Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.


NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive


Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Paul Revere (LPA-248)
ex
USS Paul Revere (APA-248) (1958 - 1969)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Victor - Tango - Mike
NVTM
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation - National Defense Service Medal - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Vietnam, Quemoy-Matsu)
Bottom Row - Vietnam Service Medal (7) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (5) - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal



USS Paul Revere (LPA-248) was transferred to Spain and renamed Castilla (L-21)
Paul Revere Class Amphibious Transport:
  • Laid down, 15 May 1952, as SS Diamond Mariner, a Maritime Administration type (C4-S-1A) hull, under Maritime Administration contract (MA hull 27), at New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, N.J.
  • Launched, 11 April 1953
  • Delivered to the Maritime Administration, 22 December 1953, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet
  • Acquired by the US Navy, 14 September 1956
  • Converted to an Attack Transport at Todd Shipbuilding Corp, San Pedro, CA.
  • Commissioned USS Paul Revere (APA-248), 3 September 1958, at Long Beach, CA., CAPT. Robert B. Erly in command
  • During Vietnam War USS Paul Revere participated in the following campaigns:

    Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    Vietnam Advisory Campaign
    16 to 22 December 1960
    2 to 7 January 1961
    23 March to 23 April 1961
    29 April to 11 May 1961
    17 to 22 May 1964
    Tet 69/Counteroffensive
    3 March to 20 April 1969
    3 May to 8 June 1969
    Vietnam Defense
    31 October to 21 November 1965
    Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969
    9 to 14 June 1969
    6 to 16 July 1969
    30 July to 3 August 1969
    12 to 15 August 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive
    26 January to 20 February 1966
    17 to 26 March 1966
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VII
    1 to 9 September 1970
    17 September to 1 October 1970
    4 to 9-October 1970
    10 to 17 December 1970
    11 to 24 January 1971
    4 February to 8 March 1971
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III
    26 to 28 June 1967
    22 August to 28 September 1967
    7 October to 11 November 1967
    Vietnam Ceasefire
    14 August to 9 September 1972
    30 September to 18 October 1972
    27 October to 5 November 1972
    15 to 19 December 1972
    15 January to 6 February 1973

  • Redesignated Amphibious Transport (LPA-248), 1 January 1969
  • Decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register 1 January 1980
  • Sold through the Security Assistance Program to Spain, 17 January 1980, commissioned Castilla (L-21)
  • Retired by the Spanish Navy, 6 June 1998
  • Struck by the Spanish Navy per Resolution 78/98, 11 March 1998
  • USS Paul Revere earned the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal with seven campaign stars for Vietnam War service
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
    Specifications:
    Displacement 16,828 t.(fl)
    Length 563' 6"
    Beam 76'
    Draft 27'
    Speed 20 kts.
    Complement 414
    Troop Accommodations 1500
    Armament 4 3"/50 guns
    Propulsion
    one geared turbine single propeller, 19,250shp

    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image
    Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    USS Paul Revere (APA-248)
    Paul Revere 41k
    Namesake

    Paul Revere, born in Boston 1 January 1735, became a skillful goldsmith under his father’s guidance. Strongly attached to the patriotic cause in Massachusetts and an instigator of the Boston Tea Party, he subsequently gathered information on British movements and Tory activities, and reported the intelligence to Patriot leaders. On the evening of 18 April 1775, after learning that the king’s troops were about to march, Revere crossed to Charleston by boat and raced on horseback through Medford spreading “...the alarm through every Middlesex village and farm...” along his path to Lexington. There he warned Hancock and Adams that “redcoats” were approaching to arrest them. The next morning minutemen were on hand to challenge the British advance. “The shot heard round the world” was fired launching the Revolution and the American Ship of State. Subsequently helping to win the struggle he had done so much to start, Revere established a powder mill in Massachusetts, served on the Committee of Correspondence, rose in the Massachusetts Militia to Lieutenant Colonel, and fought in the Penobscot Expedition. After the war he returned to business as a gold and silver smith and introduced new techniques in copper metallurgy. His foundry fashioned the bolts, spikes, pumps, and other copper hardware used in building Frigate Constitution. Remaining actively interested in civic affairs, he energetically worked for ratification of the United States Constitution. Paul Revere died in Boston 10 May 1818.
    Portrait: Portrait of Paul Revere by John Singleton Copley, c.1768–70
    Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
    Bill Gonyo
    Paul Revere 99k Ex-SS Diamond Mariner at the Todd Shipyard, San Pedro in September 1956 prior to beginning conversion to the attack transport Paul Revere (APA-248).
    US Navy photo from "U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History" by Norman Friedman.
    Robert Hurst
    Paul Revere 62k Paul Revere (APA-248) at Todd Shipyard, San Pedro, CA., 30 August 1958. The conversion of the ex-Mariner class cargo ship is nearly completed in these photos. This class was unique among US attack transports because it had AKA-style quadrupod masts for handling LCM(6)s. Note the enclosed control station around the funnel.
    US Navy photo and text from "U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History" by Norman Friedman.
    Robert Hurst
    Paul Revere 94k
    Paul Revere
    100324828
    184k Paul Revere (APA-248) nearing completion at Todd Shipyard, San Pedro, August 1958.
    Photo from www.picryl.com - U.S. National Archives
    John Spivey
    Paul Revere 98k USS Paul Revere (APA-248), underway, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo
     
    Paul Revere 95k A Sikorsky HO4S helicopter assigned to Helicopter Utility Squadron One (HU-1) "Pacific Fleet Angels" lands aboard USS Paul Revere (APA-248), 20 September 1960. The ship was taking part in Project NERV Missile Launcher and Nose Cone Retrieval.
    US Navy Pacific Missile Range photo #LAW 41049-L-9-60.
    Tommy Trampp
    Mt. Baker 100k USS Mount Baker (AE-4) conducts a replenishment-at-sea with USS Paul Revere (APA-248) and USS Valley Forge (LPH-8) during a WestPac deployment, circa 1960-1962.
    US Navy photo.
    Charles Schiele, Radioman, Comservron Three
    Paul Revere 146k USS Paul Revere (APA-248) at anchor in 1964, location unknown.
    US Navy photo.
    Robert Hurst
    Paul Revere
    100324827
    413k USS Paul Revere (APA-248) outbound to sea from San Diego, CA. in 1964.
    CHINFO
    Darryl Baker
    Paul Revere 76k 9th Marine Regiment Marines board USS Paul Revere (APA-248), 14 July 1969, at Danang, South Vietnam for redeployment to Okinawa.
    UPI Telephoto by K. Sawada
    Tommy Trampp
    Paul Revere 157k USS Paul Revere (APA-248) outbound to sea from San Diego, date unknown.
    US Navy photo
    Mike Smolinski
    Paul Revere 122k USS Paul Revere (APA-248) under way in the harbor at San Diego, date unknown.
    US Navy photo
    Ed Zajkowski
    Paul Revere 981k USS Paul Revere (LPA-248) moored pierside at New Westminster, BC, Canada in August 1975. Photo by Jon Paul Henry
    Paul Revere 139k USS Paul Revere (LPA-248) tied up at Long Beach Naval Shipyard in 1977.
    Photo by Karsten Petersen
    Robert Hurst
    Paul Revere 28k USS Paul Revere (LPA-248) under way in harbor, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo.
    Robert Hurst
    Paul Revere
    100324825
    225k USS Paul Revere (LPA-248) outbound to sea from San Diego, CA., date unknown.
    ©George Barber
    Nicholas Tiberio
    Paul Revere
    100324824
    201k
    Paul Revere
    100324826
    329k USS Paul Revere (LPA-248) ship's plaque. Howard Evans, HT-3 USS Paul Revere 15 Oct. 1972 - 15 Oct. 1975.
    Castilla (L-21)
    Paul Revere 98k The Spanish amphibious transport Castilla (L 21), ex-USS Paul Revere (LPA 248), at Barcelona, Spain, 31 May 1981. Note she was fitted with an SPS-12 air-search radar, whereas her sister SPS Aragón (L 22), ex-USS Francis Marion (LPA 249), had an SPS-40 Photo by Fabio Peña
    Paul Revere 53k Castilla (L 21) under way in the Gulf of Cadiz, January 1986 Photo by Ignacio Lopez
    ex member Armada Espanola
    Paul Revere 98k Castilla (L 21) at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 25 May 1986 Photo by Ignacio Lopez
    ex member Armada Espanola
    Paul Revere 70k Castilla (L 21) location unknown, January 1986 Photo by Ignacio Lopez
    ex member Armada Espanola
    Paul Revere 71k Castilla (L-21) off Huelva (Exercise Crisex-83), November 1983 Photo by Ignacio Lopez
    ex member Armada Espanola
    Paul Revere 265k Castilla (L-21) moored pierside at Naval Station Rota Spain, 10 March 1987.
    Defense Visual Information Center photo # DNSC8806742 a US Navy photo by PHAN James L. Saylor.
    Ron Reeves
    Francis Marion
    100324922
    251k Castilla (LA-21) moored forward of Aragón (L-22) [ex-USS Francis Marion (APA-249) at Rota, Spain, circa late 1980s. Photo by Antonio Gómez Martín
    Paul Revere 1816k Castilla (L-21) arriving at La Spezia, Italy, 26 April 1996. Photo by Carlo Martinelli

    USS Paul Revere Additional Ships Patches
    Paul Revere
    Contributed by Mike Smolinski
    Paul Revere
    Contributed by Tommy Trampp

    USS Paul Revere (APA / LPA-248)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01CAPT. Erly, Robert Broussard, USN (USNA 1937) :RADM3 September 1958 - July 1959
    02CAPT. Thompson, Marshall Fery, USN (USNA 1936)July 1959 - 15 August 1960
    03CAPT. Olsen, Albert Royal, USN (USNA 1938)15 August 1960 - 4 October 1961
    04CAPT. Goodfellow Jr., Alexander Scott, USN (USNA 1940) :RADM3 October 1961 - 25 October 1962
    05CAPT. Montgomery, John William Myers, USN (USNA 1940)25 October 1962 - 25 October 1963
    06CAPT. Bradway Jr., William Samuel, USN23 October 1963 - October 1964
    07CAPT. Runk, Theodore William, USNOctober 1964 - 13 August 1965
    08CAPT. McDowell Jr., William Robert, USN13 August 1965 - 3 August 1966
    09CAPT. Neeb, Lewis Herman, USN3 August 1966 - 27 November 1967
    10CAPT. Gambrill, Nelson Jackson, USN (USNA 1945)27 November 1967 - January 1969
    11CAPT. Karlowicz, Mitchell Joseph, USN (USNA 1947)January 1969 - 17 July 1970
    12CAPT. Lindberg, Charles Harold, USN17 July 1970 - September 1971
    13CAPT. Harris, Wade Hampton, USN (USNA 1948-BSeptember 1971 - April 1973
    14CAPT. McNally Jr., John Joseph, USN (USNA 1950)April 1973 - October 1974
    15CAPT. Kennedy, Ronald Walter, USNOctober 1974 - 6 March 1976
    16CAPT. Moore Jr., Ernest Michael, USN6 March 1976 - July 1977
    17CAPT. Haines, Collins Henry, USNJuly 1977 - 29 August 1978
    18CAPT. Kelly, Robert Joseph (Barney), USN (USNA 1959) :ADM29 August 1978 - 1 October 1979
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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

    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Attack Transport (APA) Photo Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 21 June 2024