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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Casa Grande (LSD-13)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Juliet - November - Hotel
NJNH

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3)
Second Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia/Europe clasp) - National Defense Service Medal
Third Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Cuba, Dominican Republic) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)

Casa Grande Class Dock Landing Ship:

Authorized under the Lend-Lease Act as British Mechanized Artillery Transport BAPM-5

Reclassified Landing Ship Dock LSD-13, 1 July 1942

Contract awarded for LSD-13 to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, VA., 10 September 1942

LSD-13 was laid down, 11 November 1943 as HMS Spear at Newport New Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News VA.

Launched, 11 April, 1944

Lend-Lease canceled or modified never commissioned in Royal Navy as HMS Portway (F-144)

Commissioned USS Casa Grande (LSD-13), 5 June 1944, LCDR. F. E. Strumm, USNR, in command

During World War II USS Casa Grande was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Leyte operation Leyte landings, 20, 31 October to 9 November and 13 to 21 November 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 April to 3 June 1945
Luzon operation Lingayen Gulf landing, 9 January 1945

Following World War II USS Casa Grande was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
21 to 28 October 1945	1 January to 16 February 1946
4 to 7 November 1945
21 to 27 December 1945
19 to 28 February 1946

Decommissioned, 23 October 1946, at Norfolk, VA.

Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Norfolk Group;

Recommissioned, 1 November 1950

USS Casa Grande was assigned to Occupation service in Europe for the following period, 4 May to 17 October 1953

Decommissioned, 6 October 1969

Struck form the Naval Register, 11 October 1976

USS Casa Grande earned three battle stars for World War II service

Final Disposition, sold, 6 April 1992, for $270,000 to Baxter Shipping Inc, Burbank, CA., fate unknown

Specifications: (as reported by Office of Naval Intelligence, 7 April 1944)
Displacement 4,032 (light draft), 7,930 (seagoing - loaded)
Length 457' 9" o.a.
Beam 72'2"

Draft

8' 2 ½" fwd, 10' ½" aft (light draft)

15' 5 ½" fwd, 16' 2" aft (seagoing loaded)

Speed 17 kts (design speed)

Endurance 8,000 miles @ 15 knots

Complement

Officers 17

Enlisted 237

Troop Accommodations

Officers 22

Enlisted 218

Well Deck Capacity (varies with mission)

three LCT (Mk V or VI) each w/ 5 medium tanks or

two LCT (Mk III or IV) each w/ 12 medium tanks or

fourteen LCM (Mk III) each w/ 1 medium tank or 1, 500 long tons cargo or

forty-seven DUKW or

forty-one LVT or

Any combination of landing vehicles and landing craft up to capacity

Aircraft (still in commission in late 40's or early 50's) were fitted/retro-fitted with a prefabricated steel grated "Portable Deck" suspended between the wing walls and supported by removable I-beam girders. The aft end of the portable deck contained a wooden helicopter platform, enabling the ship to land and launch 1 helicopter at a time. Stowage of helicopters was limited to capacity of the portable deck installed for the mission. Aircraft servicing was limited to re-fueling. With portable deck and aircraft platform installed, the Landing ship, dock was still capable of transporting, launching and repairing smaller amphibious craft and vehicles up to the size of a Landing craft, utility (LCU) in their well decks.

Armament

one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount in open tub (w/director)

two quad 40mm AA gun mounts (w/directors)

two twin 40mm AA gun mounts (w/directors)

sixteen single 20mm AA gun mounts (local control)

Fuel Capacities

NSFO 11,720 Bbls

Diesel 160 Bbls

Gasoline 5,085 Gals

Propulsion

two Newport News Shipbuilding steam turbines

two Babcock and Wilcox oil fired D-type boilers, two drum, single furnace, single uptake, 250psi

single Newport New Main Reduction Gears

two turbo-drive 300Kw 120V/240V D.C. Ship' Service Generators

twin propellers, 7,000shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
10121308	271k	*Namesake* Casa Grande ruins, 10 July 2006, photo by Greg Hume Casa Grande - Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Coolidge, Arizona, preserves a group of Ancestral Puebloans Hohokam structures of the Pueblo III and Pueblo IV Eras.(Wikipedia)	Tommy Trampp
	992k	Port bow view of *USS Casa Grande* (LSD-13) departing Hampton Roads, 30 April 1951. Note USS Missouri (BB-63) at Norfolk Naval Station beyond the bow of Casa Grande** Norfolk Navy Yard photo # NY6 7214.	David Buell
	344k	*USS Casa Grande* (LSD-13)** at anchor, probably at Leyte, October 1944. Photo by J.L. Brown.	William Brown for his father J.L. Brown EM3/c USS Rushmore
	141k	*USS Casa Grande* (LSD-13)** at anchor, date and location unknown.
10121309	176k	*USS Casa Grande* (LSD-13)** underway at sea, circa late 1950s. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 107625	US Naval History and Heritage Command
	203k	*USS Casa Grande* (LSD-13) discharging LCU-1491** from her well deck, date and location unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine September 1957 issue.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
10121312	54k	*USS Casa Grande* (LSD-13)** underway, date and location unknown. U.S. Navy photo from Cruise Book - Landformed 1-66 U.S. Marine Corps Med-Cruise March-August 1966	Ben Cole Bravo company 2nd Tank Battalion
10121311	225k	*USS Casa Grande* (LSD-13)** at anchor in the Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta, July 1967. Photo courtesy Brian Harrington Spier licensed under Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic	Robert Hurst
	48k	*USS Casa Grande* (LSD-13)** in the Antarctic ice, circa June-July 1969.	Submitted by Donald Wagner, courtesy Phil Burt, webmaster USS Casa Grande web site
	670k	*USS Casa Grande* (LSD-13) and USS Nipmuc (ATF-157)** moored at Thule, Greenland, circa June-July 1969	Marc Schenck, Photo by his father LTjg. Bernard Schenck USS Glacier
	81k	*USS Casa Grande* (LSD-13)** under way in San Diego Bay off Naval Station San Diego, date unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
10121310	555k	*USS Casa Grande* (LSD-13)** underway, date and location unknown.	Nicholas Tiberio
	95k	*USS Casa Grande* (LSD-13)** under way, date unknown and location.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.

For more photos and information about USS Casa Grande3, see;
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
USS Casa Grande (LSD-13) Reunion Association

Commanding Officers
01	LCDR, Strumm, Fred E.	5 June 1944 - 28 June 1946
02	LT, Kassell, Bernard Maxwell, USN	28 June 1946 - 23 October 1946
	Decommissioned	23 October 1946 - 1 November 1950
03	CDR, Nienstadt, Daniel Albert	1 November 1950 - 25 July 1952
04	CDR, Winkel, Robert Paul	25 July 1952 - 2 August 1954
05	CDR, Spears Jr., William Oscar	2 August 1954 - September 1955
06	CDR, Sullivan, John William	September .1955 - November 1956
07	CDR, Charles, Robert G.	November 1956 - June 1958
08	CDR, Strow, Albert Rowe	June 1958 - 1959
09	CDR, Meehan, John Burton	1959 - December 1960
10	CDR, Kunhardt, Robert Manton (Bob), USN (USNA 1943)	December 1960 - November 1962
11	LCDR, Dunning, Bruce Baker	November 1962 - 1 July 1964
12	CDR, Mashaw, Andrew Jackson, USN	1 July 1964 - August 1965
13	CDR, Austin Jr., William Harry	August 1965 - January 1967
14	CDR, Carr, Herbert William	January1967 - March 1968
15	CDR, Mueller, George Edward, USN (USNA 1951)	March 1968 - September 1969
16	CDR, Page Jr., Carroll Snow	September 1969 - 6 October 1969


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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

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Last Updated 5 May 2024