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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

LSD-17 Catamount

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons





Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Unit Commendation
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korean Service Medal (7)
Fourth Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (4-Vietnam, 4-Taiwan Straits)- Vietnam Service Medal (7) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (15)
Fifth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)
Casa Grande Class Dock Landing Ship:
  • Launched, 22 December 1944, at Newport New Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, VA.
  • Commissioned USS Catamount (LSD-17), 15 March 1945, CDR. C. A. Swafford in command
  • During the Korean War Catamount participated in the following campaigns:
    Korean War Campaigns
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    North Korean Aggression
    20 September to 2 November 1950     		Second Korean Winter
    7 to 18 and 28 to 30 December 1951
    11, 13 to 14, and 20 January 1952
    23 January to 11 February 1952
    20 March to 2 April 1952
    Communist China Aggression
    3 November 1950 to 23 January 1951     		Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952
    5 June 1952
    24 to 25 November 1952
    28 December 1952 to 11 January 1953
    First UN Counter Offensive
    1 February to 21 April 1951     		Third Korean Winter
    15 to 31 January 1953
    Communist China Spring Offensive
    22 to 23 and 25 to 27 April 1951
    1 to 5 May 1951     		.

  • During the Vietnam War Catamount participated in the following campaigns:
    Vietnam War Campaigns
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    Vietnam Defense
    3 to 5 and 18 to 24 December 1965     		Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV
    29 November to 1 December 1968
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive
    25 to 28 December 1965
    26 January to 19 February 1966
    18 to 22 March 1966
    2 April to 5 May 1966     		Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI
    1 to 6 and 8 to 27 January 1969
    13 to 20 February 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II
    29 April to 10 May 1967
    22 to 25 and 31 May 1967     		Tet 69/Counteroffensive
    25 February to 2 March 1969
    6 to 9 March 1969
    3 to 6 and 19 to 25 April 1969
    29 April to 3 May 1969
    5 to 8 May 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III
    1 to 4 June 1967
    29 June to 5 July 1967
    18 to 22 July 1967
    18 to 26 August 1967
    5 to 15 October 1967
    26 October to 1 November 1967     		.

  • Decommissioned, 31 March 1970
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 15 October 1976
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 4 December 1975 by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for $178,148.15 to Max Rouse & Sons, Beverly Hills, CA.
  • Catamount received seven battle stars for Korean War service and seven campaign stars for Vietnam War service
    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
    Well Deck Capacity (with prefabricated "Super-Decks" installed)
  • 108 DUKWs or
  • 92 LVTs or
  • Any combination of tracked/wheeled vehicles up to capacity.
    (Note: Incapable of repairing larger landing craft and ships in this configuration)
    Aircraft LSDs 1 - 27 (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
  • 1 - 5"/.38 caliber Dual Purpose single barrel mount in open tub (w/director)
  • 2 - 40MM quad barrel Anti-Aircraft mounts (w/directors)
  • 2 - 40MM twin barrel Anti-Aircraft mounts (w/directors)
  • 16- 20MM single barrel Anti-Aircraft mounts (local control)
    Propulsion
  • 2 - Babcock and Wilcox Boilers, D Type, 2 Drum, Single Furnace, Single Uptake,
    Oil Fired
  • 2 - Skinner Engines - steam geared turbine (geared)
  • Twin screws
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Source
    Catamount 36k Catamount (LSD-17) at anchor, circa 1948, location unknown. Robert Hurst
    Catamount 89k Catamount (LSD-17)'s well deck makes a unique swimming hole for NROTC midshipmen being training in techniques of amphibious warfare.
    US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, September 1949.    		 Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
    Catamount 97k A LCVP bucks in the well of Catamount (LSD-17), during mine clearance operations off Chinnampo, North Korea, circa November 1950. Forrest Royal (DD-872), flagship for this operation, is in the left background.
    US National Archives photo #80-G-422837, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Catamount 84k From left to right Casa Grande (LSD-16), Colonial (LST-18), Gunston Hall (LSD-5) and Catamount (LSD-17) rendezvous at a Japanese port, date unknown.
    US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine November 1954.    		 Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
    Catamount 65k Catamount (LSD-17) underway in San Francisco Bay, 1958.
    Photo by Allied Photographers.    		 Robert M. Cieri
    Catamount 77k Catamount (LSD-17) underway, circa 1962, location unknown. Photo by George Arthur USS Dynamic (MSO-432), submitted by Floyd Farrar
    Catamount 107k Catamount (LSD-17) underway, circa 1962, location unknown. Photo by George Arthur USS Dynamic (MSO-432), submitted by Floyd Farrar
    View the Catamount (LSD-17)
    DANFS history entry located the US Naval Historical Center web site
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
    Fleet Reserve Association
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    The LSDs of the US Navy
    Back to the Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Dock Landing Ship (LSD) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    © 2005 Gary P. Priolo © 1996 - 2008 NavSource Naval History. All Rights Reserved.
    Last Updated 2 February 2007