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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Olmsted (LPA-188)
ex
 USS Olmsted (APA-188) (1944 - 1963)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Delta - Victor - Victor
 NDVV
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Second Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia or Europe clasp)
Third Row - National Defense Service Medal - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (3-Lebanon) -Philippines Liberation Medal
Haskell Class Attack Transport:
  • Laid down, 11 April 1944 as a Maritime Commission type (VC2-S-AP5) hull under Maritime Commission contract (MCV 656) at Kaiser Shipbuilding Corp, Vancouver WA.
  • Launched, 4 July 1944
  • Acquired by the US Navy from the Maritime Commission and commissioned USS Olmsted (APA-188), 5 September 1944, CAPT Clarence L. C. Atkeson Jr. USNR, in command
  • During WWII USS Olmsted was assigned to Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    TransRon Fourteen, COMO. D. L. Ryan USN (16);
    TransDiv Forty-One (flagship), CAPT. H. J. Wright USN; and participated in the following campaign:
    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 5 April 1945

  • Following World War II USS Olmsted was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    20 to 30 September 1945
    20 January to 2 February 1946
    14 to 24 June 1946

  • Decommissioned, 21 February 1947
  • Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Norfolk VA.
  • Recommissioned, 2 February 1952, CAPT. Robert C. Leonard USN, in command
  • USS Olmsted (APA-188) was assigned to Occupation service in Europe from 20 January to 9 May 1953
  • Decommissioned, 27 February 1959 at Norfolk VA.
  • Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Norfolk VA.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 July 1960
  • Returned the Maritime Administration for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Fort Eustis, VA.
  • Redesignated Amphibious Transport (LPA-188), 1 January 1969
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 1 August 1982, to Waterman SS Co., resold to Balbao Desqueces Maritimos, S.A. for scrapping in Spain
  • USS Olmsted earned one battle star for service in World War II
    Specifications:
    Displacement 6,873 t.(lt) 14,837 t.(fl)
    Length 455'
    Beam 62'
    Speed 19 kts.
    Complement
    56 Officers
    480 Enlisted
    Troop Accommodations
    86 Officers
    1,475 Enlisted
    Cargo Capacity 150,000 cu. ft, 2,900 tons
    Boats
    two LCMs
    one open LCPL
    one covered LCPL (Captain's Gig)
    two LCPRs
    eighteen LCVPs
    Armament
    one single 5"/38 dual-purpose gun mount
    one quad 40mm AA gun mount
    four twin 40mm AA gun mounts
    ten single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Propulsion
    1 Allis-Chalmers geared turbine
    2 Combustion Engineering header-type boilers
    1 propeller, design shaft horsepower 8,500
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Olmsted 63k USS Olmsted (APA-188) at anchor, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo     		Tom Gonzalez
    Olmsted 726k USS Olmsted (APA-188) moored at Genoa, Italy, 21 April 1957. Photo by Carlo Martinelli
    USS Olmsted (APA / LPA-188)
    DANFS history entry located at the US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Commanding Officers
    01CAPT. Atkeson Jr. Clarence Lee Conner5 September 1944 - ?
    02CAPT. Spiegel, Charles Edward Albert USNRMay 1945 - ?
     Decommissioned21 February 1947 - 2 February 1952
    05CAPT. Leonard, Robert Craven USN 2 February 1952 - December 1952
    06CAPT. Williams Jr., Henry December 1952 - December 1954
    08CAPT. Frazer, C. L. ? - 6 February 1957
    09CAPT. Slayton, Morgan6 February 1957 - September 1957
    10CAPT. White Jr., Richard DanielSeptember 1957 - December 1958
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To the Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Attack Transport (APA) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 5 April 2013