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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Washburn (LKA-108)
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USS Washburn (AKA-108) (1945 - 1969)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Echo - Foxtrot - Echo NEFE

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation - American Campaign Medal - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal
Second Row - Asiatic- Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
Third Row - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korean Service Medal (5) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Quemoy-Matsu, 1-Cuba, 8-Vietnam)
Fourth Row - Vietnam Service Medal (7) - Republic of Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (7) - Philippines Liberation Medal
Fifth Row - United Nation Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Tolland Class Attack Cargo Ship:

Laid down, 24 October 1944, as a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-AJ3) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1701), at North Carolina Shipbuilding, Wilmington, N.C.

Launched, 18 December 1944

Acquired by the US Navy, 30 December 1944 from the Maritime Commission, and towed or ferried to her conversion yard at Hoboken, N.J.

Commissioned USS Washburn (AKA-108), 17 May 1945, at Todd-Hoboken Shipyard, Hoboken, N.J., CDR. W. C. Jackson, USNR, in command

During World War II USS Washburn (AKA-108) was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater

After World War II Washburn was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East and China service for the following periods;

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
28 October to 18 November 1945	21 March to 6 April 1946
20 December 1948 to 2 January 1949	15 to 26 January 1946
	27 July to 3 August 1951
	14 to 29 November 1951
	6 to 15 February 1955

During the Korean War USS Washburn (AKA-108) participated in the following campaigns:

**Korean War Campaigns**
Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
North Korean Aggression 8 October to 2 November 1950	UN Summer-Fall Offensive 23 July to 6 August 1951 28 to 31 August 1951 5 to 12 September 1951 3 to 4 October 1951
Communist China Aggression 3 to 16 November 1950	Korea, Summer-Fall 1953 1 to 11 June 1953 4 July 1953 11 to 12 July 1953 18 to 24 July 1953 27 July 1953
Inchon Landing 15 to 17 September 1950	.

During the Vietnam War USS Washburn (AKA-108 / LKA-108) participated in the following campaigns:

**Vietnam War Campaigns**
Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Vietnam Defense Campaign 30 August to 1 September 1965	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV 22 April to 3 May 1968 11 May to 17 June 1968
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 18 to 30 September 1966 9 to 13 October 1966 11 to 14 November 1966 10 to 18 December 1966 26 December 1966 to 21 January 1967 4 February to 10 February 1967	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V 6 July to 1 August 1968
Tet Counteroffensive 28 February to 2 April 1968	Tet 69/Counteroffensive 28 to 31 May 1969 8 June 1969
Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969 9 June to 20 July 1969 7 August to 22 September 1969 29 September to 3 October 1969

Redesignated Amphibious Cargo Ship (LKA-108), 1 January 1969

Decommissioned, 16 May 1970, at San Diego, CA.

Returned to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 1 September 1976

Final Disposition, scrapped in 1980

USS Washburn earned five battle stars during the Korean War and seven campaign stars for Vietnam War

Specifications:
Displacement 8,635 t.(lt) 14,200 t.(fl)
Length 459' 2"
Beam 63'
Draft 26' 4"
Speed 16.5 kts
Complement

Officers 38

Enlisted 387
Largest Boom Capacity 35 t.
Armament

one single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mount

four twin 40 mm AA gun mounts

sixteen single 20 mm AA gun mounts
Boats

fourteen LCVPs

eight LCMs
Cargo Capacity 5,275 DWT

non-refrigerated 380,000 Cu. ft.
Fuel Capacities

NSFO 10,425 Bbls

Diesel 805 Bbls
Propulsion

one General Electric geared turbine

two Combustion Engineering header-type boilers 450psi 750°

double General Electric Main Reduction Gear

three 300Kw 120V/240V D.C. Ship's Service Generators

one propeller, 6,000shp

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
90k	*USS Washburn* (AKA-108)** underway near New York Navy Yard. Photo date, 17 May 1945, date of commissioning.	David Buell for his father CWO4 Benton E. Buell, USN Ret. USS Washburn
131k	*USS Washburn* (AKA-108)** underway off San Clemente Island, CA. during amphibious operations, as the crew was going to General Quarters, September 1946.	David Buell for his father CWO4 Benton E. Buell, USN Ret. USS Washburn
1657k	*USS Washburn* (AKA-108)** at San Diego, 16 April 1949, crew photo in three panels. Benton E. Buell MMC, bottom row far right third panel.	David Buell for his father CWO4 Benton E. Buell, USN Ret. USS Washburn
1273k
1668k
252k	Mare Island Naval Shipyard model of *USS Washburn* (AKA-108)** photographed 26 August 1949. Mare Island Naval Shipyard photo # 4340-8-49.	David Buell for his father CWO4 Benton E. Buell, USN Ret. USS Washburn
362k	*USS Washburn* (AKA-108)** underway, circa 1950, location unknown. US Navy photo via US Naval Institute.	David Buell
80k	*USS Washburn* (AKA-108)** underway, date and location unknown.
1074k	*USS Washburn* (AKA-108)** at anchor, date and location unknown. USN photo via the US Naval Institute.	David Buell for his father CWO4 Benton E. Buell, USN Ret. USS Washburn
44k	*USS Washburn* (AKA-108)** departing San Diego June 1957 for amphibious landing exercises at Camp Pendelton, CA. US Navy photo	Dale Haskin
70k	*USS Washburn* (AKA-108)** departing San Diego, CA., date unknown.	Russ Padden