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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive
Contributed by Mike Smolinski

AGC / LCC-11 Eldorado

Flag Hoist/International Radio Call Sign:
November - Whiskey - Delta - Bravo

 Voice Call Sign "Delegate"
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons






Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Unit Commendation
Second Row - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal
Third Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
Fourth Row - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korean Service Medal (8) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Cuba, 2-Vietnam)
Fifth Row - Vietnam Service Medal (10) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (13) - United Nations Service Medal
Sixth Row - Philippines Liberation Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)
Mount McKinley Class Amphibious Force Command Ship:
  • Laid down as Monsoon, a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-AJ1) hull, under a Maritime Commission contract at North Carolina Shipbuilding Co. Wilmington, N.C.
  • Launched, 26 October 1943
  • Acquired by the Navy, 1 February 1944
  • Converted to an Amphibious Force Command Ship at Bethlehem Steel Corp. Brooklyn, N.Y.
  • Commissioned USS Eldorado (AGC-11), 26 August 1944, CAPT. J. R. Wallace in command
  • During World War II Eldorado (AGC-11) participated in the following campaigns:
    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    Iwo Jima operation
    Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima
    19 February to 9 March 1945
    		 Okinawa Gunto operation
    Invasion and occupation of Okinawa Gunto
    1 April to 18 May 1945

  • During the Korean War Eldorado (AGC-11) participated in following campaigns
    Korean War Campaigns
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    North Korean Aggression
    14 to 15 September 1950
    18 September to 2 November 1950    		 Communist China Spring Offensive
    22 April to 30 May 1951
    20 to 24 June 1951
    27 June to 8 July 1951
    Communist China Aggression
    3 November 1950 to 13 January 1951    		 UN Summer-Fall Offensive
    9 to 28 July 1951
    Inchon Landing
    16 to 17 September 1950    		 Third Korean Winter
    23 February to 5 March 1953
    25 to 30 April 1953
    First UN Counter Offensive
    15 February to 21 April 1951    		 Korea, Summer-Fall 1953
    1 to 5 May 1953
    10 to 19 June 1953
    24 to 26 June 1953
    25 to 27 July 1953

  • During the Vietnam War Eldorado (AGC-11 / LCC) participated in the following campaigns:
    Vietnam War Campaigns
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    Vietnam Defense
    26 November to 6 December 1965    		 Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase VI
    8 November to 17 December 1968
    27 December 1968 to 3 January 1969
    8 to 27 January 1969
    Vietnam Counteroffensive
    26 March to 6-April 1966    		 Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970
    8 to 14 March 1970
    3 to 7 April 1970
    Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase II
    14 to 21 February 1967
    5 to 13 March 1967
    19 to 25 March 1967
    17 April to 2 May 1967
    17 to 31 May 1967    		 Sanctuary Counteroffensive
    20 May to 5 June 1970
    Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase III
    1 to 25 June 1967
    2 to 31 July 1967    		 Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase VII
    16 to 25 July 1970
    30 August to 1 September 1971
    8 to 13-September 1971
    30 October to 6 November 1971
    Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase V
    6 to 21 August 1968
    28 August to 15 September 1968
    3 to 18 October 1968    		 Consolidation II
    9 to 11 December 1971
    17 to 20 January 1972
    24 to 27 January 1972

  • Redesignated Amphibious Command Ship (LCC-11), 1 January 1969
  • Decommissioned, 8 November 1972
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 16 November 1972
  • Transferred to MARAD for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet
  • Final Disposition, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping, 1 December 1976
  • Eldorado received two battle stars for World War II service, eight battle stars for Korean War service, and ten campaign stars for Vietnam War service
    Specifications:
    Displacement 7,500 t.(lt), 12,580 t.(fl)
    Length 459' 3"
    Beam 63'
    Draft 28' 2"
    Speed 15 kts.
    Complement 54 Officers, 568 Enlisted
    Armament
    two single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mounts
    four twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    ten twin 20mm AA gun mounts
    Propulsion 1 General Electric Geared turbine drive, 2 Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers, single propeller, designed shaft horsepower 6,000
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Eldorado 102k Forward plan view of Eldorado (AGC-11) at Navy Yard Mare Island, Vallejo, CA., 20 November 1944. Eldorado was in overhaul at Mare Island from 1 October to 22 November 1944.
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 7052-44.    		 Darryl Baker
    Eldorado 104k Aft plan view of Eldorado (AGC-11) at Navy Yard Mare Island, Vallejo, CA., 20 November 1944.
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 7053-44.    		 Darryl Baker
    Eldorado 78k Bows on view of Eldorado (AGC-11) departing Navy Yard Mare Island, Vallejo, CA., 22 November 1944.
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 7116-44.    		 Darryl Baker
    Eldorado 70k Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal and operation leaders watch invasion activities from on board Eldorado (AGC-11) off Iwo Jima, 20 February 1945. Those present are, from left to right: Secretary of the Navy Forrestal; Lieutenant General Hollamd M. Smith, USMC, Commander Expeditionary Troops; Vice Admiral Richmond K. Turner, USN (largely hidden behind Smith), Commander Joint Expeditionary Force; and Rear Admiral Harry W. Hill, USN, Commander Attack Force.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-312260, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Tracy White
    Eldorado 75k Eldorado (AGC-11) underway off Iwo Jima in February 1945.
    US Navy photo    		 Cliff Coffey
    Blower 263k Eldorado (AGC-11) moored to the right of Blower (SS-325) docked in ARD-32 at Mare Island, 1 August 1946. Yard Derrick YD-33 is aft of ARD-32
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 2786-46    		 Darryl Baker
    Eldorado 52k Eldorado (AGC-11) moored pierside at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA., 2 July 1948, while undergoing an inclining experiment.
    Puget Sound Naval Shipyard photo # NY8-2439 now in the collections of the US National Archives, Seattle NARA Record Group 181.    		 Tracy White
    Eldorado 98k Eldorado (AGC-11) top side view from port side looking forward while at Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA., 2 July 1948 at the time of the inclining experiment.
    Puget Sound Naval Shipyard photo # NY8-2440 now in the collections of the US National Archives, Seattle NARA Record Group 181.    		 Tracy White
    Eldorado 103k Eldorado (AGC-11) top side view forward of the bridge while at Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA., 2 July 1948 at the time of the inclining experiment.
    Puget Sound Naval Shipyard photo # NY8-2440 now in the collections of the US National Archives, Seattle NARA Record Group 181.    		 Tracy White
    Eldorado 95k Eldorado (AGC-11) top side view while at Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA., 2 July 1948 at the time of the inclining experiment.
    Puget Sound Naval Shipyard photo # NY8-2440 now in the collections of the US National Archives, Seattle NARA Record Group 181.    		 Tracy White
    Eldorado 87k Eldorado (AGC-11) top side aft, from port side, while at Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA., 2 July 1948 at the time of the inclining experiment.
    Puget Sound Naval Shipyard photo # NY8-2440 now in the collections of the US National Archives, Seattle NARA Record Group 181.    		 Tracy White
    Eldorado 81k Eldorado (AGC-11) top side view of stern, while at Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA., 2 July 1948 at the time of the inclining experiment.
    Puget Sound Naval Shipyard photo # NY8-2440 now in the collections of the US National Archives, Seattle NARA Record Group 181.    		 Tracy White
    Eldorado 84k Eldorado (AGC-11) off the invasion beaches at Inchon, Korea, September 1950. In the foreground is a Japanese manned LST unloading across the beach.
    US Navy photo # NH 97158 by Bumpus, one of Eldorado's photographers from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.    		 Robert Hurst
    Eldorado 140k Eldorado (AGC-11) Korean War service. Russ Paten
    Eldorado 49k Eldorado (AGC-11) moored pierside, date and place unknown. Russ Padden
    Eldorado 132k Eldorado (AGC-11) underway, date and place unknown. Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
    Eldorado 21k Eldorado (AGC-11), date and place unknown. USS Cabildo (LSD-16)
    Association
    Eldorado 44k Eldorado (AGC-11), date and place unknown.
    US Navy photo.    		 Stanley C. Svec
    Eldorado 112k Eldorado (AGC-11) underway, date and place unknown.
    US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, July 1954    		 Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
    Eldorado 102k Eldorado (AGC-11) at anchor off the coast of South Korea.
    US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, April 1957    		 Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
    Eldorado 52k Eldorado (AGC-11) at anchor off Taiwan, April 1960, during operation "Blue Star" Photo by LT Erv Samuelson MC USN
    USS Wexford County
    Eldorado 66k Eldorado (AGC-11) moored alongside a decommissioned AGC at San Diego, September 1960 Lee Noland STGC USN Ret.
    Eldorado 99k Eldorado (AGC-11) underway, date and place unknown.
    US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, February 1962    		 Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
    Eldorado 64k Eldorado (AGC-11) moored pierside, South Korea, circa June 1963 to June 1965 Photo by Roger H. Shelton YN3
    USS Eldorado June 63 to June 65
    Eldorado 127k Eldorado (AGC-11) moored pierside, 32nd Street Naval Station San Diego, CA. with Bexar (APA-237) to starboard. Note the crew of Eldorado in dress blues assembled on the helo deck for a ceremony, 1963. Photo by LT. Richard Dawson USNR USS Renville
    Eldorado 28k Eldorado (AGC-11) arriving at Subic Bay, P.I. to relieve Estes (AGC-12) in November 1965. .
    View the Eldorado (AGC-11)
    DANFS history entry located at the US Naval Historical Center
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
    Fleet Reserve Association
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    USS Eldorado AGC-11 - 1952-1954
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 28 December 2007