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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Pensacola (LSD-38)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Kilo - Zulu - India NKZI

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Unit Commendation (2) - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
Second Row - Navy Battle "E" Ribbon (2) - Navy Expeditionary Medal (1-Lebanon, 1-Iran/Indian Ocean) - National Defense Service Medal (3)
Third Row - Southwest Asia Service Medal - Armed Forces Service Medal (8) Humanitarian Service Medal
Fourth Row - NATO Medal - Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) - Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

USS Pensacola was transferred to the Republic of China and renamed ROCS Hsu-Hai (LSD-193)

Anchorage Class Dock Landing Ship:

Laid down, 12 March 1969, at General Dynamics Corp., Quincy, MA.

Launched, 11 July 1970

Commissioned USS Pensacola (LSD-38), 27 March 1971

Decommissioned, 30 September 1999 (Ceremonial Date, 22 September 1999)

Struck from the Naval Register, 30 September 1999

Final Disposition, disposed of through the Security Assistance Program (SAP), sold/transferred to the Republic of China, 30 September 1999

Commissioned into the Republic of China Navy as ROCS Hsu-Hai (LSD-193) in June 2000

Current Disposition, active in the Republic of China Navy

Specifications:
Displacement 8,325 t.(lt), 14,095 t.(fl)
Length 553'
Beam 84'
Draft 19'
Speed 20+kts.

Complement

24 Officers

300 Enlisted
Troop Capacity 320
Boats (Well Deck Capacity) 3 LCACs or 2 LCUs

Armament

four twin 3"/50 dual purpose gun mounts (removed in 1980)

two Phalanx CIWS gun mounts

two 25mm Bushmaster chain guns

Propulsion

two 600psi boilers

two De Laval Steam Turbines

two propellers 24,000shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
USS Pensacola (LSD-38)
	113k	While Pensacola (LSD-38) undergoes final fitting out at the Quincy Ship Building Division of General Dynamics, at Quincy, MA., her anchors and color-coded chain sit on the pier ready for loading into the anchor chain lockers. The ship uses almost 2,000 feet of chain for two anchors, background, which weight 22,500 lbs. each. The chain weights 20 lbs. per link. AP Wirephoto.	Tommy Trampp
	128k	Pensacola (LSD-38) running builders trials near Quincy, MA., 25 February 1971. Note the large opening aft of the superdeck, allowing the ship's cranes access to her well deck. US Navy photo and text from "U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History" by Norman Friedman.	Robert Hurst
	148k	*USS Pensacola* (LSD-38)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo.	Tommy Trampp
10123834	220k	*USS Pensacola* (LSD-38)** underway off Norfolk, VA.. ©Nobe Smith	Nicholas Tiberio
	334k	*USS Pensacola* (LSD-38)** at anchor in the harbor at Genoa, Italy, 14 June 1977.	Photos by Carlo Martinelli
	387k		Photos by Carlo Martinelli
	60k	*USS Pensacola* (LSD-38)** riding at anchor at Barcelona, Spain, 24 September 1979.	Photo by Fabio Peña
	65k	*USS Pensacola* (LSD-38)** anchored at Barcelona, Spain, 24 September 1979.	Photo by Fabio Peña
	20k	*USS Pensacola* (LSD-38) underway, date and location unknown. A HiRes version of this photo available from ©Atlantic Fleet Sales**	Robert M. Cieri
	20k	*USS Pensacola* (LSD-38)** underway in Hampton Roads, VA., date unknown
	43k	*USS Pensacola* (LSD-38)** moored pierside, date and location unknown.	Peter Wilson
	114k	*LCAC-1* and *USS Pensacola* (LSD-38)** during initial underway mating trials in the Gulf of Mexico in February 1985. Note the guide plates on the sides of the ship's well deck. The LCAC is carrying an LVTP-7 amphibian. Textron Marine Systems Division of Textron, Inc.photo from "U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History" by Norman Friedman.	Robert Hurst
	163k		Robert Hurst
	157k	*LCAC-1* enters the well deck of *USS Pensacola* (LSD-38)** during the first underway mating of an LCAC and an LSD. The LCAC carries an M60 MBT, an M151 jeep and an LAV-25 light armored vehicle. US Navy photo from "Modern Military Hovercraft" published by Purnells.	Robert Hurst
	62k	*USS Pensacola* (LSD-38)** underway in the Pacific Ocean, August 1988. Defense Visual Information Center photo # DN-ST-89-01312, a US Navy photo now in the Collections of the Defense Visual Information Center	Bill Gonyo
10123835	570k	*USS Pensacola* (LSD-38)** underway off Norfolk, VA.. ©Nobe Smith	Nicholas Tiberio
10123836	495k	*USS Pensacola* (LSD-38)** underway off Norfolk, VA.. ©Nobe Smith	Nicholas Tiberio
	1075k	*USS Pensacola* (LSD-38) underway with USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)** battle group, 12 August 1988. The ship, which is part of Task Group 24.4, is in an 18-ship formation that is transiting the North Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. Defense Imagery photo # DN-ST-89-01281, a US Navy photo, by PH2 Lipski, now in the collections of Defense Imagery.	Robert Hurst
	57k	The large harbor tug Campti (YTB 816) prepares to maneuver *USS Pensacola* (LSD-38) out of her berth at Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek, VA.,** as she departs for the Persian Gulf in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, 23 August 1990. DVIC photo # DNST9011247 by PH2 Stephen Batiz USN.	Defense Visual Information Center
	202k	*USS Pensacola* (LSD-38) conducts an underway replenishment with the Military Sealift Command fleet oiler USNS Neosho (T-AO-143) in the North Atlantic, 2 March 1992. A UH-1N Huey helicopter assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA-4) is in flight over Neosho*. The amphibious task force was en route to the Baltic to participate in Exercise Teamwork '92. US National Archives and Records Administration Identifier (NAID) 6491292* a US Navy photo by PHC Robert K. Hemmerly.	Robert Hurst
	56k	*USS Pensacola* (LSD-38)** riding at anchor off Corfu Greece, March 1997	Esterhazy
	65k	*USS Pensacola* (LSD-38) with her stern flooded down and stern gate open to allow a Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC)** assault craft to enter her well deck, date unknown, location is probably some place off Little Creek Amphibious Base, VA.	Robert Hall
	106k	*USS Pensacola* (LSD-38)** underway, date and location unknown.	Tommy Trampp
ROCS Hsu-Hai (LSD-193)
	107k	Ex-*USS Pensacola* (LSD-38) in Republic of China service as ROCS Hsu-Hai (LSD-193)** underway, location unknown, 7 September 2004.	Yu-Lun Miao

USS Pensacola (LSD-38)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Munnikhuysen, Henry Farnandis (Hank), USN (USNA 1947)	27 March 1971 - 4 October 1972
02	CAPT. Ramsey, William Edward :VADM	4 October 1972 - 12 October 1973
03	CDR. Fischer Jr., Theodore Arthur	12 October 1973 - 29 August 1975
04	CDR. Rothrauff, Thomas Benedict	29 August 1975 - 25 July 1977
05	CDR. Mitchell, Richard Floyd	25 July 1977 - 7 December 1979
06	CDR. Balut, Stephen John	7 December 1979 - 17 December 1981
07	CDR. Palen, Don Gilbert, USN (USNA 1963)	17 December 1981 - 28 January 1984
08	CDR. Fitch Jr., Rex Burnham	28 January 1984 - 5 April 1986
09	CDR. Scott, Robert Mitchell, USN (USNA 1968)	5 April 1986 - 2 July 1988
10	CDR. Niedenthal, William Jerry	2 July 1988 - 4 July 1990
11	CDR. Nelms, Danny Charles	4 July 1990 - 30 March 1992
12	CDR. Potopsingh, Flavius Constant	30 March 1992 - 13 January 1994
13	CDR. Henderson, Jerry	13 January 1994 - 17 January 1995
14	CDR. Bauer Jr., Russell Arno	17 January 1995 - 30 August 1996
15	CDR. O'Brien, Eugene Terry	30 August 1996 - 15 January 1998
16	CDR. Curry Jr., Albert	15 January 1998 - 22 September 1999


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

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Last Updated 20 May 2022