USS Nashville (LPD-13)
.jpg) USS Nashville patrolling the Arabian Sea in 2006 |
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| Career (US) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Nashville |
| Namesake: | Nashville, TN |
| Operator: |  United States Navy |
| Ordered: | 15 May 1964[1] |
| Builder: | Lockheed Shipbuilding |
| Laid down: | 14 March 1966[1] |
| Launched: | 7 October 1967[1] |
| Acquired: | 26 December 1969[1] |
| Commissioned: | 14 February 1970[1] |
| Decommissioned: | 30 September 2009[2] |
| Homeport: | Norfolk, Virginia[1] |
| Status: | In reserve[2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Austin-class amphibious transport dock |
| Displacement: | Light: 9,784 t (9,629 long tons; 10,785 short tons) Full: 17,479 t (17,203 long tons; 19,267 short tons) Dead: 7,695 t (7,573 long tons; 8,482 short tons)[1] |
| Length: | Overall: 570 ft (170 m) Waterline: 548 ft (167 m)[1] |
| Beam: | Extreme: 105 ft (32 m) Waterline: 84 ft (26 m)[1] |
| Draft: | Limit: 23 ft (7.0 m) Ballasted: 34 ft (10 m)[1][3] |
| Propulsion: | Two boilers, two steam turbines, two shafts, 24,000 shp (18,000 kW) each[1] |
| Speed: | 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)[1] |
| Complement: | Ship's company: 489 (59 officers, 430 enlisted); Marine detachment: 900[1] |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
SPS-40 Air Search Radar SPS-60 Surface Search Radar SPS-64 Navigational Radar Furuno Navigational Radar[3] |
| Armament: | Two Mk 38 25 mm guns Two Phalanx CIWS, Eight .50 caliber machine guns[3] |
| Aircraft carried: | Up to six CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters[3] |
USS Nashville (LPD-13), an Austin-class amphibious transport dock, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the capital city of Tennessee. Her keel was laid down on 14 March 1966 by the Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle, Washington. She was launched on 7 October 1967 sponsored by Mrs. Roy L. Johnson, and commissioned at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington, on 14 February 1970 with Captain Frank R. Fahland in command.
Nashville's various assignments have included four Caribbean Amphibious Ready Groups, eight Mediterranean Groups, two Persian Gulf Groups, a Mine Countermeasure Task Group, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Operations and training assignments with Fleet Marine Force Atlantic.[2]
On 16 January and 17 January 2006, she was the first vessel to receive the landing of an unmanned robotic RQ-8A Fire Scout helicopter.[4]
In July 2006, she was sent to Lebanon as part of the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group transporting the 24th MEU to assist with the evacuation of U.S. nationals from the country,[5] after a conflict erupted between the Israeli military and Hezbollah militants. On 20 July 2006, it landed the first Marines on Lebanese soil since 1982.[6] The Nashville is featured in an episode of the television program Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, as it evacuated Americans (including Bourdain and his production crew) from Beirut. The episode was nominated for an Emmy Award.
The USS Nashville was decommissioned on 30 September 2009 at the Norfolk Naval Station in Norfolk, Virginia. Navy officials stated the ship was too costly to maintain and was unable to match the efficiency of newer vessels.[2]
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[edit] Possible sale to India
According to an Indian news source, the Indian Navy may bid to acquire the Nashville.[7] The Nashville is of the same class as the USS Trenton which was previously sold to India and is now the INS Jalashwa.[8]
- Update*
The United States has offered a second assault ship like the USS Trenton to India but for the time being, the Indian Navy has said "Not Yet" to another acquisition. According to informed sources here, the USS Nashville, listed in the US Navy as an Austin-class Amphibious Transport Dock, had indeed been examined by Indian naval officers, "but that there was no movement on the US offer." From the India Strategic dated August 2007 [1]
[edit] Gallery
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USS Nashville sails off the coast of Lebanon in December 1982.
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Crewmen from USS Nashville assist U.S. nationals evacuating from Lebanon in 2006.
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A RQ-8A Fire Scout helicopter preparing to land on USS Nashville.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "USS Nashville (LPD-13)". Naval Vessel Register. 18 September 2009. http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/LPD13.htm. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
- ^ a b c d Woodrow, Melanie; Rose, Derrick (30 September 2009). "USS Nashville decommissioned". WAVY.com. http://www.wavy.com/dpp/military/military_wavy_norfolk_USSNashvilledecommissioned_20090930. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
- ^ a b c d "LPD 4 Austin class". Federation of American Scientists. 2008. http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/navy/amphibious/lpd4.html. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
- ^ "Autonomous Fire Scout UAV Lands on Ship". Defense Daily. 18 January 2006. Archived from the original on 19 February 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070219214955/http://uav.navair.navy.mil/new_firescout/news/AutonomousLandsonShip18jan06.htm. Retrieved 18 July 2006.
- ^ Martinez, Luis (14 July 2006). "Evacuating Lebanon". The World Newser. http://blogs.abcnews.com/theworldnewser/2006/07/evacuating_leba.html. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
- ^ Panossian, Joe (14 July 2006). "Marines aid evacuation as plane lands in U.S.". Houston Chronicle. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/4059694.html. Retrieved 20 July 2006.[dead link]
- ^ "Indian Navy May Bid To Acquire Amphibious Warship USS Nashville". India-Defence.com. 15 July 2007. http://www.india-defence.com/print/3441. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: USS Nashville (LPD-13) |
- USS Nashville at Navy.mil
- USS Nashville command history at the Naval History & Heritage Command
- USS Nashville LPD-13 Alumni Page on Facebook
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