La Salle (LPD 3) - Naval Cruise Book

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' New YORK WORLD-TELEGRAM Axn svrf. xiorcmr. F FBFXVAFIY '21, 1061 Navy Yard Cufs 4 Monfhs OH Building Time for LPDS The Navy Yard may not be building any capital ships these days-but it is still the can- do yard. ' S a t u r day's commissioning of the LaSalle ILPD 31, the third of six combination troop carrier and vehicle transports constructed here, proved it. , The yard knocked four months off the time it required to build and commission the Ra- leigh KLPD 11. 1 , Keel for the LaSalle was laid in April,ll962. Keel for the Ra- leigh, the first LPD construct- ed at the' yard, was laid in June, 1960 and lt was 'com- missioned in Sept., 1962. Yard workers took six months off the time it took to launch the Raleigh by sending the LaSalle into the sea in Aug., 1963. The Raleigh was launched in March, 1962. LPDs are open at the stern like the rear of a station wagon. The Well deck is flooded to allow landing craft and amphibious vehicles to 'be launched. A flight deck accom- modates six troop helicopters and the ship can carry 900 Ma- rines ready for combat. The keels have already been laid for three more LPDs at the yard: The Austin ILPD 47, 1 p p-r o x imate commissioning date, November, 1964: Ogden rLPD 59, January, 1965, and Duluth KLPD 61, October, 1965. , Vice Adm. John S. McCain ir., commander of the Atlantic ?leet Amphibious Force, spoke at l the commissioning cere- mony. Capt. Edward H. Winslow. a native of Dallas, Tex., has been named to command the La- Salle. 1 I Christen thee, LaSa1l P. U ndet construction ...-...Ln ...., .

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lj ' , I ,,,, 3 f A ,Wafer - , ' s- , ix. i vIv-ll 'Mw Commissioned on 22' February 1964,' USS LA SALLE was the third Amphibious Transport Dock Ship to be launched. Designed to carry over 780 combat troops andmore than 25,000 tons of cargo, the LPD has become a bulwark of the modern am- phibious landing force. r During the year following her commissioning, LA SALLE participated in six weeks of Shakedown training in Guantanamo, Exercise Steel Pike I in Spain, and a five-month tour of duty with the Medi- terranean Amphibious Squadron, returning to Norfolk in February 1965. A During the Dominican Republic Crisis in May 1965, LA SALLE operated off the coast of Santo Domingo for twenty-four consecutive days, serving as Vice Admiral McCain's Flagship. For the re- mainder of,l1965, LA SALLE operated in the Carib- bean as Flagship of Commander Amphibious Squadron SIX, where she participated in numerous landing exercises off Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, and later took part in .an Emphibious Demonstration Landing Exercise off Onslow Beach, N .C. I ,5-xi,,i.,E'.f,f p 3 , , V ,..aun I H aff- W - N-M I.. is -5 2 3 , . I 4?3??!h , , , 4 gl I , A ,e, . .., 9 I i-Q P, pai-Q. 'mmmmif-.tmmws The year 1966 saw LA SALLE sail unexpectedly to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to return Marine Con- struction Battalion Six to Davisville, Rhode Island, a weekend visit to New York City, and operation FIREX in the Caribbean. She also conducted GEMINI recoveries in the Virginia Capes Operating area to evaluate LPD capabilities as space flight recovery ship. LA SALLE later became the first ship of her size to successfully recover a GEMINI space capsule. I Q ,During 1967 LA SALLE participated in Operation CLOVE HITCH III, a large-scale naval exercise involving hilecopter amphibious landings at Rincon Bay, Puerto Rico. She also took part. in three separate Midshipmen Training Exercises near 'the Virginia Capes Operating Area. I - LA SALLE 'completed an extensive yard overhaul during 1968, after which she underwent refresher training at Guantanamo Bay. She departed Norfolk in November of that year as Flagship for Commander Amphibious Squadron FOUR, and served as at unit of the U.S. SIXTH. Fleet. 'This book is the story of that cruise. I I 1 TIFFANY PUBLISHING COMPANY printed in r Norfolk, Virginia Tokyo, Japan San Diego, California 6 i ,Y - -ua ,.. .. ..