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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Princeton (LPH-5)
ex
USS Princeton (CVS-37) (1953 - 1959)
USS Princeton (CVA-37) (1952 - 1953)
USS Princeton (CV-37) (1945 - 1952)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Romeo - November NHRN
JANAP Tactical Voice Radio Call Sign - Bullhorn

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row: Combat Action Ribbon (25 Mar 1967) [LPH] / Navy Unit Commendation / Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (2) [LPH]
2nd Row: China Service Medal (extended) / American Campaign Medal / World War II Victory Medal
3rd Row: Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) / National Defense Service Medal (2) [CV & LPH] / Korean Service Medal (8)
4th Row: Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (3) [LPH] / Vietnam Service Medal (6) [LPH] / Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross Medal with Palm) [LPH]
5th Row: United Nations Korean Medal / Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal / Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Essex Class Aircraft Carrier ("Long Hull" group, aka Ticonderoga Class) / Boxer Class Amphibious Assault Ship (Helicopter):

Laid down, 14 September 1943, as USS Valley Forge (CV-37) at Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, PA. as Valley Forge

Renamed Princeton, 21 November 1944

Launched, 18 July 1945

Commissioned USS Princeton (CV-37), 18 November 1945, CAPT. John M. Hoskins in command

Decommissioned, 21 June 1949

Recommissioned, 28 August 1950

Redesignated Attack Aircraft Carrier (CVA-37), 1 October 1952

Modified and reclassified Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft Carrier (CVS-37), 12 November 1953

Reclassified Amphibious Assault Ship (Helicopter) (LPH-5), 2 March 1959, CAPT. Frank K. Upham II in command

Converted at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, Long Beach CA, 19 March through 19 May 1959

During the Vietnam War USS Princeton (LPH-5) participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Advisory Campaign 14 to 17 April 1962 13 to 17 April 1963 24 April to 3 May 1963 28 August ti 12 September 1963 27 October to 9 November 1964 16 November to 10 December 1964 26 December 1964 to 31 January 1965 9 to 28 February 1965 1 to 7 March 1965	Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase II 1 to 3 July 1966 14 July to 2 August 1966 18 March to 6 April 1967 18 April to 25 May 1967
Vietnam Defense 8 to 9 March 1965 16 to 23 April 1965 2 to 13 May 1965	Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase IV 10 to 30 June 1968
Vietnam Defense 1 to 9 September 1965	Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase V 1 to 10 July 1968 21 July to 3 September 1968 28 September to 1 November 1968
Vietnam Counteroffensive 23 March to 8 April 1966 21 April to 8 May 1966 10 to 30 June 1966	Counteroffensive - Phase VI 2 to 13 November 1968

Decommissioned and Struck from the Naval Register, 30 January 1970

USS Princeton earned eight battle stars for Korean War service and six campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping to Zidell Explorations Inc., Portland, OR. in September 1972, by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS)for $336,697.99

Specifications:
Displacement 26,556 t.(lt) 36,457 t.(fl)
Length 888'
Beam 138'
Draft 30' (max.)
Speed 33 kts.
Complement 1,200
Troop Capacity 1,450
Aircraft 30 Helicopters

Armament

two dual 5"/38 dual purpose gun mounts

three single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mounts

Propulsion

eight 600 psi boilers

four steam turbines

four propellers, 75,000shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
10110542	210k	*Namesake* Princeton - The Battle of Princeton was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought near Princeton, New Jersey on 3 January 1777, and ending in a small victory for the Colonials. General Lord Cornwallis had left 1,400 British troops under the command of LTCOL Charles Mawhood in Princeton. Following a surprise attack at Trenton early in the morning of 26 December 1776, General George Washington of the Continental Army decided to attack the British in New Jersey before entering the winter quarters. On 30 December he crossed the Delaware River back into New Jersey. His troops followed on 3 January 1777. Washington advanced to Princeton by a back road, where he pushed back a smaller British force but had to retreat before Cornwallis arrived with reinforcements. The battles of Trenton and Princeton were a boost to the morale of the patriot cause, leading many recruits to join the Continental Army in the spring. (Wikipedia) Photo - Photo of William T. Ranney (American, 1813–1857), Washington Rallying the Americans at the Battle of Princeton, 1848. Oil on canvas (Princeton University Art Museum) Map - Princeton and Trenton 1777, The Battle of Princeton (USMA)	Tommy Trampp
	402k	Starboard side view and overhead plan of *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** Plan by A.D. Baker III. Images from "U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History" by Norman Friedman	Robert Hurst
	77k	USSPrinceton (LPH-5) underway off Taiwan in February 1960 during a SEATO exercise. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, July 1960.	Photo - Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret. Caption - Neil D. Tagle, USMC V-3 Div
10110540	218k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** underway in San Diego harbor, date unknown. ©George Barber	Nicholas Tiberio
10110541	169k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** underway, date and location unknown.	Nicholas Tiberio
	173k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** underway, date and location unknown US Navy photo
10110553	100k	U.S. Marine Corps Sikorsky HUS-1 Seahorse (or Huss) Helicopters of Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron Light 362 (HMR(L)-362) "Ugly Angels" on the flight deck of *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)*, circa 1960. U.S. Navy photo from the USS Princeton (LPH-5) 1960 cruise book.*	Robert Hurst
	126k	US Marine Corps HUS-1 helicopters are towed to their launching positions on the flight deck of *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)*, 20 March 1960. Note groups of Marines moving aft to board their helicopters. US Navy photo # NH 97315* from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.	US Naval History and Heritage Command
10110547	43k	A U.S. Marine Corps Cessna OE-1 Bird Dog takes off from *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)*, in 1960. U.S. Navy photo from the USS Princeton (LPH-5) 1960 cruise book.*	Robert Hurst
	138k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** entering Pearl Harbor, HI. in 1960. US Navy photo.	Yu Chu
10110548	156k	On the flight deck of *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** a patient on a stretcher taken from a U.S Marine Corps Sikorsky HUS-1 Seahorse helicopter belonging to Headquarters Squadron Marine Air Group 16 (HEDRON-16). U.S. Navy photo from the USS Princeton (LPH-5) 1960 cruise book.	Robert Hurst
10110556	148k	U.S. Marines boarding Sikorsky HUS-1 Seahorse helicopters of Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron 362 (HMR-362) aboard on the flight deck of *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)*, in 1960. U.S. Navy photo from the USS Princeton (LPH-5) 1960 cruise book.*	Robert Hurst
10110557	425k		Robert Hurst
10110545	137k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** underway, January 1961, location unknown. USMC Photo from the Warren Smith Collection (COLL/5713) at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. This image was originally posted to Flickr by Archives Branch, USMC History Division at https://flickr.com/photos/60868061@N04/48375244202	Robert Hurst
10110560	145k	Sikorsky HUS-1 Seahorse helicopters of Medium Helicopter Transport Squadron 363 [HMR(L)363] aboard *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** in August 1961. USMC Photo from the Warren Smith Collection (COLL/5713) at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. This image was originally posted to Flickr by Archives Branch, USMC History Division at https://flickr.com/photos/60868061@N04/48375241782	Robert Hurst
10110552	183k	Flight deck operations as three U.S.Marine Corps Sikorsky HUS-1 Seahorse helicopters come aboard *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** in 1961. Photo from the Warren Smith Collection (COLL/5713) at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. This image was originally posted to Flickr by Archives Branch, USMC History Division at https://flickr.com/photos/60868061@N04/48375244227.	Robert Hurst
	138k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** after her 1961 "FRAM" modernization, with UH-34 helicopters on her flight deck. US Navy photo # NH 73454 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.	US Naval History and Heritage Command
10110549	113k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** at anchor in Hong Kong Harbor, with Marine Corps Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse helicopters on the flight deck, 1 December 1961. Photo courtesy Steve McCluskey, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license	Robert Hurst
10110546	194k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** steams toward Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 1962. USMC Photo from the Warren Smith Collection (COLL/5713) at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. This image was originally posted to Flickr by Archives Branch, USMC History Division at https://flickr.com/photos/60868061@N04/48407475471/font>	Robert Hurst
	124k	Port bow view of *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** underway in September 1962. US Navy and Marine Corps Museum/Naval Aviation Museum, Photo # 1996.488.060.023	Mike Green
	94k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** with a helicopter formation overhead, 15 September 1962. US National Archives photo # USN 1062475 a US Navy photo from the collections of the US National Archives	Ron Reeves
	216k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** probably entering the harbor at Long Beach, CA. while returning from a WESTPAC deployment in May 1962. US Navy photo	Caption - Neil D. Tagle, USMC V-3 Div. Photo - Richard Miller BMCS USNR (Ret)
10110551	247k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** undeway in 1963 location unknown. U.S. Navy photo from the USS Princeton (LPH-5) 1963 cruise book	Robert Hurst
10110561	56k	A Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse helicopter (known as "Huss") of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 163 (HMM-163) "Evil Eyes" on the flight deck of *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** in 1963. U.S. Navy photo from the USS Princeton (LPH-5) 1963 cruise book	Robert Hurst
	1540k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** moored to a buoy in the harbor at Hong Kong BCC in 1964.	Allen Smith USS Princeton
	50k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** moored to a buoy in the harbor at Hong Kong BCC, circa 1960s.	Ron Reeves
10110535	264k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** moored pierside at NAS North Island, San Diego, CA., in mid 1960s. A Navy C2 Greyhound is being, loaded aboard, or unloaded from the ship. Top photo from the collection of Ray D Bean Bottom photo thanks to Bob Canchola	Yu Chu Bob Canchola
10110539	365k		Yu Chu Bob Canchola
10110537	41k	Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse helicopters of Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron (HMM-163) on the flight deck of *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** off the coast of Vietnam in 1963. USS Princeton Cruise Book 1963	Yu Chu
10110538	41k	A Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse helicopter belonging to Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron (HMM-163) on the flight deck of *USS Princeton* (LPH-5) as the ship enters Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1963. The submarine in the background is most probably USS Bonefish (SS-582)*. USS Princeton Cruise Book 1963*	Yu Chu
	106k	General William Westmoreland, Commander Military Advisory Group, Vietnam, walks up the USS Princeton flight deck with her Commanding Officer, Captain Paul J. Knapp, in late 1964, on the occasion of her delivery of flood relief supplies to northern South Vietnam US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # 93799	Fabio Peña
	222k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)*'s crew man the rails as the ship enters/leaves port circa 1965. US Navy and Marine Corps Museum/Naval Aviation Museum, Photo # 1996.488.060.030*.	Mike Green
	94k	U.S. Navy 7th Fleet Amphibious Ready Group underway in March 1965. The ships are (l-r): *USS Bexar* (APA-237), USS Princeton (LPH-5), USS Thomaston (LSD-28), and USS O'Bannon (DD-450)*. Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse helicopters of Medium Helicopter Transport Squadron* (HMM-365) fly above the ships while *Princeton´s crew spells out the groups' designations "TG 76.5/79.5" on the flight deck. US Navy photo from "US Marines in Vietnam: The Landing and the Buildup 1965 Part 6, p. 195."*	Robert Hurst
10110536	53k	A US Marine Corps UH-34D Sikorsky Seahorse helicopter, BuNo 147163, belonging to the "Ridge Runners" of Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron (HMM-163), lifts off from the deck of *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** circa 26 August 1965, off the coast of Vietnam.	G. Verver
10110555	131k	Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorses of Marine Medium Helicopter Transport Squadron 362 (HMM-362) on the flight deck of *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** before Operation Jackstay, on 25 March 1966. U.S Navy Photo JO1 Ernest Filtz.	Robert Hurst
10110554	134k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** crewmen rush stretchers toward a Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse of Marine Medium Helicopter Transport Squadron 362 (HMM-362) bringing wounded U.S. Marines from "Operation Jackstay" in the Rung Sat Zone, Republic of Vietnam, 25 March 1966. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # K-31431 by JO1 Ernest Filtz	Robert Hurst
10110558	200k	The flight deck of *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** is the scene of a Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse helicopter of Marine Medium Helicopter Transport Squadron 362 (HMM-362) taking off to land Marines in the Vietcong- saturated Rung Sat Zone in South Vietnam, 26 March 1966. The landing is part of Operation Jackstay. U.S Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # K-31417 by JO1 Class Ernest Filtz.	Robert Hurst
	100k	US Marine Corps Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse helicopters lift off from *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** to land "Leathernecks" in the Republic of Vietnam during Operation "Jackstay", 26 March 1966. UH-34D in the foreground is Bureau # 148075. US Navy photo # K-31422 (Color) by JO1 E.J. Filtz USN, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command.	Robert Hurst
	34k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** anchored at Subic Bay, P.I., 2 April 1966	© Richard Leonhardt
	49k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5), and USS Massey (DD-778)** anchored at Subic Bay, P.I., 17 May 1966.	© Richard Leonhardt
	76k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** moored at Naval Station Subic, Bay, P.I., in 1966.	Photo by Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	188k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** at anchor off Naval Station Subic, Bay, P.I., in 1967.	Yu Chu
10110544	135k	*3rd Battalion, 4th Marines* embarked in *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)*, leaving Okinawa, for Donh Ha, South Vietnam, May 1967. Photo from John A. DeChant Collection (COLL/1781) at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division USMC Photograph Archives Branch, USMC History Division* licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Originally posted to Flickr by Archives Branch, USMC History Division at https://flickr.com/photos/60868061@N04/28106026125	Robert Hurst
	27k	Aerial view of *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** underway, date and location unknown.	Yu Chu
	92k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5) refueling from USS Chipola (AO-63)** during operations in the Pacific, 25 June 1968. Photographed by PH3 Carty. US Navy photo #USN 1142529 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command	US Naval History and Heritage Command
10110559	100k	A *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** crewmember directs a Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse helicopter of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 362 [HMM-362] to a landing on the ship’s flight deck using hand and arm signals with a few body contortions thrown in for good measure. *HMM-362* was assigned to the Special Landing Force patrolling off the coast of the Vietnamese coast, 6 July 1968. Jonathan Abel Collection (COLL/3611) at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division USMC Photograph Archives Branch, USMC History Division licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Originally posted to Flickr by Archives Branch, USMC History Division at https://flickr.com/photos/60868061@N04/23398961546	Robert Hurst
	172k	The ships of Task Group 76.4, the Amphibious Ready Group, underway in the Pacific, 31 July 1968, led by *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)*. US Navy and Marine Corps Museum/Naval Aviation Museum, Photo # 1996.488.060.026*.	Mike Green
10110543	191k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** underway off the coast of Vietnam, July 1968.	Photo by Walter Loetll
	142k	Aerial view of *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** with a SH-3 Sea King helicopter coming aboard, 1 January 1969. Photo source ©G.Verver, Flickr.	Yu Chu
	19k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** was designated in 1969 as the prime recovery ship for Apollo 10, the lunar mission which paved the way for Apollo 11 and the first landing on the moon.	Yu Chu
	56k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** heading for Apollo 10, 26 May 1969. US Navy photo.
	118k	Starboard broadside view of *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** at sea during the operation to recover the Apollo 10 spacecraft in May, 1969. Visible on the flight deck are SH-34 Seabat and SH-3 Sea King helicopters. US Navy and Marine Corps Museum/Naval Aviation Museum, Photo # 2001.205.029	Mike Green
	186k	Overhead view of the *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** during recovery of the Apollo 10 space capsule in May, 1969. The capsule is visible next to the ship. US Navy and Marine Corps Museum/Naval Aviation Museum, Photo # 1996.488.060.028	Mike Green
	360k	A member of the Apollo 10 crew is hoisted into a helicopter from the prime recovery ship, *USS Princeton* (LPH-5), during recovery operations in the South Pacific. Astronauts Thomas P. Stafford, commander; John W. Young, command module pilot; and Eugene A. Cernan, lunar module pilot, were picked up and flown to the deck of the Princeton** where a red-carpet welcome awaited them. The spacecraft was later retrieved from the water and put aboard the recovery ship. The Apollo 10 splashdown occurred at 11:53 a.m. (CDT), May 26, 1969, about 400 miles east of American Samoa, and about four miles from the recovery ship, to conclude a successful eight-day lunar orbit mission. U.S. Navy underwater demolition team swimmers assisted in the recovery operations. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ID: S69-20621	Yu Chu
	186k	Broadside view of *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** at anchor in San Diego Bay, circa 1969. US Navy and Marine Corps Museum/Naval Aviation Museum, Photo # 1996.488.060.029.	Mike Green
	119k	Ex-*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** at Tacoma, WA., for scrapping in April 1972. She was partly scrapped at Tacoma, and finished at Portland, OR. Naval History and Heritage Command, Photo No. NH 89319	Mike Green

USS Princeton (CV-37 / CVA-37 / CVS-37 / LPH-5)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Upham II, Frank Kidder, USN (USNA 1934)	May 1959 - 31 May 1960
02	CAPT. Brower, Charles Merton (Charlie), USN	31 May 1960 - 31 May 1961
03	CAPT. Davie, Theodore Henry, USN	31 May 1961 - 1961
04	CAPT. Bigelow, Lavell Meldrum, USN	1961 - 10 February 1962
05	CAPT. Cooper, Parker Cleeve, USN	10 February 1962 - 31 May 1962
06	CAPT. Smith, Robert Hayes, USN (USNA 1939)	31 May 1962 - 10 July 1963
07	CAPT. Boyum, John Hoag, USN, USNA 1940)	10 July 1963 - 9 May 1964
08	CAPT. Knapp, Paul Joseph (Snapper), USN	9 May 1964 -19 June 1965
09	CAPT. Gallagher Jr., Thomas James, USN	19 June 1965 - 16 June 1966
10	CAPT. Shepard Jr., Tazewell Taylor, USN (USNA 1942) :RADM	16 June 1966 - 1966
11	CAPT. Cochrane, Richard Lull, USN (USNA 1940)	1966 - 29 May 1967
12	CAPT. O'Brien, Frank Hammond, USN (USNA 1942)	29 May 1967 - 6 August 1968
13	CAPT. Cruse, Carl Mann, USN	6 August 1968 - 27 August 1969
14	CAPT. Stephens Jr., Franklin Taylor, USN	27 August 1969 - 30 January 1970


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
Sea Stores
The Gun Boss and the 'Sea Bat'
Far East Cruise 1962 - 1963 "Painting the Sides"

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 16 August 2024

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Princeton (LPH-5)ex USS Princeton (CVS-37) (1953 - 1959) USS Princeton (CVA-37) (1952 - 1953) USS Princeton (CV-37) (1945 - 1952)

USS Princeton (LPH-5)
ex
USS Princeton (CVS-37) (1953 - 1959)
USS Princeton (CVA-37) (1952 - 1953)
USS Princeton (CV-37) (1945 - 1952)