USSPeoria (LST-1183)
History
United States
Name	Peoria
Namesake	Peoria, Illinois
Ordered	1966
Builder	National Steel and Shipbuilding Company,San Diego, California
Laid down	24 February 1968
Launched	23 November 1968
Acquired	1 January 1970
Commissioned	21 February 1970
Decommissioned	28 January 1994
Identification	LST-1183
Fate	Sunk as target, 12 July 2004
General characteristics as built
Class & type	Newport-classtank landing ship
Displacement	4,793long tons (4,870 t) light 8,342 long tons (8,476 t) full load
Length	522 ft 4 in (159.2 m)oa 562 ft (171.3 m) overderrick arms
Beam	69 ft 6 in (21.2 m)
Draft	17 ft 6 in (5.3 m) max
Propulsion	2 shafts 6 Alcodiesel engines (3 per shaft) 16,500 shp (12,300 kW) Bow thruster
Speed	22knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) max
Range	2,500 nmi (4,600 km; 2,900 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Troops	431 max
Complement	213
Sensors & processing systems	2 × Mk 63 GCFS SPS-10radar
Armament	2 × twin3"/50 caliber guns
Aviation facilities	Helicopter deck

USSPeoria (LST-1183) was aNewport-classtank landing ship which replaced the traditionalbow door-design tank landing ships (LSTs). The vessel took part in theVietnam War andGulf War. The ship was constructed by theNational Steel and Shipbuilding Company inSan Diego, California and waslaunched in 1968 andcommissioned in 1970. Named for acity inIllinois,Peoria was assigned to theUnited States Pacific Fleet and home ported at San Diego. The tank landing ship alternated betweenmilitary exercises along the United States west coast and deployments to the western Pacific.Peoria took part in the evacuations ofPhnom Penh, Cambodia andSaigon,South Vietnam, both of which signaled the end of American involvement in the respective countries. The vessel wasdecommissioned 1994 and sunk as atarget ship during aRIMPAC naval exercise in 2004.

Peoria was aNewport-classtank landing ship which were designed to meet the goal put forward by the United Statesamphibious forces to have a tank landing ship (LST) capable of over 20knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). However, the traditionalbow door form for LSTs would not be capable. Therefore, the designers of theNewport class came up with a design of a traditionalship hull with a 112-foot (34 m)aluminum ramp slung over the bow supported by twoderrick arms. The 34-long-ton (35 t) ramp was capable of sustaining loads up to 75 long tons (76 t). This made theNewport class the first to depart from the standard LST design that had been developed in earlyWorld War II.^[1][2][3]

Peoria had adisplacement of 4,793 long tons (4,870 t) when light and 8,342 long tons (8,476 t) at full load. The LST was 522 feet 4 inches (159.2 m)long overall and 562 ft (171.3 m) over thederrick arms which protruded past the bow.^[2][3] The vessel had abeam of 69 ft 6 in (21.2 m), adraft forward of 11 ft 5 in (3.5 m) and 17 ft 5 in (5.3 m) at the stern at full load.^[4]

Peoria was fitted with sixAlco 16-645-ESdiesel engines turning twoshafts, three to each shaft. The system was rated at 16,500brake horsepower (12,300 kW) and gave the ship a maximum speed of 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) for short periods and could only sustain 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) for an extended length of time. The LST carried 1,750 long tons (1,780 t) ofdiesel fuel for a range of 2,500nautical miles (4,600 km; 2,900 mi) at the cruising speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph). The ship was also equipped with abow thruster to allow for better maneuvering near causeways and to hold position while offshore during the unloading of amphibious vehicles.^[3][5]

TheNewport class were larger and faster than previous LSTs and were able to transport tanks, heavy vehicles and engineer groups and supplies that were too large for helicopters or smaller landing craft to carry.^[6] The LSTs have a ramp forward of thesuperstructure that connects the lower tank deck with the main deck and a passage large enough to allow access to the parking area amidships. The vessels are also equipped with a stern gate to allow the unloading of amphibious vehicles directly into the water or to unload onto autility landing craft (LCU) or pier. At either end of the tank deck there is a 30 ft (9.1 m) turntable that permits vehicles to turn around without having to reverse.^[1][2] TheNewport class has the capacity for 500 long tons (510 t) of vehicles, 19,000 ft² (1,800 m²) of cargo area and could carry up to 431 troops.^[1][7] The vessels also havedavits for fourvehicle and personnel landing craft (LCVPs) and could carry four pontoon causeway sections along the sides of the hull.^[2][3]

Peoria was initially armed with four Mark 333-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber guns in two twinturrets. The vessel was equipped with two Mk 63gun control fire systems (GCFS) for the 3-inch guns, but these were removed in 1977–1978.^[3] The ship also had SPS-10 surface searchradar.^[8] Atop the stern gate, the vessels mounted ahelicopter deck. They had a maximum complement of 213 including 11 officers.^[6]

The LST was ordered as part of the Fiscal Year 1966 group^[6] on 15 July 1966 andlaid down on 22 February 1968 by theNational Steel and Shipbuilding Company at their yard inSan Diego,California. The ship was named for thecity inIllinois and waslaunched on 23 November 1968,sponsored by the wife of CongressmanRobert H. Michel.^[9][10] The ship wascommissioned into theUnited States Navy on 21 February 1970. The ship was assigned to theAmphibious Force, Pacific Fleet and home ported at San Diego.^[9]

Peoria alternated betweentraining exercises along thewest coast of the United States and offHawaii with deployments to the western Pacific. The ship was deployed to Vietnam in 1971 as part of theVietnam War.^[9] In January 1975,Peoria, operating with theamphibious ready group (ARG) Alpha in the western Pacific, was deployed to east Asian waters in preparation for the possible fall of the US-backed government in Cambodia. On 2 February,Peoria was detached from ARG Alpha with aMarine Corps unit to take part in a military exercise onTinian. By the end of February,Peoria was heading forSubic Bay, Philippines to rejoin the ARG.^[11] With the situation in Cambodia worsening for the American-backed government, the US planned for the evacuation ofPhnom Penh, Cambodia, dubbedOperation Eagle Pull. ARG Alpha, supporting the operation, remained at sea for over a month and supported the evacuation on 12 April 1975.^[12] This was followed byOperation Frequent Wind, the evacuation ofSaigon,South Vietnam, on 29–30 April in whichPeoria's helicopter deck was one of the launch points of the mission.^[13] The ship earned twobattle stars for its service in Vietnam.^[9]

As part of Amphibious Group 3,Peoria was among the ships designated to carry the5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (5th MEB) to thePersian Gulf during theGulf War. The fleet departed the West Coast on 1 December 1990, making its way to the Persian Gulf via Hawaii, the Philippines, arriving in theArabian Sea on 14 January 1991.^[14]Peoria remained in the gulf until July as part of the Marines' afloat reserve.^[15]

Peoria wasdecommissioned on 28 January 1994 and laid up. The ship was struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 6 November 2002.Peoria was sunk as atarget ship on 12 July 2004^[10] in thePacific Ocean near Hawaii during theRIMPAC 04 exercise.^[16]

• Blackman, Raymond V. B., ed. (1972).Jane's Fighting Ships 1972–73. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company.OCLC 28197951.
• Couhat, Jean Labayle, ed. (1986).Combat Fleets of the World 1986/87. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-85368-860-5.
• "Peoria (LST-1183)".Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.Navy Department,Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved5 February 2020.
• Daugherty III, Leo J. (2009).The Marine Corps and the State Department: Enduring Partners in United States Foreign Policy, 1798–2007. London: McFarland & Company Inc.ISBN 978-0-7864-3796-2.
• Dunham, George R. & Quinlan, David A. (1990).U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Bitter End 1973–1975. Washington, D.C.: History and Museums Division U.S. Marine Corps.OCLC 464057856.
• Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen & Budzbon, Przemysław, eds. (1995).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
• Moore, John, ed. (1974).Jane's Fighting Ships 1974–75 (77th ed.). New York: Franklin Watts Incorporated.ISBN 0-531-02743-0.
• Moore, John, ed. (1975).Jane's Fighting Ships 1975–76 (78th ed.). New York: Franklin Watts Incorporated.ISBN 0-531-03251-5.
• Moore, John, ed. (1976).Jane's Fighting Ships 1976–77 (79th ed.). New York: Franklin Watts Incorporated.ISBN 0-531-03261-2.
• Moore, John, ed. (1978).Jane's Fighting Ships 1978–79 (81st ed.). New York: Franklin Watts Incorporated.ISBN 0-531-03297-3.
•  This article incorporatespublic domain material fromPeoria (LST-1183) at theNaval Vessel Register.
• Sharpe, Richard, ed. (1990).Jane's Fighting Ships 1990–91 (93 ed.). Surrey, United Kingdom: Jane's Information Group.ISBN 0-7106-0904-3.
• Westermeyer, Paul W. (2014).U.S. Marines in the Gulf War 1990–1991: Liberating Kuwait. Quantico, Virginia: History Division United States Marine Corps.ISBN 978-0-16-092407-1.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toUSS Peoria (LST-1183).

• Photo gallery of USSPeoria (LST-1183) at NavSource Naval History

• Newport-class tank landing ships
• Ships built in San Diego
• 1968 ships
• Peoria, Illinois
• Ships sunk as targets

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from March 2022
• Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Naval Vessel Register
• Commons category link from Wikidata