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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

LSD-18 Colonial

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons




Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
Second Row - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korean Service Medal (7)
Third Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Cuba, 1-Vietnam) - Vietnam Service Medal (6) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (11)
Fourth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)
Casa Grande Class Dock Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 1 August 1944, at Newport New Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, VA.
  • Launched, 28 February 1945
  • Commissioned USS Colonial (LSD-18), 15 May 1945
  • During the Korean War Colonial participated in the following campaigns:
    Korean War Campaigns
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    North Korean Aggression
    21 September to 2 November 1950     		Communist China Spring Offensive
    24 July to 1 August 1951
    Communist China Aggression
    3 November 1950 to 22 January 1951     		Second Korean Winter
    25 February to 25 March 1952
    First UN Counter Offensive
    16 February to 16 March 1951     		Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952
    6 to 13 and 18 to 26 June 1952
    2 to 14 July 1952
    19 to 24 August 1952
    13 September to 3 October 1952
    Communist China Spring Offensive
    1 to 12 May 1951
    11 to 20 June 1951     		.

  • During the Vietnam War Colonial participated in the following campaigns:
    Vietnam War Campaigns
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    Vietnam Defense
    4 to 11 July 1965     		Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III
    3 to 8 and 23 to 31 December 1967
    14 to 29 January 1968
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive
    22 to 26 March 1966
    12 to 18 and 26 to 29 April 1966
    12 to 18 May 1966
    1 to 4 June 1966     		Tet Counteroffensive
    30 to 31 January 1968
    22 February to 17 March 1968
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II
    2 to 5 July 1966
    3 to 5 and 9 to 16 August 1966     		Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV
    3 to 9 and 17 to 23 April 1968
    1 to 4 May 1968

  • Decommissioned in 1970 at the Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Vallejo, CA.
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Mare Island, Vallejo, CA.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 15 October 1976
  • Transferred to the Maritime Administration (MARAD), 29 July 1992, for disposal
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 8 September 1993, for $353,725, to California Imports and Exports and towed Shanghai, China for scrapping
  • Colonial received seven battle stars for Korean war service and six 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 Contributed
    By
    Colonial 35k Colonial (LSD-18) underway, date and place unknown. USS Colonial Association web site
    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.
    Colonial 143k Colonial (LSD-18) underway in San Francisco Bay, 1958. Photo by Allied Photographers. Robert M. Cieri
    Colonial 37k Colonial (LSD-18) at Subic Bay, P.I. circa April-May 1966. © Richard Leonhardt
    Colonial 23k Colonial (LSD-18) at Subic Bay, P.I. circa April-May 1966. © Richard Leonhardt
    Colonial 443k Colonial (LSD-18) underway, date and place unknown. USS Colonial Association web site
    View the Colonial (LSD-18)
    DANFS history entry located at the US Naval Historical Center web site
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information Web Sites
    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 (LSD) Ship 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 28 July 2006