Duluth (LPD 6) - Naval Cruise Book

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'l HIPS SEAL 0R 1TER xS D- 5 QULUTH Lp The ship's insignia serves as a constant reminder of the ship's link with the past, as well as her role in the future. In color, the shield is red and blue, symbolizing the Navy-Marine Corps team concept required for amphibious operations. The diagonal band of five stars is a duplicate of the center of the great seal of the city of Duluth, Minnesota. The motto Fortiter In Re 'is a Latin expression which idiomatically translates as Bold in Action .

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Forward Now Station The Special Sea And Anchor Detail. . On the morning of November 12 these words were heard over the sbip's IMC System, marking the of a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific for the crew of USS DULUTH. All of us would miss our families -and friends during those six months, but we silently understood that there was a ,ob that had to be done. Westpac was filled with long working hours, a lot of hard work, some fascinating -overseas ports, and great liberty. Most importantly Westpac was filled with many challenges met successfully by the life-breath of DULUTH, her outstand- ing crew. a - . Westpac '81 - '82 included an extended period of operation in the Indian Ocean, which included participation in Exercise Valiant Usher 81-2 in Australiafand-. participation in the large scale joint-service Exercise 'Team Spirit '82 , held in the Republic of Korea. e The ship visited Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and five foreign ports, including Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines, Perth, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Pusan, Korea. Over 1500 crewmembers and embarked Marines took advantage of discounted tours of these ports which were set up by the ship's Chaplain, Lieutenant Commander Skip Blancett. There were also Community Relations projects set up as part of our Overseas Diplomacy Program. Crewmembers and Marines participated in work parties during two of our port visits, one to' a Homefor the Aged in Singapore, and ,one to an Orphanage in Pusan, Korea. In both places, badly needed repairs were performed, the ship's clown entertained residents, and donations were made by the ship. f There were many memorable events during the deployment, including the cele- bration of the ship's 16th birthday, an overseas Change of Command, and the successful completion of over 18,000 safe helicopter landings by the ship's Air Department. The cruise culminated with DULUTH winning five Departmental Excellence Awards, including the coveted Gold Amphibious Assault Award, which results from the awards being won for five consecutive years. Other awards won were the Engineering Red E ffor the second consecutive yearj, the Gunnery White E falso for the second year in a rowj, the Damage Control Red D.C. ,d and the Electronics Warfare White E , ' .-'J Throughout the deployment, DULUTH received many kudos for the crew's professional performance, the crew's coniluetashore, and the ship's overseas diplo- macy program. The hard-working and dedicated crew proved once again that there is no finer LPD in the entire amphibious Navy. A As V S as 800 Marines from Battalion Landing Team II3, based in Kaneole Bay, I-If aii, and their supplies and equipment were carried during the cruise, as well as men from Assault Craft Unit One, based in Coronado, California.

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SS DULUTH LPD - . Bold In Action r The DULUTH is an amphibious transport dock CLPDD, which is one of the most versatile classes of ships in the Navy. The LPD combines the functions of four different classes of ships, the dock landing ship CLSDIP, the tank landing ship CLSTQ, the attack transport QLPAQ and the attack cargo ship CLKAD. The DULUTH is named after the city of Duluth, Minnesota, which is in turn named after the French explorer Daniel Greysolon Seiur du Lhut. Du Lhut lived from 1636 - 1710, and gained fame when he set out on an expedition to Lake Superior to pacify the Indians and end the Ojibwa - Sioux War. DULUTH was constructed at the New York Naval Shipyard, and her keel was laid on December 18, 1963. She was commissioned there on December 18, 1965, and is the last fighting ship to be commissioned at that shipyard. She is over.569 feet long with a beam of 110 feet. Her displacement is approximately 16,710 tons, and she has a sustained speed capability of twenty knots. Due to her design, DULUTH maneuvers as easily as a destroyer. DULUTH can carry four medium landing craft or one LCU boat, six amphibious transport helicopters or three CH53's, and over 900 combat troops. She can also carry 2,000 tons of supplies and equipment, all in addition to her ready crew of officers and enlisted men. 0 i '1 2 9 1 l C -A