short when the Amphibious Ready Group she was attached to was recalled "at best possible speed" across the Pacific to the evolving situation in Panama. She returned to San Diego in early June. In August 1989,Duluth sailed toPrince William Sound, Alaska, for oil spill decontamination operations with HMM-268 embarked.Duluth housed clean-up crews, provided medical and weather forecasting services and supported decontamination barge efforts.
Duluth was underway 21 January 1994 for WestPac operations. Arrived in Singapore 14 February and assigned to TG 76.5 for duty off the coast ofSomalia. The ship remained in Singapore for six days before getting underway for the Indian Ocean and arriving offMogadishu on 3 March to assist in the evacuation of American forces from Somalia. She remained there, other than a short trip to Melindi, Kenya, until 24 April when the LPD steamed toMombasa.Duluth then steamed off Kipini, Kenya, holding for possible contingency operations owing to the civil war in Rwanda, until 4 June when she sailed forFremantle, Western Australia. Following a five-day port visit, the LPD returned to San Diego via Pearl Harbor, arriving home on 21 July.
During the deployment,Duluth participated with the other ships of COMPHIBRON Three and13th MEU in a highly classified operation to captureImad Mughniyah. This plan, Operation Return Ox, set sail at 1730C fromBahrain on 23 July 1996 to intercept the motor vesselIbn Tufail, aPakistani ship on which it was believed Mughniyah was embarked. On 24 July, after all ships were at sea andNavy SEALs had already begun shadowing the Pakistani ship, it was canceled. Operators were told that theWhite House canceled the interception when they could not be given 100% assurance that Mughniya was actually on board.[2]
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Duluth was again underway 14 August 2000 for operations in the Indian Ocean as part of theUSS Tarawa Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). Following stops at Pearl Harbor and Darwin, Australia,Duluth conducted three days of humanitarian assistance operations offEast Timor ( 14–16 September) before a one-day stop at Singapore on 21 September. Moving into the Indian Ocean, the ARG stopped atPhuket, Thailand (28 September – 1 October) before steaming on to theSeychelles, where they arrived 9 October. Three days later,Duluth received word thatUSS Cole had been bombed in harbor atAden, Yemen, and the LPD quickly steamed north to Aden to provide small boat and helicopter operations in support ofCole. Following a short cruise north toBahrain in late December,Duluth sailed east, arriving in San Diego on 14 February. While en route, the LPD stopped atIwo Jima to launch amphibious vehicles in commemoration of the World War II battle.
Underway for Operation Iraqi Freedom on 6 January 2003,Duluth loaded elements of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and HMM-161 and sailed west. After a brief stop in Singapore on 29 January, the ships sailed into the Indian Ocean and arrived in the northernPersian Gulf on 10 February. The LPD operated at sea until 19 March when hostilities began in Iraq. The ship served as on-scene commander on 22 March when two helicopters fromHMS Ark Royal collided in the vicinity ofDuluth. After the initial surge of Marines ashore,Duluth's crew conducted boat operations in support of operations around Iraqi oil pipeline terminals. Departing the Persian Gulf on 27 May, the ship stopped at Cairns, Australia and Pearl Harbor before arriving home on 23 July.
While anchored at Guam on 28 December 2004, the LPD was ordered south forOperation Unified Assistance to aid victims of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami.Duluth arrived off Sri Lanka on 9 January 2005 and her crew and embarked Marines cleared helicopter landing zones, removed debris and helped clean up two devastated elementary schools. During this deployment,Duluth delivered 210 tons of supplies to Sumatra andSri Lanka.
The amphibious transport dock ship's last deployment ended in June 2005 after a six-month cruise to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Shortly afterDuluth's final cruise, she was decommissioned at Naval Station San Diego in a ceremony on 28 September 2005 and LPD-6 was stripped from the national ship's registry. The ceremony featured the crew leaving the ship in ranks and the lowering of the national colors.
Duluth sat in San Diego for many months before being towed to themothball fleet in Hawaii.She was towed to Brownsville, Texas, in January 2014 for disposal. A team of former crew members, including two former commanding officers, boarded the ship prior to scrapping for final photographs and collection of mementos. The items removed are now in Duluth, Minnesota, at a museum. One of the anchors is also on display in Duluth.
Duluth won many awards in its 39 years. The most recent was the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Award for supportingCoast GuardPort Security Units during Operation Iraqi Freedom from March to May 2003. Two Coast Guard units, PSUs 311 and 313, were assigned to defend the ABOT and KAAOT gas oil platforms (OPLATS) off the Iraqi coast after their seizure during the opening nights of Operation Iraqi Freedom.Duluth provided the Coast Guard detachments support by performing significant repairs to platform power sources, quality of life upgrades, command and control system repairs and improvements. More recently[when?]Duluth was awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal for tsunami relief efforts in the Sri Lanka area.
 United States Navy | |
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 Indian Navy |
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21°22′47″N157°59′20″W / 21.379787°N 157.988859°W /21.379787; -157.988859