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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Princeton (LPH-5)
ex
USS Princeton (CVS-37) (1953 - 1959)
USS Princeton (CVA-37) (1952 - 1953)
USS Princeton (CV-37) (1945 - 1952)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Romeo - November NHRN
Voice Radio Call Sign - "Bullhorn"

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon
Second Row - Navy Unit Commendation (CVA-37) - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (2) - American Campaign Medal
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korean Service Medal (8)
Fourth Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (2-Taiwan Straits, 3-Quemoy-Matsu, 11-Vietnam) - Vietnam Service Medal (5) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
Fifth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal

Boxer Class Amphibious Assault Ship (Helicopter):

Laid down, 14 September 1943, as USS Valley Forge (CV-37) at Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, PA. as Valley Forge

Renamed Princeton, 21 November 1944

Launched, 18 July 1945

Commissioned USS Princeton (CV-37), 18 November 1945, CAPT. John M. Hoskins in command

Decommissioned, 21 June 1949

Recommissioned, 28 August 1950

Redesignated Attack Aircraft Carrier (CVA-37), 1 October 1952

Modified and reclassified Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft Carrier (CVS-37), 12 November 1953

Reclassified Amphibious Assault Ship (Helicopter) (LPH-5), 2 March 1959, CAPT. Frank K. Upham II in command

Converted at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, Long Beach CA, 19 March through 19 May 1959

Decommissioned and Struck from the Naval Register, 30 January 1970

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping in September 1973, by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS)

USS Princeton earned eight battle stars for service for Korean War service and five campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Specifications:
Displacement 26,556 t.(lt) 36,457 t.(fl)
Length 888'
Beam 138'
Draft 30' (max.)
Speed 33 kts.
Complement 1,200
Troop Capacity 1,450
Aircraft 30 Helicopters
Armament

two dual 5"/38 dual purpose gun mounts

three single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mounts
Propulsion eight 600 psi boilers, 4 steam turbines, 4 shafts, 75,000shp

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
91k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** probably entering the harbor at Long Beach, CA. while returning from a WESTPAC deployment in May 1962. US Navy photo	Caption - Neil D. Tagle, USMC V-3 Div.
77k	USSPrinceton (LPH-5) underway off Taiwan in February 1960 during a SEATO exercise. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, July 1960.	Photo - Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret. Caption - Neil D. Tagle, USMC V-3 Div
173k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** underway, date and location unknown US Navy photo
126k	US Marine Corps HUS-1 helicopters are towed to their launching positions on the flight deck of *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)*, 20 March 1960. Note groups of Marines moving aft to board their helicopters. US Navy photo # NH 97315* from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.	US Naval Historical Center
138k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** after her 1961 "FRAM" modernization, with UH-34 helicopters on her flight deck. US Navy photo # NH 73454 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.	US Naval Historical Center
1540k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** moored to a buoy in the harbor at Hong Kong BCC in 1964.	Allen Smith USS Princeton
106k	General William Westmoreland, Commander Military Advisory Group, Vietnam, walks up the USS Princeton flight deck with her Commanding Officer, Captain Paul J. Knapp, in late 1964, on the occasion of her delivery of flood relief supplies to northern South Vietnam US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # 93799	Fabio Peña
100k	Marine Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse Helicopters lift off from *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** to land "Leathernecks" in the Republic of Vietnam during Operation "Jackstay", 26 March 1966. UH-34D in the foreground is Bureau # 148075. US Navy photo # K-31422 (Color) by JO1 E.J. Filtz USN, from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command.	Robert Hurst
34k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** anchored at Subic Bay, P.I., 2 April 1966	© Richard Leonhardt
49k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5), and USS Massey (DD-778)** anchored at Subic Bay, P.I., 17 May 1966.	© Richard Leonhardt
76k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** moored at Naval Station Subic, Bay, P.I., in 1966.	Photo by Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
92k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5) refueling from USS Chipola (AO-63)** during operations in the Pacific, 25 June 1968. Photographed by PH3 Carty. US Navy photo #USN 1142529 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center	US Naval Historical Center
56k	*USS Princeton* (LPH-5)** heading for Apollo 10 US Navy photo.
103k	Helicopters hover above the Apollo 10 crew recovery ship, *USS Princeton* (LPH-5)**, 26 May 1969. The spacecraft was slated to splash down in the Pacific at 12:51 PST, Monday east of Pago Pago. US Navy photo.