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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

HMS Oceanway (F-143)


LSD-12:
Transferred to the United Kingdom, named HMS Oceanway (F-143)
Loaned to Greece, in 1945, renamed HS Okeanos
Loaned to France in 1952, renamed TCD Foudre (L646)
Casa Grande Class Dock Landing Ship:
  • Authorized under the Lend-Lease Act as British Mechanized Artillery Transport BAPM-4
  • Reclassified Landing Ship Dock LSD-12, 1 July 1942
  • Contract awarded for LSD-12 to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, VA., 10 September 1942
  • LSD-12 was laid down, 23 July 1943, as HMS Dagger at Newport New Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News VA.
  • Launched, 29 December 1943
  • LSD-12 never saw active service in the US Navy
  • Royal Navy Service
  • Transferred to the United Kingdom, 29 March 1944
  • Commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Oceanway (F-143)
    HMS Oceanway departed Portland Harbour at 0610 hours, 6 June 1944 arriving at OMAHA BEACH at
    1530 hours the same day to off-load 20 landing craft, each craft loaded with one tank. Oceanway sailed for
    Normandy as part of Follow-up Convoy B2. She departed Omaha at 2200 hours returning to Portland where she
    arrived at 0705 on the morning of 7 June 1944
  • Reassigned to the Far East in 1945
  • Returned to the United Kingdom in December 1946
  • Loaned to Greece in March 1947, renamed HS Okeanos
  • Returned to US custody 1952
  • Loaned to France in 1952, renamed TCD Foudre (L646)
  • Reassigned NATO side number L9020
  • Purchased by France, date unknown
  • Final Disposition, retired by the French Navy in 1969 and sunk as a target 10 February 1970
    Specifications: (as reported by Office of Naval Intelligence, 7 April 1944)
    Displacement 4,032 (light draft), 7,930 (seagoing - loaded)
    Length 457' 9" o.a.
    Beam 72"
    Draft 8' 2 ½" fwd, 10' ½" aft (light draft); 15' 5 ½" fwd, 16' 2" aft (seagoing loaded)
    Speed 17 knots maximum (design speed)
    Endurance 8,000 miles @ 15 knots
    Crew Complement 17 officers, 237 men; Landing Craft: 6 officers, 30 men
    Troop Complement 22 officers, 218 men
    Well Deck Capacity (varies with mission)
    3 LCT (Mk V or VI) each w/ 5 medium tanks or
    2 LCT (Mk III or IV) each w/ 12 medium tanks or
    14 LCM (Mk III) each w/ 1 medium tank or 1, 500 long tons cargo or
    47 DUKW or
    41 LVT or
    Any combination of landing vehicles and landing craft up to capacity or
    Any combination of United Kingdom Combined Operations amphibious craft or vehicles up to capacity
    Armament
    1 - 3"/.50 caliber Dual Purpose single barrel mount in open tub
    16- 20MM single barrel Anti-Aircraft mounts (local control)
    (note: above armament was outfitted prior to transfer)
    4 - 2 Pound Pom-Pom (barrel count per mount - unknown)
    (note: above armament was outfitted after transfer)
    Propulsion
    2 - Babcock and Wilcox Boilers, D Type, 2 Drum, Single Furnace, Single Uptake,
    Oil Fired
    2 - Skinner Engines - steam turbine (geared)
    Twin screws
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Source
    TCD Foudre (L-646) (L9020)
    LSD-12 27k TCD Foudre (L646) at anchor, date and location unknown. .
    LSD-12 39k TCD Foudre (L646) at anchor, date and location unknown. .
    LSD-12 66k TCD Foudre(L646) with RFS LSIL9033 (ex-USS LCI(L)-699 loaded in her well deck while enroute from Haiphong to Saigon, French Indochina in December 1954. Georges Demichelis
    LSD-12 625k TCD Foudre (L646) moored on the Saigon River, French Indochina in 1955. Georges Demichelis
    LST-973 78k RFS Golo (L9008) and RFS Foudre (L646) underway off the coast of Oran-Mers el Kebir, Algéria, 14 June 1959. Official French Navy photo. André Pilon Quartermaster (signalman) RFS Golo
    LSD-12 54k TCD Foudre (L646) at anchor, date and location unknown.
    Photo by R.M. Scott. from "Jane's Fighting Ships 1959-60".    		 Robert Hurst
    LSD-12 45k TCD Foudre (L9020), circa 1968, location unknown. .
    LSD-12 41k TCDS Foudre (L9020), at anchor, date and location unknown. Jean-Christophe Rouxel
    View the BAPM-4 / LSD-12 / HMS Dagger / HMS Oceanway (F-143)
    DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    No Information Available
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    L9020 Foudre
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    © 2005 Gary P. Priolo © 1996 - 2009 NavSource Naval History. All Rights Reserved.
    Last Updated 30 November 2009