_underway_in_harbour%2c_circa_in_1943_(NH_97870).jpg) USS Windsor (APA-55),lead ship of theWindsor class, 1943 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders |
|
| Operators |  United States Navy |
| Preceded by | Doyen class |
| Succeeded by | Ormsby class |
| In commission | June 1943 - June 1946 |
| Completed | 9 |
| Active | None |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | attack transport |
| Displacement | 7,970 tons (lt), 13,132 t. (fl) |
| Length | 472–492 ft (144–150 m) |
| Beam | 66–69.5 ft (20.1–21.2 m) |
| Draft | 25–26.5 ft (7.6–8.1 m) |
| Propulsion | Steam turbine engine, single propeller, 8,000 shp (6,000 kW) |
| Speed | 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Capacity | Troops: Officer 94 Enlisted 1,463Cargo:150,000 cu ft (4,200 m3), 1,600 tons |
| Complement | 91 officers, 522 enlisted |
| Armament | Variable, but usually 1 x5"/38 caliber dual-purpose gun mounts, 2 xBofors 40mm gun mounts, 2 x twin20mm gun mounts, 18 x single 20mm gun mounts |
| Notes | MCV hull types C3-S-A1, C3-S-A3, possibly also C3-S-A2 or C3-S1-A3 |
TheWindsor-class attack transport was a class of nineUS Navyattack transports. Ships of the class saw service inWorld War II.
Like all attack transports, the purpose of theWindsors was to transport troops and their equipment to foreign shores in order to executeamphibious invasions using an array of smallerassault boats integral to the attack transport itself. The class was well armed withantiaircraft weaponry to protect itself and its cargo of troops from air attack in the battle zone.
TheWindsor class is inconsistently documented in the US Navy's officialDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS). Its class of nine ships were based upon three variants of theMaritime Commission's ubiquitousC3 cargo type; unusually, they appear to be of more than one subtype. This is probably reflects the class entering service in fits and starts, the first two vessels from June 1943 and the remaining seven between July 1944 and January 1945.
The earlyWindsors were based upon the C3-S-A1 hull, followed by several on the C3-S-A3; however, the last two,USS Griggs (APA-110) andUSS Grundy (APA-111), have length, beam and draft specifications which are inconsistent with their listed subtype, but consistent (in larger length and beam) with the C3-S-A2 hull.[1]
Also,Griggs andGrundy were built byIngalls Shipbuilding inPascagoula, Mississippi, where the large majority of C3-S-A2 based ships subsequently modified toBayfield-classattack transports were produced. The other sevenWindsors were built byBethlehem Steel at itsSparrows Point Shipyard inBaltimore, Maryland where few if anyBayfields were built.
Since ships of a given class usually have the same dimensions either theWindsor-class was constructed of three different C3 hull types, which would make it quite unusual, or DANFS has listed the subtype incorrectly.
Other unusual aspects in regards to this class is that they are listed with a variety of different armaments. Early models had two five-inch guns while the later ships had only one; theLeedstown was at least initially fitted with 1.1" antiaircraft guns instead of 40mm; andGriggs is listed with 8 x 40mm guns and no 20mm, whereas the other ships are listed with a maximum of 2 x 40mm and 22 x 20mm. TheWindsors also appear to be more lightly armed than most other attack transport classes, particularly with respect to the 40mm weapon which was considered far more effective than the 20mm gun which comprised most of theWindsor's armament.
Ships of theWindsor class served exclusively in thePacific Theatre. The first two ships of the class, theUSS Windsor (APA-55) andUSS Leedstown (APA-56), were built and commissioned in mid-1943, much earlier than the later units. Consequently, they saw much more action, both earning at least fivebattle stars. The next two were not commissioned until at least July 1944 and only saw three combat operations between them. The remaining five ships arrived too late to see combat and served out the war on transport and training missions.
AfterV-J Day, theWindsors, like virtually all classes of attack transport, were assigned first to transporting fresh troops to occupation missions inJapan and its former occupied territories such asChina andKorea, and later toOperation Magic Carpet, the giant sealift organized to bring millions of demobilizing servicemen back to theUnited States.
The class as a whole was subsequently demobilized in early 1946, and the individual ships sold into commercial service, mostly as cargo ships. Most of the ships were scrapped in the early-to-mid-1970s, having enjoyed overall service lives of approximately 30 years. A notable exception was theUSS Queens (APA-103). Following her refurbishment and service as passenger-cargo ship SSExcambion, she was loaned to theTexas Maritime Academy in April 1965 and spent the next 30 years as training shipUSTSTexas Clipper. She was finally decommissioned in 1995 and sunk as an artificial reef in 2007. AnotherWindsor class ship,USS Dauphin (APA-97) served as passenger-cargo shipSS Exochorda before becoming dormitory shipSS Stevens forStevens Institute of Technology in 1967.
See the individual DANFS ship entries (APA numbers 55, 56, 91, 97, 98, 103, 105, 110 and 111) in theDANFS OnlineArchived 28 February 2007 at theWayback Machine amphibious ship index.