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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 kts (design speed)
Endurance 8,000 miles @ 15 knots
Complement

Officers 17

Enlisted 237
Landing Craft

Officers 6

Enlisted 30
Troop Accommodations

Officers 22

Enlisted 218
Well Deck Capacity (varies with mission)

three LCT (Mk V or VI) each w/ 5 medium tanks or

two LCT (Mk III or IV) each w/ 12 medium tanks or

fourteen LCM (Mk III) each w/ 1 medium tank or 1, 500 long tons cargo or

forty-seven DUKW or

forty-one LVT or

Any combination of landing vehicles and landing craft up to capacity
Aircraft (still in commission in late 40's or early 50's) were fitted/retro-fitted with a prefabricated steel grated "Portable Deck" suspended between the wing walls and supported by removable I-beam girders. The aft end of the portable deck contained a wooden helicopter platform, enabling the ship to land and launch 1 helicopter at a time. Stowage of helicopters was limited to capacity of the portable deck installed for the mission. Aircraft servicing was limited to re-fueling. With portable deck and aircraft platform installed, the Landing ship, dock was still capable of transporting, launching and repairing smaller amphibious craft and vehicles up to the size of a Landing craft, utility (LCU) in their well decks.
Armament

one sinlge 3"/.50 cal dual purpose mount in open tub

sixteen single 20mm AA gun mounts (local control)
(note: above armament was outfitted prior to transfer)

four two-Pound Pom-Pom (barrel count per mount - unknown)
(note: above armament was outfitted after transfer)
Fuel Capacities

NSFO 11,720 Bbls

Diesel 160 Bbls

Gasoline 5,085 Gals
Propulsion

two Skinner Uniflow 5-cylinder reciprocating steam engines

two Babcock and Wilcox oil fired D-type boilers, two drum, single furnace, single uptake, 250psi

Ship's Service Generators

two turbo-drive 150Kw 240V D.C.

one Diesel-drive 100Kw 120V/240V D.C.

twin propellers, 7,400shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Source
TCD Foudre (L-646) (L9020)
	27k	*TCD Foudre* (L646)** at anchor, date and location unknown.	.
	39k	*TCD Foudre* (L646)** at anchor, date and location unknown.	.
	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
	625k	*TCD Foudre* (L646)** moored on the Saigon River, French Indochina in 1955.	Georges Demichelis
	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
	54k	*TCD Foudre* (L646)** at anchor, date and location unknown. Photo by R.M. Scott. from "Jane's Fighting Ships 1959-60".	Robert Hurst
	45k	*TCD Foudre* (L9020)**, circa 1968, location unknown.	.
	41k	*TCDS Foudre* (L9020)**, at anchor, date and location unknown.	Jean-Christophe Rouxel

BAPM-4 / LSD-12 / HMS Dagger / HMS Oceanway (F-143)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
L9020 Foudre

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 28 May 2010