USS Saginaw (LST-1188) was the tenth of the s of the United States Navy which replaced the traditional bow door-design tank landing ships (LSTs). The second ship of that name, Saginaw was named after the river in Michigan. The LST was constructed by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company of San Diego, California, launched in 1970 and commissioned in 1971. During service with the United States Navy, the ship took part in US efforts in the Lebanese civil war and the Gulf War. Saginaw was decommissioned on 28 June 1994 and was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy on 28 August that year.
Recommissioned as , the LST underwent a major refit removing its bow ramps and using a crane to load and unload the vessel. The ship was retired from Australian service in 2011 after being replaced by . The ship was towed back to the United States and broken up for scrap at New Orleans, Louisiana in 2013.
Design and description
Saginaw was a which were designed to meet the goal put forward by the United States amphibious forces to have a tank landing ship (LST) capable of over . However, the traditional bow door form for LSTs would not be capable. Therefore, the designers of the Newport class came up with a design of a traditional ship hull with a aluminum ramp slung over the bow supported by two derrick arms. The ramp was capable of sustaining loads up to . This made the Newport class the first to depart from the standard LST design that had been developed in early World War II.
The LST had a displacement of when light and at full load. Saginaw was long overall and over the derrick arms which protruded past the bow. The vessel had a beam of , a draft forward of and at the stern at full load.
Saginaw was fitted with six Alco 16-645-ES diesel engines turning two shafts, three to each shaft. The system was rated at and gave the ship a maximum speed of for short periods and could only sustain for an extended length of time. The LST carried of diesel fuel for a range of at the cruising speed of . The ship was also equipped with a bow thruster to allow for better maneuvering near causeways and to hold position while offshore during the unloading of amphibious vehicles.
The Newport class were larger and faster than previous LSTs and were able to transport tanks, heavy vehicles and engineer groups and supplies that were too large for helicopters or smaller landing craft to carry. The LSTs have a ramp forward of the superstructure that connects the lower tank deck with the main deck and a passage large enough to allow access to the parking area amidships. The vessels are also equipped with a stern gate to allow the unloading of amphibious vehicles directly into the water or to unload onto a utility landing craft (LCU) or pier. At either end of the tank deck there is a turntable that permits vehicles to turn around without having to reverse. The Newport class has the capacity for of vehicles, of cargo area and could carry up to 431 troops. The vessels also have davits for four vehicle and personnel landing craft (LCVPs) and could carry four pontoon causeway sections along the sides of the hull.
Saginaw was initially armed with four Mark 33 /50 caliber guns in two twin turrets. The vessel was equipped with two Mk 63 gun control fire systems (GCFS) for the 3-inch guns, but these were removed in 1977–1978. The ship also had SPS-10 surface search radar. Atop the stern gate, the vessels mounted a helicopter deck. They had a maximum complement of 213 including 11 officers.
Construction and career
United States Navy service
The LST was ordered as the first hull of the third group in Fiscal Year 1967 on 15 July 1966. The ship was laid down on 24 May 1969 by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, in San Diego, California. Named for a river in Michigan, Saginaw was launched on 7 February 1970, sponsored by the wife of Congressman James Harvey of Michigan. The vessel was commissioned into the United States Navy at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard on 23 January 1971.