USS Fresno (LST-1182)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Fresno.
History
United States
Name: USS Fresno (LST-1182)
Namesake: Fresno, California
Awarded: 15 July 1966
Builder: National Steel and Shipbuilding Company
Laid down: 16 December 1967
Launched: 28 September 1968
Acquired: 1 November 1969
Commissioned: 22 November 1969
Decommissioned: 8 April 1993
Honors and
awards:
Two battle stars
Fate: Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 15 September 2014
General characteristics
Class and type: Newport-class tank landing ship
Displacement: approx. 8,500 long tons (8,600 t)
Length: 522 ft 0 in (159.11 m)
Beam: 70 ft 0 in (21.34 m)
Draft: 17.4 ft (5.30 m)
Propulsion: 6 diesels; 16,000 hp (12,000 kW); bow thruster
Speed: 20 knots (37.0 km/h)
Complement: 14 officers, 210 enlisted and approx. 350 embarked troops
Armament: 2 twin 3"/50 gun mounts, 5 emplacements for .50 cal machine guns
Aircraft carried: helicopter platform only

USS Fresno was the 4th ship in the Newport class tank landing ships. Fresno was named for a city and county in California. She was laid down on 16 December 1967 at San Diego, California, by the National Steel & Shipbuilding Company; launched on 28 September 1968; sponsored by Mrs. Marilyn Hyde (wife of the mayor of Fresno); and commissioned on 22 November 1969 with Commander Stanislaus J. Sowinski in command.

Assigned to the Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet, and homeported at San Diego, California, Fresno alternated amphibious training operations along the west coast of the United States with regular, extended deployments to the western Pacific. She continued this regimen into 1990. Fresno saw extensive service during the latter stages of the Vietnam War. Fresno was decommissioned in 1993 and berthed at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF), Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In 2009, along with Racine, Fresno was reported to be sold to the Peruvian Navy.[1] However, this Foreign Military Sales (FMS) case was never executed and the ship remained under the control of the U.S. Navy following its decommissioning.

On 14 July 2014, ex-Fresno was in the NAVSEA inactive ship inventory at Pearl Harbor, and was slated for disposal by experimental use. The ship was declared ready for disposal in March 2014.[2] As of 25 August 2014, ex-Fresno was no longer in the NAVSEA inactive ship inventory.[3]

On 15 September 2014, ex-Fresno was sunk by ships and aircraft at 3:15 p.m. in waters 18,000 feet (5,500 m) deep, 215 nautical miles (398 km) northeast of Guam as part of the Exercise Valiant Shield 2014.[4]

Awards

Fresno earned the Vietnam Service Medal and two engagement stars for Vietnam service.[5] In September 1975, Fresno was awarded the Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy for the year ending 30 June 1975. Fresno and her crew also earned the Navy E Ribbon in the mid-1970s.[6]

References

  1. "Perú compra helicópteros "Sea King" y recibe 2 buques de desembarco de EE.UU.". ADN (in Spanish). March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
  2. "Inactive Ship Inventory" (PDF). NAVSEA. 2014-07-14.
  3. "Inactive Ship Inventory" (PDF). NAVSEA. 2014-08-25.
  4. "U.S. Joint Forces Sink Former USS Fresno During Valiant Shield". Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. 15 September 2014.
  5. "LST-1182 Final determination" (PDF). NAVSEA. 2013-10-21.
  6. "The official U.S. Navy awards site". US Navy. Retrieved 2014-06-07.


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