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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Mobile (LKA-115)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Yankee - Sierra - Juliet NYSJ

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon - Navy Unit Commendation (1- Op. Frequent Wind)
Second Row - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation - Navy Battle "E" Ribbon (3) - Navy Expeditionary Service Medal (1-Iran/Indian Ocean
Third Row - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1- Op. Frequent Wind) - *Vietnam Service Medal (4 or 5)
Fourth Row - Southwest Asia Service Medal - Humanitarian Service Medal (1-Frequent Wind) - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medial

Charleston Class Amphibious Cargo Ship:

Laid down, 15 January 1968, as (AKA-115), at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, VA.

Launched, 19 October 1968

Redesignated (LKA-115), 1 January 1969

Commissioned USS Mobile (LKA-115), 29 September 1969

During the Vietnam War Mobile (LKA-115) participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Vietnam War Campaigns
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VII 23 to 26 July 1970 9 to 12 August 1970 8 to 10 September 1970 12 to 14 September 1970 19 to 23 September 1970 15 to 18 April 1971	Vietnam Ceasefire 30 March to 3 April 1972 8 April to 27 May 1972 14 to 16 June 1972 19 to 21 June 1972 24 June to 15 July 1972
Consolidation I 30 October to 3 November 1971 17 to 19 November 1971	*Vietnam Evacuation (Operation Frequent Wind) 29 to 30 April 1975
Consolidation II 17 to 22 January 1972 6 to 20 February 1972

Decommissioned, 4 February 1994, at Long Beach, CA.

Assigned to the Military Sealift Command (MSC)

Moved to Bethlehem Steel Shipyards Sparrows Pt,, MD. for conversion to mixed civilian/Naval Reservist manning

Conversion canceled, moved to Philadelphia and placed out of service, 1 November 1996

Laid up at th Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF), Philadelphia, PA., in Maintenance Category B

Struck from the Naval Register, 15 August 2015

USS Mobile (LKA-115) earned four campaign stars for Vietnam War service and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for Operation Frequent Wind or 5 campaign stars if the Armed Forces Medal is exchanged for the 18th Vietnam campaign Operation Frequent Wind.

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, date unknown. Removed from the Philadelphia NIMSF, 29 September 2023, and towed to Brownsville, TX., where she will be scrapped. Arrived in Brownsville, 12 October 2023.

Specifications:
Displacement 10,216.(lt) 18,589 t.(fl)
Length 575' 6"
Beam 82'
Draft 26'
Speed 20 kts.

Armament

As Built - four twin 3"/50 dual purpose gun mounts

Updated - two 20mm Phalanx CIWS

Complement

Officers 34

Enlisted 375

Troop Accommodations

Officers 15

Enlisted 211

Boats

four LCM-8s

five LCM-6s

two LCVPs

two LCPLs

Aircraft landing platform

Propulsion

one geared turbine

two boilers

one propeller, 22,000shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
100211517	16k	*USS Mobile* (AKA-115)** Art work by former Wing Commander Ian Hall from his mixed media original.	Tommy Trampp
100211524	424k	Mobile (AKA-115) and St. Louis (AKA-116) under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock, Co., Newport News, VA. in 1968. U.S. National Archives and Recordes Administration, College Park, Identifier: 6932182	Robert Hurst
100211523	716k	Mobile (AKA-115) under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, VA., 1968. U.S. Navy photo	MARAD
100211521	361k	Mobile (AKA-115) ready for launching at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, VA., 19 October 1968.	Dale Hargrave
	309k	The ship's sponsor, Mrs. John Sparkman, wife of the Senator from Alabama, breaking the traditional bottle of champagne over the ships bow during the launching ceremony of *USS Mobile* (LKA-115)** at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, VA. on 19 October 1968. Photo from Newport News Shipbuilding	S. Dale Hargrave
	438k	Mobile (LKA-115) sliding down the builders ways during her launching at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, VA., 19 October 1968. Photo from Newport News Shipbuilding	Dale Hargrave
	16k	*USS Mobile* (LKA-115)** underway, early in her career when she was still armed with 3"/50 gun mounts at the bow.
	100k	*USS Mobile* (LKA-115)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo
	107k	Stern view of *USS Mobile* (LKA-115)** moored pierside, date and location unknown.	Tommy Trampp
	69k	*USS Mobile* (LKA-115)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	Art Hutson USS Mobile web site
	76k	*USS Mobile* (LKA-115)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	Art Hutson USS Mobile web site
100119150	68k	U.S. Navy Amphibious Squadron 5 (PHIBRON 5) underway in the Gulf of Tonkin, in 1972. The Squadron consisted of; the Amphibious Assault Ship *USS Tripoli* (LPH-10), left; the Amphibious Transport Dock USS Duluth (LPD-6), Dock Landing Ship USS Anchorage (LSD-36); and Attack Transport USS Mobile (LKA-115), right; and the Tank Landing Ship USS Schenectady (LST-1185), not visible. Also visible is the Amphibious Command Ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) on her first deployment. Blue Ridge and Anchorage are replenished by a Mars-class Combat Stores Ship. PHIBRON 5** was deployed to the Western Pacific, the Indian Ocean and Vietnam from 1 October 1971 to 8 August 1972. U.S. Navy photo from the USS Mobile (LKA-115)* 1971-1972 cruise book*	Robert Hurst
	85k	*USS Mobile* (LKA-115)** moored at White Beach, Okinawa in 1977	Dr. Kenneth Hartman
	112k	*USS Mobile* (LKA-115)** moored at White Beach, Okinawa in 1977	Dr. Kenneth Hartman
	98k	*USS Mobile* (LKA-115)** underway off Eniwetok in 1977.	Dr. Kenneth Hartman
	95k	*USS Mobile* (LKA-115)** underway, date and location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	96k	*USS Mobile* (LKA-115)** underway, date and location unknown.	Wendell Royce McLaughlin Jr.
	339k	Starboard broadside view of *USS Mobile* (LKA-115)** underway in San Diego Bay during February 1990. DOD Still Media Records Center, Washington DC, photo # DN-ST-90-06640 by PHCS Terry C. Mitchell, USN.	Robert M. Cieri
100211518	241k	*USS Mobile* (LKA-115)** underway outbound to sea from San Diego Bay, date unknown. Photo @copyGeorge Barber	Nicholas Tiberio
100211519	247k	*USS Mobile* (LKA-115)** underway date and location unknown.	Nicholas Tiberio
100211520	225k	*USS Mobile* (LKA-115)** underway date and location unknown.	Nicholas Tiberio
	209k	Ex-*USS Mobile* (LKA-115) (outboard), ex- USS El Paso (LKA-117) (center) and ex- USS Charleston (LKA-113)** (inboard closest to the pier) laid up at the Philadelphia Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF), 29 October 29, 2007. Photo by ©Marc Pich� Vercheres, Quebec, Canada.	TJ Tropea, Courtesy Marc Pich�
	194k	From outboard to inboard; ex-*USS Yorktown* (CG-47), ex-USS Mobile (LKA-115), ex-USS El Paso (LKA-117) and ex-USS Charleston (LKA-113)** moored at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Philadelphia, date unknown.	Ron Reeves
1016119016	183k	Ex-*USS Boulder* (LST-1190) Ex-USS Mobile (LKA-115), Ex-USS Charleston (LKA-113) and Ex-USS El Paso (LKA-117)** laid up in reserve at the Philadelphia Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Philadelphia, PA., 21 October 2017. Photo courtesy of Chuck Homler	Robert Hurst
	286k	From inboard to outboard; ex-*USS El Paso* (LKA-117), ex-USS Charleston (LKA-113) and ex-USS Mobile (LKA-115)** moored at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Philadelphia, 20 April 2018	Joseph J. LaPenna Jr.

For more photos and information about USS Mobile, see;
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
LKA-113 Charleston Class Specifications

Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Lorenz Jr., Samuel, USN	20 September 1969 - 5 August 1970
02	CAPT. Ward, John David (Jake), USN	5 August 1970 - 10 August 1971
03	CAPT. Burke, Edwin Joseph, USN	10 August 1971 - 6 June 1973
04	CDR. Flynn Jr., John Joseph, USN	6 June 1973 - 14 August 1975
05	CAPT. Sprunk Jr., William, USN	14 August 1975 - 26 February 1977
06	CAPT. Buchanan, Edward Oliver, USN	26 February 1977 - 10 June 1978
07	CAPT. Gillham, Richard Davison, USN	10 June 1978 - 1 October 1979
08	CAPT. Lenahan, Robert Peter, USN	1 October 1979 - 10 October 1979
09	CAPT. Connelly Jr., James Henry, USN	10 October 1979 - 19 September 1981
10	CAPT. Flather, Charles Randolph, USN	19 September 1981 - 17 October 1981
11	CAPT. Christenson, Robert Warnhoff Sigel, USN	17 October 1981 - 21 October 1983
12	CAPT. Schriefer, Luther Frederick, USN (USNA 1960) :RADM	21 October 1983 - 2 August 1985
13	CAPT. Knutson, Rodney Allen, USN	2 August 1985 - 25 February 1987
14	CAPT. Gubbins, Philip Stanley, USN (USNA 1963)	25 February 1987 - 20 January 1989
15	CAPT. Berg, Ronald Vincent, USN	20 January 1989 - 5 February 1991
16	CAPT. Myslivy, Guy Edeard, USN	5 February 1991 - 31 July 1992
17	CAPT. Vanderberg, Mark Tompkins, USN	31 July 1992 - 4 February 1994


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 23 February 2024