Pensacola (LSD 38) - Naval Cruise Book

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Aboard uss PENsAcoLA QLSD-587 we Cam' 011 H Dffiud tradition, a heritage that has continued for over 125 years. Four ships bearing that name have left their oum special mark in U.S. Naval History 1861 On September 16, 1861, the lirst PENSACOLA was commis- sioned and commanded by Capt. Henry W. Morris. She joined Admi- ral Farragut's West Coast Blockade in 1862 and engaged in the Bat- tle of New Orleans. For the next two years she patrolled the lower Mississippi. During her service she was homeported in the Atlantic and Pacific, and before being decommissioned in 1911, she had sailed around the world. ln May 1912, she was bumed and sunk by the Navy in San Francisco Bay. 1950 2 ooo 1917 The second PENSACOLA was seized from the Gennans in Southport, N.C., on May 8, 1917. During her eight years of service she steamed predominantly in the Mediterranean Sea. After decom- missioning, she was sold to a private shipping firm. The third PENSACOLA was commissioned on February 6, 1950, with Capt. Alfred Cr. Howe in command. On Febmary 20, 1942, near Bougainville, Solomons, PENSACOLA gunners helped repel two waves of Japanese bombers: not a ship was damaged. As part of a cruiser-destroyer task force, she was sent to intercept a Japanese destroyer-transport task force, and the two forces met in the Battle of Tassafaranga. As she was maneuvering to avoid collision with two damaged ships, she took a torpedo below the mainmast. Only supreme effort and skillful damage control helped save the ship. Among the dead were seven officers and 118 men. This and other exploits helped her eam 15 battle stars for World War Il service.

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pendacofa flsib-381 arg 2-88 I2 .Aug 88 - 2 jeg 89, ruide goals CO-EDITORS: YN5 L. H. LIVINGSTON AND IVIIVI2 J. W. IVICIVIAHAN PHOTOGRAPHERS: MIVI5 P. J. FARRAR AND SN J. R. ADAMS ARTISTS: LCPL J. W. ROVNAK AND LCPL R. L. MILLER IV LAYOUTfDESIGN: IVIIVI2 J. W. IVICIVIAHAN, FN J. G. HANSON, AND IVIIVIFN S. W. SINCLAIR WRITERS: YN5 L. H. LIVINGSTON AND IVIM2 J. W. IVICIVIAHAN CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: CPL R. A. LAZANO AND CPL L. L. WALTER X 'W W V, A . hun WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK LT. J. R. I'OATOR BLOUNT FOR I-IIS SUPPORT AND PER- SEVERANCE. HIS CONTRIBU- TION TO THE CRUISE BOOK STAFF AS CONSULTING EDI- TOR, IIELPED TO COORDI- NATE THIS PROJECT AND NAVIGATE IT THROUGH THE MANY DIFFICULTIES THAT WERE ENCOUNTERED ALONG THE WAY. 1

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PRESENT USS PENSACOLA CLSD-581 was built in Quincy, Massachusetts, by the Quincy Shipbuilding Division of General Dynamics. l'ler keel was laid on March 12, 1969, she was launched on July 12, 1970, and com- missioned at Boston Naval Shipyard on March 27, 1971. Her primary mission is to operate as a part of an amphibious assault force. She can transport combat troops and their vehicles as well as pre-loaded heavy landing craft to assault areas, rapidly discharging the men and equipment without physically going to the beachhead. A unique feature of the ship is the well- deck, similar to a drydock, which can be flooded to accommodate small craft within the hull of the ship. This pennits her to transport and perfomi drydocking and repair services for boats as large as LCU's. PEN- SACOLA is designed to carry LCU's, LCM8's, LCM6's, or landing track vehicles. An addition made to PENSA- COLA's capabilities during overhaul enables PENSA- COLA to operate up to three Landing Craft Air Cush- ion KLCACJ vehicles. At the stem, PENSACOLA has a landing platform on which helicopters can load and unload men and equipment. The flight deck is certified for all Navy and Marine Corps helicopters up to and including the CH-55, the Marines' largest. I-ler armament consists of two 5150 caliber rapid-fire twin gunmounts, four batteries of Su- per RBOC Chaff Launchers, two MK-15 Close In Weap- ons Systems Mounts, eight .50 caliber machineguns, and when in a deployed status, two Stinger missile Launchers. PENSACOLA can accommodate over 600 ship's company and troop personnel. Some of her more memorable achievements are: PENSACOLA acted as a host ship for the retumed Vietnam prisoners of war and their families in March of '75, On July 7, 1977 the USS PENSACOLA made history while off the coast of Capo Teulado when she conducted an underway LVT ship-to-shore landing, thus making the first successful silent night landing ever executed. In 1985, PENSACOLA was part of the U.S. contingent to the Multi-National Peacekeeping Force, Beirut, Lebanon. PENSACOLA was selected to conduct the first actual shipboard testing of the Navy's new amphibious small craft, KLCACJ in 1985, and was chosen in 1988 to be the first ship to partici- pate in a major exercise with LCACs in the Atlantic Ocean. During her 17 year history she has served in the North Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea, Caribbean Sea, and the Pacific Ocean. 5