USS Durham

USS Durham (LKA-114) off San Diego in 1989
History
United States
Name	USS Durham
Builder	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co.
Laid down	10 July 1967
Launched	29 March 1968
Commissioned	24 May 1969
Decommissioned	25 February 1994
Stricken	31 August 2015
Fate	To be sunk as a target
General characteristics
Class and type	Template:Sclass-
Displacement	9,937 tons (light) 18,322 tons (full load)
Length	575 ft 6 in (175.41 m)
Beam	82 ft (25 m)
Draft	25 ft 5 in (7.75 m)
Boats & landing craft carried	18 × LCM-8 and LCM-6 landing craft
Complement	50 officers, 592 men
Armament	4 × twin 3"/50 caliber guns
Service record
Operations:	Vietnam War Gulf War

USS Durham (AKA-114/LKA-114) was a Charleston class amphibious cargo ship named after Durham, North Carolina. She served as a commissioned ship for 24 years and 9 months, and earned a total of 15 awards and campaign ribbons for her service.

She was laid down as AKA-114 at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, VA, and redesignated LKA-114 on 1 January 1969. She was commissioned on 24 May 1969.

Durham was extensively involved in the Vietnam War.

In April 1975, Durham participated in Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon, Vietnam.

In the Gulf War, she was part of an 18-ship amphibious task force that was the largest such force since the Korean War. The task force arrived on station in the North Arabian Sea on 12 January 1991.

The ship was decommissioned on 25 February 1994. She is currently berthed at the Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF) awaiting disposal via future SINKEX.[1]

There is no DANFS entry for the ship.

External links

• Naval Vessel Register: Durham (LKA-114)
• Naval History Center Gulf War Chronology, January 1991
• NavSource Online: AKA / LKA-114 Durham
• Military.com: USS Durham
• 51 Years of AKAs