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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Patches contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Catamount (LSD-17)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Juliet - November - Bravo
NJNB

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Unit Commendation
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korean Service Medal (7)
Fourth Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Vietnam, Taiwan Straits)- Vietnam Service Medal (7) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (15)
Fifth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Casa Grande Class Dock Landing Ship:

Laid down, date unknown, at Newport New Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, VA.

Launched, 22 December 1944

Commissioned USS Catamount (LSD-17), 15 March 1945, CAPT. Charles A. Swafford, USN in command

During the Korean War USS Catamount participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Korean War Campaigns
North Korean Aggression 20 September to 2 November 1950	Second Korean Winter 7 to 18 and 28 to 30 December 1951 11, 13 to 14, and 20 January 1952 23 January to 11 February 1952 20 March to 2 April 1952
Communist China Aggression 3 November 1950 to 23 January 1951	Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 5 June 1952 24 to 25 November 1952 28 December 1952 to 11 January 1953
First UN Counter Offensive 1 February to 21 April 1951	Third Korean Winter 15 to 31 January 1953
Communist China Spring Offensive 22 to 23 and 25 to 27 April 1951 1 to 5 May 1951

During the Vietnam War USS Catamount participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Advisory Campaign 29 to 30 July 1958 27 to 28 August 1958 24 to 26 April 1961 30 October to 7 November 1962	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III 1 to 4 June 1967 29 June to 5 July 1967 18 to 22 July 1967 18 to 26 August 1967 5 to 15 October 1967 26 October to 1 November 1967
Vietnam Defense 3 to 5 and 18 to 24 December 1965	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV 29 November to 1 December 1968
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 25 to 28 December 1965 26 January to 19 February 1966 18 to 22 March 1966 2 April to 5 May 1966	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI 1 to 6 and 8 to 27 January 1969 13 to 20 February 1969
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 29 April to 10 May 1967 22 to 25 and 31 May 1967	Tet 69/Counteroffensive 25 February to 2 March 1969 6 to 9 March 1969 3 to 6 and 19 to 25 April 1969 29 April to 3 May 1969 5 to 8 May 1969

Decommissioned, 7 April 1970, at Bremerton, WA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 15 October 1976

USS Catamount earned seven battle stars for Korean War service, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and Vietnam Service Medal with seven campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 4 December 1975 by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for $178,148.15 to Max Rouse & Sons, Beverly Hills, CA.

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	Source
	109k	Ship's sponsor Mrs. David Satterfield christening *Catamount* LSD-17, 22 December 1944, at Newport New Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, VA. Photo from the shipyard in house publication "Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. Bulletin".	S. Dale Hargrave
	121k	*USS Catamount* (LSD-17)** under way either during builders trials or soon after commissioning.	Ron Atwood
	174k	*USS Catamount* (LSD-17)** commissioning ceremony, 15 March 1945, at Newport New Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, VA.	Ron Atwood for his father LTjg. Wayne R. Atwood SC USNR USS Catamount
	111k
	217k
	73k
	29k	*USS Catamount* (LSD-17)** at anchor, date and location unknown.	Janine Hilton
	53k	*LCT(6)- 687* entering the well deck of *USS Catamount* (LSD-17)** date and location unknown.	Janine Hilton
	49k		Janine Hilton
	59k	*LCT(6)- 588* in the well deck of *USS Catamount* (LSD-17)** date and location unknown.	Janine Hilton
	36k	*USS Catamount* (LSD-17)** at anchor, circa 1948, location unknown.	Robert Hurst
	89k	*USS Catamount* (LSD-17)**'s well deck makes a unique swimming hole for NROTC midshipmen being trained in techniques of amphibious warfare. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, September 1949.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
10121727	113k	*USS Catamount* (LSD-17) at anhcor in San Diego Bay, CA., Catamount*'s well deck was used for testing the Convair XF2Y Sea Dart seaplane fighter aircraft between 1952 and 1957. Photo from www.flickr.com by SDASM Archives [ San Diego Air & Space Museum ]*	John Spivey
	84k	From left to right; unknown LSD, *USS USS Colonial* (LSD-18), USS Gunston Hall (LSD-5) and USS Catamount (LSD-17)** rendezvous at a Japanese port, date unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine November 1954.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
	65k	*USS Catamount* (LSD-17)** under way, date and location unknown. US Navy photo.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
NS0311648b	241k	A view of USN ships supporting the Operation Redwing, Test Cherokee, Hydrogen Bomb Test at Bikini Atoll in May 1956. *USS Badoeng Strait* (CVE-116) and USS Catamount (LSD-17**), two unidentifiable auxiliaries and an unidentifiable destroyer escort anchored before the first air-dropped hydrogen bomb test. LIFE magazine, J.R. Eyerman photographer, shared by Peter DeForest.
	65k	*USS Catamount* (LSD-17)** under way in San Francisco Bay, 1958. Photo by Allied Photographers.	Robert M. Cieri
	77k	*USS Catamount* (LSD-17)** under way, circa 1962, location unknown.	Photo by George Arthur USS Dynamic (MSO-432), submitted by Floyd Farrar
	107k	*USS Catamount* (LSD-17)** under way, circa 1962, location unknown.	Photo by George Arthur USS Dynamic (MSO-432), submitted by Floyd Farrar
10121726	71k	*USS Catamount* (LSD-17)** at anchor in Subic Bay, Philippines, July 1967. Photo courtesy Eric Bollin, USN	Robert Hurst
	53k	*USS Catamount* (LSD-17)** underway, circa 1968, location unknown. US Navy photo.	Robert Hurst
	80k	*USS Catamount* (LSD-17)** passing Point Loma while out bound to sea from San Diego, date unknown. US Navy photo.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	214k	*USS Catamount* (LSD-17)** emblem, designed by LT. Forney N. Richardson, was adopted in February 1968. It features the head of a Catamount (also known as a mountain lion, or Puma) as its central device. US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH 69470-KN	US Naval History and Heritage Command
	184k	A LCVP bucks in the well of *USS Catamount* (LSD-17), during mine clearance operations off Chinnampo, circa November 1950. USS Forrest Royal (DD-872)*, flagship for this operation, is in the left background. US National Archives Photo # 80-G-422837* a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives	US Naval History and Heritage Command
	184k	*USS Catamount* (LSD-17)** surrounded by small craft as she offloads amphibious forces and supplies in South Vietnam. Photo was received by the Naval Photographic Center in March 1967. US Naval Photographic Center Photo # K-36241 a US Navy photo by JOC J. F. Falk now in the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command	US Naval History and Heritage Command
	148k	A monitor flame boat leaving the well deck of *USS Catamount* (LSD-17)** during tests conducted off the coast of San Diego, California, 6 August 1968. US National Archives Photo # K-55228 a US Navy photo by CWO Sheehan USN now in the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command	US Naval History and Heritage Command
	216k	Two monitor flame boats enter the well deck of USS Catamount in the harbor at San Diego California after undergoing tests, 6 August 1968. US National Archives Photo # K-55270 a US Navy photo by CWO Sheehan USN now in the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command	US Naval History and Heritage Command

USS Catamount (LSD-17)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Swafford, Chester Arthur, USN	9 April 1945 - 9 September 1946
02	CDR. Fortune Jr., James Hunter, USN (USNA 1933)	9 September 1946 - 13 June 1948
03	LCDR. Lienhard, Bernard Aloysus, USN	13 June 1948 - 27 January 1950
04	CDR. Loveland, Kenneth, USN (USNA 1933) :RADM	27 January 1950 - 1952
05	CDR. Thompson Jr., Ray Selwyn, USN (USNA 1936)	1952 - 1954
06	CDR. Payne, Raymond, USN (USNA 1936)	1954 - 1955
07	CDR. Judson, Jr., Charles Sterling, USN	1955 - 1956
08	CDR. Grabowsky, Leon, USN (USNA 1941)	1957 - ?
09	CDR. Smith, Clayton Waite, USN (USNA 1943)	1960 - 13 October 1962
10	CDR. Slawson, Harry Filmore, USN	13 October 1962 - 6 July 1963
11	CDR. Graves Jr., Luther James, USN (USNA 1946)	6 July 1963 - 5 August 1964
12	CDR. Shaw, Burton Arthur, USNR	5 August 1964 - 6 September 1966
13	CDR. Kramer, George, USN	6 September 1966 - 12 August 1967
14	CDR. Groff Sr., Bruce Franklin, USN	12 August 1967 - February 1969
15	CDR. Mills, Joel Robert, USN	February 1969 - 7 April 1970


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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

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Last Updated 24 May 2024