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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive
Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Catskill (MCS-1)
ex
 USS Catskill (LSV-1) (1944 - 1956)

MCS-1 - International Radio Call Sign:
November - Whiskey - Echo - India
 NWEI
LSV-1 - International Radio Call Sign:
November - Alpha - Oscar - November
 NAON
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3)
Second Row - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal - Vietnam Service Medal (5)
Third Row - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2) - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Catskill Class Mine Layer
  • Laid down, 12 July 1941, as Catskill AP-106 under Maritime Commission Contract (MC hull 106) at Willamette Iron and Steel Corp., Portland, OR.
  • Reclassified Mine Layer CM-6, 1 May 1943
  • Launched, 19 May 1942
  • Reclassified Landing Ship Vehicle LSV-1, 21 April 1944
  • Commissioned USS Catskill (LSV-1), 30 June 1944, CAPT. Raymond W. Chambers, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS Catskill was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Leyte operation
    Leyte landings, 20 October 1944, and 14 November 1944     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 5 April 1945
    Luzon operation
    Lingayen Gulf landings, 9 January 1945     		 

  • Decommissioned, 30 August 1946, at San Diego, CA.
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group
  • Reclassified Mine Countermeasures Support Ship MCS-1, 18 October 1956
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 July 1961
  • Reinstated on the Naval Register, 1 June 1964
  • Converted to Mine Countermeasures Support Ship [MCS] in FY 1964, at Boland Machine Mfg., Co., New Orleans, LA., from 25 June 1964 to 8 September 1967
  • Recommissioned, , 6 October 1967, at Long Beach, CA., CDR Earle L. West USN in command
  • USS Catskill was forward deployed and was homeported at NavFac Sasebo, Japan
  • During the Vietnam War USS Catskill participated in the following campaigns:

    Vietnam War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Tet 69/Counteroffensive
    5 to 11 May 1969     		Sanctuary Counteroffensive
    28 to 30 June 1970
    Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969
    9 to 18 June 1969     		Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VII
    1 July 1970
    Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970
    14 March to 12 April 1970     		 

  • Decommissioned, 1 December 1970, at Naval Shipyard, Long Beach, CA. and struck from the Naval Register the same day
  • USS Catskill (LSV-1) earned three battle stars for World War II service and USS Catskill (MCS-1) earned five campaign stars for Vietnam War service
  • Entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay CA., 7 January 1971, for disposal
  • Sold, 19 May 1972, to Levin Metals, Beverly Hills, CA (PD-X-934) for $203,586.00, bid withdrawn, 12 June 1972
  • Final Disposition, sold, 19 November 1973, to Tia Kein Industry Ltd., (PD-X-965) for $934,400.00, Removed, 21 December 1973, Scrapping completed in 1974
    Specifications
    Displacement 5,875 t.(lt), 9,040 t.(fl)
    Length 455' 5"
    Beam 60' 2"
    Draft 20'
    Speed 20 kts.
    Armament
    LSV Configuration
    four single 5"/38 Dual Purpose gun mounts
    four twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    twenty single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Complement 400+
    LSV Troop Accommodations 868
    Boats
    LSV Configuration - thirty-one DUKWS plus LCVPs
    MCS Configuration - twenty 36' MSLs
    Aircraft two helicopters
    Propulsion
    four Combustion Engineering 2-drum boilers
    two General Electric geared turbines
    two propellers, 11,000 shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Source
    USS Catskill (LSV-1)
    Catskill
    10170123    		 296k
    Namesake
    b>Catskill - The Catskill Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas close to or within the borders of the Catskill Park, a 700,000-acre (2,800 km2) forest preserve forever protected from many forms of development under New York state law. ( Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0;)
    Photo - Central Catskills from Twin south summit, photo by Daniel Case, 2006-08-12 Licensing -Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
    Map - Railroads in the Catskills. Despite what the map says, nearly the entirety of this map is of the Catskills. East of the Hudson River are The Berkshires and the Taconic Mountains, and to the far north (central and northern Albany County, and far-northern Schoharie County) are the Appalachians.    		 Tommy Trampp
    Catskill 160k Catskill (AP-106) under construction on 7 February 1944, at the Willamette Iron & Steel Corp., Portland, OR. The ship is being completed as a transport with facilities to carry vehicles on her former mine deck, and the mine ports in the stern have been plated over. Work has not yet begun to implement a mid-1943 decision to add a stern gate and ramp for launching amphibious vehicles.
    US Navy photo # 19-N-61180 a Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US Navy History and Heritage Command, courtesy Shipscribe.com.    		 Robert Hurst
    Catskill
    10170106    		 223k Bow view of USS Catskill (LSV-1) underway near her builders yard, Willamette Iron & Steel, Corp., Portland, OR., 8 July 1944.
    US Navy photo    		 Robert Hurst and Rick Davis
    Catskill
    10170119    		 237k Stern view of USS Catskill (LSV-1) underway near her builders yard, Willamette Iron & Steel, Corp., Portland, OR., 8 July 1944.
    US Navy photo    		 Rick Davis
    Catskill 114k USS Catskill (LSV-1) under way near her builders yard, Willamette Iron & Steel, Corp., Portland, OR., 10 July 1944.
    US National Archives photo # 19-N-69095, RG-19 LCM. a Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives, courtesy Shipscribe.com.    		 Robert Hurst
    Catskill 103k USS Catskill (LSV-1) under way near her builders yard, Willamette Iron & Steel, Corp., Portland, OR., 12 July 1944.
    US National Archives photo # 19-N-69092, RG-19 LCM. a Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives, courtesy Shipscribe.com.    		 Robert Hurst
    Catskill
    10170110    		 209k USS Catskill (LSV-1) broadside view while underway near her builders yard, Willamette Iron & Steel, Corp., Portland, OR., 12 July 1944.
    US National Archives photo # 19-N-69091, RG-19 LCM. a Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives, courtesy Shipscribe.com.    		 Robert Hurst and Rick Davis
    Catskill
    10170112    		 434k USS Catskill (LSV-1) broadside and stern views while underway near her builders yard, Willamette Iron & Steel, Corp., Portland, OR., 12 July 1944. Her main asset was the ramp, visible in both photos, leading from her former mine deck to the water, down which amphibians could be launched.
    US Navy photos. Text from "U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History" by Norman Friedman.    		 Robert Hurst and Rick Davis
    Catskill
    10170121    		 424k
    Catskill
    10170120    		 426k
    Catskill
    10170113    		 337k
    Catskill
    10170122    		 316k
    Catskill 41k USS Catskill (LSV-1) under way in San Diego Bay during a shakedown cruise in August 1944. Her camouflage is Measure 31 Design 15L. Eldon Brodie, GM1 USS Catskill June 1944 - August 1946
    Catskill 38k USS Catskill (LSV-1) under way, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo    		 Hyperwar US Navy in World War II
    Teton 88k USS Catskill (LSV-1) is partially visible to the far right of this photo of USS Teton AGC-14) in Subic Bay, Philippine Islands, 27 July 1945. Taken from on board an LCM landing craft by PH1 R. Schuddekopf, assigned to Commander, Amphibious Group Twelve.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-K-6446 (Color), a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Catskill
    092213334    		 247k USS Catskill (LSV-1) at anchor, date and location unknown. Jacob C. Hortman
    Catskill 109k USS Catskill (LSV-1) moored stern to, date and location unknown. J. Dougherty for his father Thomas Dougherty MM2 (Diver) USS Catskill WWII
    USS Catskill (MCS-1)
    Catskill 135k USS Catskill (MCS-1) under way 1968 location unknown. Note davits for holding Minesweeping Launches (MSL)and ships' boats.
    US Navy photo.    		 Robert Hurst
    Catskill 177k USS Catskill (MCS-1) under way 1969 location unknown.
    US Navy photo.    		 Robert Hurst
    Catskill 71k USS Catskill (MCS 1) moored to a buoy at Hong Kong, BCC, 1969. Photo by Larry Lee
    Catskill 120k USS Catskill (MCS-1) photographed from an aircraft from USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63) while underway in the Gulf of Tonkin, 29 June 1969. The minesweeping launches in the davits include MSL-22, 23, 27, 28 and 29.
    US National Archives photo # 19-N-69091, RG-19 LCM. a Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives, courtesy Shipscribe.com.    		 Robert Hurst
    Catskill 126k Unknown artist drawing of USS Catskill (MCS-1) while underway. CWO4 Bill Walsh USN Ret.
    Catskill 289k USS Catskill (MCS-1) under way, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo.    		  
    Catskill 180k USS Catskill (MCS-1) recommissioning commemorative coins.
    (The crew apparently moved aboard in August which explains the date on the coins vice the actual recommissioning date of 6 October 1967.)    		 Tommy Trampp
    USS Catskill (LSV-1/ MCS-1)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01CAPT. Chambers, Raymond Watson, USNR30 June 1944 - 14 August 1945
    02CAPT. Patterson, Richard Overton, USNR :RADM14 August 1945 - 30 August 1946
     Decommissioned30 August 1946 - 2 October 1967
    03CAPT. West, Earle Leroy, USN6 October 1957 - 18 October 1958
    04CAPT. Brady Jr., Joseph Benedict, USNR18 October 1968 - 27 June 1970
    05CAPT. Baty, Edward McCoy, USN27 June 1970 - 1 December 1970
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    USS Catskill MCS1 Deck Log Navy Lost Ship Mates 1969-70
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    Association of Minemen
    Minewarfare Association
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    Last Updated 16 August 2024