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Photo

Crescent City

Ships

No	Name	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comm	Fate
AP40, 2.1943- APA21	Crescent City (ex-Del Orleans)	4338	Bethlehem, Sparrows Point // Alabama DD	1939	17.2.1940	8.1940 // 10.1941	to Maritime Comm. 9.1946
AP58, 2.1943- APA28	Charles Carroll (ex-Del Uruguay)	4362	Bethlehem, Sparrows Point	3.1942	1942	8.1942	stricken 10.1958
AP64, 2.1943- APA31	Monrovia (ex-Del Argentina)	4364	Bethlehem, Sparrows Point	3.1942	19.9.1942	12.1942	stricken 11.1968
AP65, 2.1943- APA32	Calvert (ex-Del Orleans)	4363	Bethlehem, Sparrows Point	1942	19.9.1942	10.1942	stricken 8.1966

Technical data

Displacement standard, t	8409
Displacement full, t	14247
Length, m	151.8
Breadth, m	17.2
Draught, m	8.10
No of shafts	1
Machinery	1 set General Electric geared steam turbines, 2 Babcock & Wilcox boilers
Power, h. p.	7800
Max speed, kts	17
Fuel, t	oil 1751
Endurance, nm(kts)	15500(15)
Armament	1 x 1 - 127/38 Mk 12, 4 x 1 - 76/50 Mk 20, 8 x 1 - 20/70 Mk 4
Military load	22 LCVP, 2 - 4 LCM(3), 2300 t of cargo, 1160 troops by 1945: 4 LCM(6), 20 LCVP, 3 LCPL, 2 LCPR, 2700 t of cargo, 1237 marines
Electronic equipment	AP58, 64, 65: presumably SC or SE or SF or SL radar (part of class)
Complement	534

Graphics

Project history

USN military transport vessels were sectioned into two groups: АР for transportation of troops and АК for carriage of goods and technics. The majority of them were built on the basis of standard types С2, С3 and С4 and differed from usual cargo ships a little.

For delivery of troops and cargoes directly to a beaching place assault landing transport ships (АРА and АКА) served, which main difference from АК and АР consisted that they were extra equipped with disembarkation craft of LCVP, LCM and LCP (L) types; with their help delivery of people and cargoes to beach also was effected.

Originally similar ships were not outlined in own subclass and were registered as АР and АК. In February, 1943 reorganisation was done and assault transports have received indexation АРА and АКА.

Two ships of Doyen class, projected even on the eve of war for landing operations in Caribbean basin, became the first American assault military transports. The overwhelming majority of remaining АРА and АКА has been converted from merchant cargo and cargo-passenger vessels or constructed in hulls of standard cargo vessels built by the big series in days of war. An exception were specially projected as assault transports Gilliam (АРА) and Artemis (АКА) classes.

Besides the large landing transport ships of АРА and АКА classes, small landing parties and subversive groups were landed by fast landing transports (APD) converted from become outdated Wickes and Clemson classes destroyers and destroyer escorts of Buckley and Rudderow classes.

Crescent City class transports were built in standard C3 Delta type hulls.

Modernizations

by 1945 all ships were armed with 1 x 1 - 127/38 Mk 12, 4 x 1 - 76/50 Mk 20, 1 x 2 - 40/56 Mk 1.2, 1 x 1 - 40/56 Mk 1.2, 11 x 2 - 20/70 Mk 4, SC or SF or SL or SN or SO or SU radar

1/1946: 1 x 1 - 127/38 Mk 30, 4 x 1 - 76/50 Mk 20/21, 1 x 2 - 40/60 Mk 1, 1 x 1 - 40/60 Mk 3, 11 x 2 - 20/70 Mk 24, SC or SF or SL or SN or SO or SU radar

Naval service

No significant events.



© Ivan Gogin, 2014-15