Rushmore (LSD 14) - Naval Cruise Book

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Ship's History f RUSHMORE, is named for the Mount Rush- more Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota, where a giant sculpture in mountain- side stone commemorates four of our Presi- dents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. However, the ship We proudly call RUSHMORE very nearly had 9. different name. When her keel was laid on 31 December 1943, it was intended that she would serve the British Royal Navy. All original plans and blueprints still carry her expected name, HMS SWORD. Under wartime pressures, RUSHMORE was built in six months in Newport News, Va., by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry- dock Company. She was launched on 10 May 1944g and on 3 July 1944 RUSHMORE was commissioned. The letters LSD in the ship's title repre- sent landing ship dock:. Born of wartime necessity, this new type was designed as a combination dock and landing craft carrier. She is 458 feet long, 72 feet wide and has a speed of 14 knots and displaces from 4500 to 8000 tons, depending on her load. Her really unique feature is the 394 foot longwell,which carries her main cargo. By flooding her ample ballasting tanks with sea water, or by emp- tying them, the LSD may be lowered or raised in the 1' water so that the well deck varies from dry to a depth of ten feet of water. From this feature stems the primary missioniof the LSD: rapid delivery off an enemy beach of a large number of combat- loaded landing craft. A Beginaing a scant three months after commis- sioning, RUSHMORE performed distinguished combat service in the last year of the war in the Pacific, Prior tothe surrender of Japan, she participated. in four amphibious landings: Leyte on October 19443 Palawan in February 19453 Maindanao in March 1945g and Tarakan Borneo in April-May 1945. For these Sha earned three battle stars on her Asiatic- Pacific Campaign Medal, For her fine work at Leyte and Lingayen in the Philippines, she received two letters of commendation, She steamed a total of 70 000 miles in her wartime life, crossing the edua- tor tentimes and the 180th meridian six times For the Borneo ianding, Rusnivionn carried Australian troops of the famed NRMS of Tobruk Battalion which helped chase Rom- mel out of Africa. The ship carried every manner of cargog perhaps the most unusual load of her career was a 137 foot Japanese submarine, transported from Samar, Philip- pine Islands to San Francisco. Next came mothballing in Pascagoula,Miss, in August 1946-the beginning of four and one , half years of the silent waiting for which the reserve fleet was intended. The Korean War began the third phase of the RUSHMORE 's life with recommissioningon21 September 1950, The ensuing twenty years have been busy ones spent ranging the At- lantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean seas, The RUSHMORE had her hull strengthenedin preparation for six consecutive summers of cruising to resupply DEW line bases in the Arctic Sea - a record which onlyicebreakers can match. In the spring of 1963 the RUSHMORE partici- pated in operation DEMOLEX in the Carib- bean, which was viewed by the late President Kennedy. In the fall of 1964 she participated in Steel Pike I, the largest peacetime amphibious landing since World War II. During the first part of 1966 RUSHMORE went to the shipyards for an extensive over- haul and modernization. From November 1966 to May 1967 RUSHMORE was deployed tothe Mediterranean. By October 1968 it looked as though the RUSH- MORE was headed for a well earned restg however, in May 1969 duty called RUSHMORE back from her Reduced Operational StatuS. The crew was brought back to strength and RUSHMORE was again made ready for 593' August of 1969 saw RUSHMORE inthe Carib- bean assisting Operation ESCORT TIGER by posing an East German Merchant S1119 attempting to run a blockade and delivery Wea' Dons to unfriendly forces. From Novenmlfer 1969 until April 1970 RUSHMORE distin- guished herself in Med Deployment 3-69' Now RUSHMORE is finally to retire from active duty. On 2 October 1970 an il1ustr1ouS 26 year history will close as RUSHMQREF colors will be lowered for the last time 111 decommissioning ceremonies. S Q I

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5 Zi il' I M E D 3 - 6 9 13 November 1969 - 15 April 1970 13 14 November November - 1 December November Underway 30 5 - 10 December 11 - 20 December 22 - 27 December 29 December - 5 January 6 - 23 January - 6 February 9 - 20 February 21 - 28 February 2 - 13 March 13' - 18 March 21 - 30 March 1 April 13 April 15 April 2 1 January ,Q I x -fu from Little Creek, Va. Morehead City, N, C. Rota, Spain Toulon, France Lovo Santo, Corsica Genoa, Italy Barcelona, Spain Porto Scudo, Sardinia Naples, Italy Navplion, Greece Athens, Greece Marsaxlokk Bay, Malta Valetta, Malta Valencia, Spain Rota, Spain Morehead City, N.C. Little Creek, Va.