Tortuga (LSD 26) - Naval Cruise Book

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Page Four USS TORTUGA LSD-Z6 The USS TORTUGA QLSD-265 is named for the Dry Tortugas Islands, a group of ten coral ke-ys located sixty miles west of Key West, Florida. F'ort Jefferson, planned as the key to American defense in the Gulf of Mexico, was completed on the-se islands in 1861, and held by the Union Forces during the Civil War. The TO'R- TUGA is the first ship in the United States Navy to bear this name. The LSD is the largest of the amphibious family of ships developed during World War II. It is designed to transport and disembark smaller landing craft and troops in an invasion, but it is not designed to be beached. Instead, the landing craft are carried in a large welledeck amidships, which can be flooded to a depth permitting the landing craft to depart under their own power. More recently the LSD has been found to be an excellent repair and logistic facility for landing craft in areas where no dry-docks or machinery and hull repair installations are available. LSD's saw service in both the European and Asiatic theaters of World War II as members of amphibiou-s invasion forces, and gave an excellent performance of the duties for which they were designed. In the years since the war, and especially dur- ing the Korean conflict, LSD's have proven themselves highly versatile and useful on a variety of assignments. The USS TORTUGA was launched at the Boston Navy Yard on January 20, 1945, and was ,employed in occupation duties throughout the Pacific until decommis- sioning on August 18, 1947. She was recommissioned for Korean war duty on Sep- tember 15, 1950. The word tortuga means turtle in the Spanish language. Hence we have adopted a turtle as our ship's mascot, and have asked him to tell our story. THE U. S. S. TORTUGA CRUISE BOOK The Staffs: LTJG Robert V. Sedwick, CH. MACH. Charles W. Tappy, Howard D. Caudill, SA, Robert L. Ogan, BTG2, Charles J. Scardina, SN, Crawford E. Hyde, SN, Charles J. Murrell, MM2, John W.. Zylstra, MML3. The. Artists: Charles J. Scardina, SN, Richard P. Smith, SA. The Photographers: CH. MACH. Charles W. Tappy, LTJG Norman F. Daly, LTJG Robert V. Sedwick, CHPCLK John R. Davis, Jr., Joseph R. Griffith, MML1, Rene J. Bilan, RD2, Frank A. Tuttle, END3, Bryan T. Hines, FN, Willard E. Drought, FPG1, Anthony V. A. Nicosia, MML3, Nick Karas, MML2, Robert L. Ogan, BTG2, Ramon Rodriguez, END3, Charles J. Scardina, SN, Grant T. -Sherman, BMK3, grawfogdNE.. Hyde, SN, George P. Amburgery, RD3, John W. Zylstra, MML3 , Wayne ouse, . Our Publisher and ex-shipmate: Dean B. Acker.

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USS TCRTUGA LSD-Z6 Pg Th

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COMMANDER K. s. SHOOK W CQIYIMANDER E. W. HERMANSON Commanding Oificezj -- 15 September 1950 - 22 August 1951 Assumed Command 22 August 1951 LIEUTENANT COMMANDER H. deP. TELLER Executive Officer Page Five