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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive
Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USNS Orleans Parish (T-LST-1069)
ex
 USS Orleans Parish (MCS-6) (1959 - 1966)
 USS Orleans Parish (LST-1069) (1955 - 1959)
USS LST-1069 (1945 - 1955)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Alpha - India - Lima
 NAIL
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended)
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 (1) - Philippines Liberation Medal

USNS Orleans Parish (T-LST-1069) was sold to the Philippines and renamed BRP Cotabato Del Norte (LT-511)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 7 February 1945, at Bethlehem Hingham Shipyard, Hingham, MA.
  • Launched, 7 March 1945
  • Commissioned, USS LST-1069, 31 March 1945, LT. Lewis A. Rockwell USNR in command
  • During World War II USS LST-1069 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater;
    LST Flotilla Thirty-Three, CAPT. C. A. Legg USN (24);
    LST Group Ninety-Eight, LCDR. R. H. Menges USNR;
    LST Division One Hundred Ninety-Eight
  • Following World War II USS LST-1069 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following period:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    China Service Medal (extended)
    5 December 1945 to 28 March 19465 December 1945 to 28 March 1946

  • Decommissioned, 6 August 1946, at Staten Island, N.Y.
  • Retained in the Third Naval District as a Reserve Training Ship
  • Transferred to Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Florida Group, Green Cove Springs, FL, September 1949
  • LT. E.V. Walsh, USN assumed command in November 1951
  • Recommissioned, 11 January 1952, converted to a mine squadron flagship and logistic support vessel
  • Named USS Orleans Parish (LST-1069), 1 July 1955
  • Orleans Parish entered Charleston Naval Shipyard, Charleston, S.C., 19 DEcember 1958, for conversion to a Mine Countermeasures Support Ship
  • Redesignated USS Orleans Parish (MCS-6)
  • Decommissioned, 20 May 1966,
  • Placed in service with the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) as USNS Orleans Parish (T-LST-1069)
  • Place out of service, date unknown
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 30 June 1975
  • Sold to Republic of the Philippines, 1 September 1976, renamed BRP Cotabato Del Norte (LT-511)
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
    Specifications:
    Displacement
    1,625 t.(lt)
    4,080 t.(fl) (sea-going draft w/1675 ton load)
    2,366 t. (beaching displacement)
    Length 328' o.a.
    Beam 50'
    Draft
    light 2' 4" fwd, 7' 6" aft
    sea-going 8' 3" fwd, 14' 1" aft
    landing 3' 11" fwd, 9' 10" aft (landing w/500 ton load)
    limiting 11' 2"
    maximum navigation 14' 1"
    Speed 11.6 kts. (trial)
    Endurance 24,000 miles @ 9kts. while displacing 3960 tons
    Complement
    13 officers
    104 enlisted
    Troop Accommodations
    16 officers
    147 enlisted
    Boats 2 LCVP
    Cargo Capacity (varied with mission - payloads between 1600 and 1900 tons)
    Typical loads
    One Landing Craft Tank (LCT), tanks, wheeled and tracked vehicles, artillery, construction equipment and military supplies. A ramp or elevator forward allowed vehicles access to tank deck from main deck
    Additional capacity included sectional pontoons carried on each side of vessel amidships, to either build Rhino Barges or use as causeways. Married to the bow ramp, the causeways would enabled payloads to be delivered ashore from deeper water or where a beachhead would not allow the vessel to be grounded forward after ballasting
    Armament (varied with availability when each vessel was outfitted. Retro-fitting was accomplished throughout WWII. The ultimate armament design for United States vessels was
    2 - Twin 40MM gun mounts w/Mk. 51 directors
    4 - Single 40MM gun mounts
    12 single 20MM gun mounts
    Fuel Capacity
    Diesel 4,300 Bbls
    Propulsion
    two General Motors 12-567A, 900hp Diesel engines
    single Falk Main Reduction Gears
    three Diesel-drive 100Kw 230V D.C. Ship's Service Generators
    two propellers, 1,700shp
    twin rudders
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    USS LST-1069
    Orleans Parish 44k Probably a group photo of executives, managers and foremen from Bethlehem Hingham Shipyard, Hingham, MA. on the dock in front of the newly commissioned USS LST-1069 Tommy Trampp
    Orleans Parish 86k USS LST-1069 underway while serving as mine squadron flagship and logistic support ship, on 17 December 1952, location unknown. The new deckhouse built up abaft the bridge housed the necessary spares. The bridge has been raised. She has twin 40 mm guns on her centerline, fore and aft, plus six singles forward and two singles aft. There were also four twin 20 mm guns. Note the crawler crane on deck.
    Text and photo from "U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History" by Norman Friedman.    		 Robert Hurst
    Orleans Parish
    1016106916    		 140k USS LST-1069 underway in San Francisco Bay, circa early 1946.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH 79718, courtesy of D. M. McPherson, 1974.    		 Mike Smolinski
    USS Orleans Parish (LST-1069)
    Orleans Parish 111k USS Orleans Parish (LST-1069)'s commanding officer LT. Robert Norville reads his orders accepting command of the ship during the recommissioning ceremony in 1955.
    US Navy photo.    		 Robert Norville
    Orleans Parish 83k USS Orleans Parish (LST-1069) recommissioning ceremony in 1955, LT Robert Norville Commanding Officer and a former Miss New Orleans
    US Navy photo.    		 Robert Norville
    Orleans Parish 83k USS Orleans Parish (LST-1069) recommissioning ceremony in 1955
    US Navy photo.    		 Robert Norville
    Orleans Parish 83k USS Orleans Parish (LST-1069) recommissioning ceremony in 1955, LT Robert Norville Commanding Officer and a former Miss New Orleans
    US Navy photo.    		 Robert Norville
    Orleans Parish 82k USS Orleans Parish (LST-1069) recommissioning cake cutting.
    US Navy photo.    		 Robert Norville
    Orleans Parish 83k USS Orleans Parish (LST-1069) underway, date and location unknown Robert Norville
    Orleans Parish 85k USS Orleans Parish (LST-1069) underway, date and location unknown Robert Norville
    Orleans Parish 59k USS Orleans Parish (LST-1069) underway in Charleston, S.C. harbor, off the Mine Sweeper Base on the Ashley River, 1956.
    US Navy photo.    		 Robert Norville
    Orleans Parish 82k USS Orleans Parish (LST-1069) at San Juan, Puerto Rico, early in 1957 as flagship and tender to Mine Squadron Four. Moored alongside are:
    USS Yazoo (AN-92),
    USS Robin (MSC(O)-53),
    USS Redpoll (MSC(O)-57) ,
    USS Ruff (MSC(O)-54), with
    USS Ostrich (MSC(0)-29),
    USS Reedbird (MSC(0)-51),
    USS Siskin (MSC(O)-58), and
    USS Egret (MSC(O)-46) nested aft. In the foreground are six Canadian minesweepers which accompanied MinRon Four to the Caribbean for exercises. Berthed astern of Orleans Parish is the former landing-craft repair ship USS Pandemus (ARL-18) and also assigned to the mine force to maintain its diesel-powered ships.
    US Navy photo from DANFS.    		 Robert Hurst
    USNS Orleans Parish (T-LST-1069)
    Orleans Parish 1016106901 284k USNS Orleans Parish (T-LST-1069) at Vung Tau, Vietnam, 25 May 1971. © Richard Leonhardt
    Orleans Parish 140k USNS Orleans Parish (T-LST-1069) beached at Vinh Long on the Mekong River, South Vietnam in 1970. The US Army LCU beached to port of Orleans Parish is unidentified. Photo by Richard Haffey
    USS Orleans Parish (MCS-6)
    Orleans Parish 188k USS Orleans Parish (MCS-6) plaque Tommy Trampp
    Orleans Parish
    1016106917    		 343k USS Orleans Parish (MCS-6) underway, date and location unknown.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH NH 66122, courtesy of D. M. McPherson, 1974.    		 Mike Smolinski
    BRP Cotabato Del Norte (LT-511)
    Orleans Parish 88k At left, Ex-USS Orleans Parish (LST-1069) in Philippines service as BRP Cotabato Del Norte (LT-511) and at right, Ex-USS Madera County (LST-905) in Philippines naval service as BRP Ilocos Norte (LT-98) moored at Cavite, Luzon Island, Philippine Islands in 1988, Edison Sy
    USS Orleans Parish (LST-1069 / MCS-6)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Rockwell, Lewis A., USNR31 March 1945 - 10 November 1945
    02LT. Hutton, Robert M., USNR10 November 1945 - March 1946
    03LTjg. Hirsch, Robert L., USNRMarch 1946 - 6 August 1946
     Decommissioned6 August 1946 - 11 January 1952
    04LT. Walsh Jr., Edward V., USNR11 January 1952 -?
    05LT. Norville, Robert Wesson, USN1955 - 7 September 1956
    06LCDR. Farley, James Edward, USN (USNA 1947)7 September 1956 - 16 December 1957
    07LCDR. Tanton, Paul Warren, USN19 December 1958 - 19 January 1959
    08LT. Thomas, Robert Lee, USN19 January 1959 - 29 January 1961
    09LT. Heise, Paul Roger, USN29 January 1961 - 1 March 1961
    09LTjg. Greenelsen, Kermit William, USN (USNA 1957) (acting)1 March 1961 - 9 April 1961
    10LT. Heise, Paul Roger, USN9 April 1961 - 1 July 1961
    11LCDR. Thorp, John Holden, USN1 July 1961 - 9 November 1961
    12LT. Shearer, Thomas Durell, USN9 November 1961 - 26 April 1963
    13LT. Katzen, Murry, USN8 August 1964 - 20 Nay 1966
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    The USS LST Ship Memorial
    LST Home Port
    State LST Chapters
    United States LST Association
    Association of Minemen
    Minewarfare Association
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Tank Landing Ship (LST) Photo Index Back To The Mine Countermeasures Support Ship (MCS) Photo Index
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    Last Updated 1 March 2024