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USS Catamount (LSD-17)
Encyclopedia
USS Catamount (LSD-17) was a Casa Grande-class
dock landing ship
of the United States Navy
, named in honor of the Catamount Tavern
in Old Bennington
,
which served as headquarters for Ethan Allen
's Green Mountain Boys
while making their plans against the New York
ers and the British. The Catamount was also the meetingplace of Vermont's only form of government then: the Vermont Council of Safety.
Catamount was launched
on 27 January 1945 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Va., sponsored by Mrs. Dave E. Satterfield, Jr.
; commissioned
on 9 April 1945, Commander C. A. Swafford in command; and reported to the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Catamount sailed out of Pearl Harbor
on 16 June 1945 laden with landing craft
for Guam
and Eniwetok. Through the remainder of the war, she ferried landing craft, dredge
s, and other equipment from Espiritu Santo
to Kwajalein
, Guam, and the Philippines
. On 19 August she cleared Guam with special equipment to be used in the occupation of Japan, and on 26 August she stood up Tokyo Bay
. Here she operated a boat pool and tended landing craft until 6 October, when she cleared on the first of two voyages to Manila
to ferry troops and boats for the Japanese occupation. After a final voyage from Guam to Samar, Catamount cleared for San Francisco
and Norfolk
, where she arrived 11 February 1946. Joining the Atlantic Fleet
, Catamount took part in amphibious training and midshipman cruises until the outbreak of the Korean War
.
Leaving Norfolk on 15 August 1950, Catamount called at San Diego
en route Kobe
where she embarked marines
bound for the invasion of Inchon. In the landings at Wonsan
, Catamount sailed with the important repair and salvage group. It was in November 1950, that Catamount achieved a notable first, when, as part of Commander Stephen M. Archer's Task Element 95.69, she became the first LSD to take part in minesweeping operations, at Chinnampo, port city of P'yŏngyang. It was essential that this port be opened so that the advancing U.S. Eighth Army
ashore could be supplied by sea, and all types of minesweepers
were summoned for the urgent task. Catamount served as tanker and supply ship to this varied fleet, as well as mothering a swarm of LCVP
s which were able to sweep waters too shallow for larger craft.
In December 1950, Catamount took part in the withdrawal of marines and soldiers from Hungnam
to Pusan, then returned to Yokosuka, Japan
to replenish. She returned to tend landing craft at Korea
n ports through April 1951, when she began duty transporting equipment and supplies from Sasebo to Inchon and Pusan. On 31 May, she cleared Yokosuka for an overhaul at San Diego.
Catamount had two more tours of duty in the Korean War, from 3 November 1951 to 24 July 1952, and from 29 October 1952 to 8 April 1953. She made her first post-war tour from 5 August 1953 to 18 April 1954. During each of these tours, she tended small craft, and transported personnel, as well as taking part in exercises off Japan and Okinawa. From her base at San Diego
, she conducted local operations, and in the summer of 1954, made two voyages to Naknek, Alaska
, with landing craft and oil barges.
of the Tachen Islands early in February. She returned to San Diego 24 April. After local operations, she spent 16 January to 30 August 1956 in the central Pacific in Operation Redwing
, a series of nuclear tests. In the summer of 1957, Catamount sailed from Seattle
on resupply missions to stations of the Distant Early Warning Line
(DEW Line) in the Arctic
.
From 12 June to 8 December 1958, she cruised in the Far East once more, returning for duty off the coast of southern California
. Among her assignments was qualifying helicopter
pilots in landings on ships of her type, and participating in amphibious landing exercises based on the relatively new concept of vertical envelopment. Special operations off the northwest coast of the United States and British Columbia
in the spring and summer of 1959 preceded a deployment to Hawaii
for amphibious training. Later in the year she was overhauled in Portland, Oreg., returning to operations from San Diego 25 March 1960.
After a brief period of operations and supplementary overhaul in San Diego, Catamount sailed on 25 June on a special mission, carrying landing craft to southern Chile
, devastated by the Great Chilean Earthquake. Transferred to the Chilean Navy
, these landing craft provided critically needed transportation in regions where piers had been destroyed by tsunami
. Catamount returned to San Diego on 13 August, operated on the west coast and on 22 November sailed for another tour with the U.S. 7th Fleet in the Far East.
.
Catamount was decommissioned
on 31 March 1970, and struck from the Naval Register on 15 October 1976.
She was sold for scrapping, 4 December 1975 by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for $178,148.15 to Max Rouse & Sons, Beverly Hills, Calif.
Catamount received seven battle stars for Korean War
service and seven campaign stars for Vietnam War
service.
Casa Grande class dock landing ship
The Casa Grande class was a class of dock landing ships used by the Royal Navy and the United States Navy during the Second World War. Nineteen ships were planned, but two, and were cancelled before being completed.-Design:...
dock landing ship
Dock landing ship
A Dock landing ship or Landing ship is a form of amphibious warship designed to support amphibious operations. These amphibious assault ships transport and launch amphibious craft and vehicles with their crews and embarked personnel...
of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, named in honor of the Catamount Tavern
Catamount Tavern
The Catamount Tavern was a tavern in Old Bennington, Vermont, USA. Originally known as Fay’s House, it is marked now by a granite and copper statue placed in 1896. It was built 1769 and burned in 1871...
in Old Bennington
Old Bennington, Vermont
Old Bennington is a village in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is located entirely within the town of Bennington. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 232....
,
which served as headquarters for Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen was a farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, and American Revolutionary War patriot, hero, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of the U.S...
's Green Mountain Boys
Green Mountain Boys
The Green Mountain Boys were a militia organization first established in the 1760s in the territory between the British provinces of New York and New Hampshire, known as the New Hampshire Grants...
while making their plans against the New York
Province of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
ers and the British. The Catamount was also the meetingplace of Vermont's only form of government then: the Vermont Council of Safety.
Catamount was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 27 January 1945 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Va., sponsored by Mrs. Dave E. Satterfield, Jr.
Dave E. Satterfield, Jr.
Dave Edward Satterfield, Jr. was a U.S. Representative from Virginia's 3rd congressional district. He took office on November 2, 1937 after a special election to fill the vacancy created by the death of Andrew J...
; commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 9 April 1945, Commander C. A. Swafford in command; and reported to the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Catamount sailed out of Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on 16 June 1945 laden with landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
for Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
and Eniwetok. Through the remainder of the war, she ferried landing craft, dredge
Dredge
Dredging is an excavation activity or operation usually carried out at least partly underwater, in shallow seas or fresh water areas with the purpose of gathering up bottom sediments and disposing of them at a different location...
s, and other equipment from Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
to Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
, Guam, and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. On 19 August she cleared Guam with special equipment to be used in the occupation of Japan, and on 26 August she stood up Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
. Here she operated a boat pool and tended landing craft until 6 October, when she cleared on the first of two voyages to Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
to ferry troops and boats for the Japanese occupation. After a final voyage from Guam to Samar, Catamount cleared for San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
and Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, where she arrived 11 February 1946. Joining the Atlantic Fleet
U.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
, Catamount took part in amphibious training and midshipman cruises until the outbreak of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
.
Korean War
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
en route Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
where she embarked marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
bound for the invasion of Inchon. In the landings at Wonsan
Wonsan
Wŏnsan is a port city and naval base in southeastern North Korea. It is the capital of Kangwŏn Province. The population of the city is estimated to have been 331,000 in 2000. Notable people from Wŏnsan include Kim Ki Nam, diplomat and Secretary of the Workers' Party.- History :The original name of...
, Catamount sailed with the important repair and salvage group. It was in November 1950, that Catamount achieved a notable first, when, as part of Commander Stephen M. Archer's Task Element 95.69, she became the first LSD to take part in minesweeping operations, at Chinnampo, port city of P'yŏngyang. It was essential that this port be opened so that the advancing U.S. Eighth Army
U.S. Eighth Army
The Eighth United States Army – often unofficially abbreviated EUSA – is the commanding formation of all US Army troops in South Korea.-World War II:...
ashore could be supplied by sea, and all types of minesweepers
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
were summoned for the urgent task. Catamount served as tanker and supply ship to this varied fleet, as well as mothering a swarm of LCVP
LCVP
The Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively in amphibious landings in World War II. The craft was designed by Andrew Higgins of Louisiana, United States, based on boats made for operating in swamps and marshes...
s which were able to sweep waters too shallow for larger craft.
In December 1950, Catamount took part in the withdrawal of marines and soldiers from Hungnam
Hungnam
Hŭngnam was the third largest city in North Korea.It is a port city on the eastern coast, in South Hamgyong Province, on the Sea of Japan . The city covers an area of 250 square kilometers...
to Pusan, then returned to Yokosuka, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to replenish. She returned to tend landing craft at Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n ports through April 1951, when she began duty transporting equipment and supplies from Sasebo to Inchon and Pusan. On 31 May, she cleared Yokosuka for an overhaul at San Diego.
Catamount had two more tours of duty in the Korean War, from 3 November 1951 to 24 July 1952, and from 29 October 1952 to 8 April 1953. She made her first post-war tour from 5 August 1953 to 18 April 1954. During each of these tours, she tended small craft, and transported personnel, as well as taking part in exercises off Japan and Okinawa. From her base at San Diego
Naval Station San Diego
Naval Base San Diego is the largest base of the United States Navy on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, consisting of 54 ships and over 120 tenant commands. The base is composed of 13 piers stretched...
, she conducted local operations, and in the summer of 1954, made two voyages to Naknek, Alaska
Naknek, Alaska
Naknek is a census-designated place located in Bristol Bay Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the CDP was 678....
, with landing craft and oil barges.
1955 – 1965
On 3 January 1955, Catamount cleared for the Far East once again, arriving at Yokosuka 25 January. Almost at once she sailed for the Taiwan Straits to take part in the evacuationBattle of Dachen Archipelago
The Battle of Dachen Archipelago was a struggle between the Nationalists and the Communists for the control of several archipelagos just off the coast of Zhejiang, China during the Chinese Civil War in the post-World War II era, and it was part of the First Taiwan Strait Crisis...
of the Tachen Islands early in February. She returned to San Diego 24 April. After local operations, she spent 16 January to 30 August 1956 in the central Pacific in Operation Redwing
Operation Redwing
Operation Redwing was a United States series of 17 nuclear test detonations from May to July 1956. They were conducted at Bikini and Enewetak atolls. The entire operation followed Operation Wigwam and preceded Operation Plumbbob. The primary intention was to test new, second-generation...
, a series of nuclear tests. In the summer of 1957, Catamount sailed from Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
on resupply missions to stations of the Distant Early Warning Line
Distant Early Warning Line
The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the North Coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska, in addition to the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland...
(DEW Line) in the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
.
From 12 June to 8 December 1958, she cruised in the Far East once more, returning for duty off the coast of southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. Among her assignments was qualifying helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
pilots in landings on ships of her type, and participating in amphibious landing exercises based on the relatively new concept of vertical envelopment. Special operations off the northwest coast of the United States and British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
in the spring and summer of 1959 preceded a deployment to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
for amphibious training. Later in the year she was overhauled in Portland, Oreg., returning to operations from San Diego 25 March 1960.
After a brief period of operations and supplementary overhaul in San Diego, Catamount sailed on 25 June on a special mission, carrying landing craft to southern Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, devastated by the Great Chilean Earthquake. Transferred to the Chilean Navy
Chilean Navy
-Independence Wars of Chile and Peru :The Chilean Navy dates back to 1817. A year before, following the Battle of Chacabuco, General Bernardo O'Higgins prophetically declared "this victory and another hundred shall be of no significance if we do not gain control of the sea".This led to the...
, these landing craft provided critically needed transportation in regions where piers had been destroyed by tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
. Catamount returned to San Diego on 13 August, operated on the west coast and on 22 November sailed for another tour with the U.S. 7th Fleet in the Far East.
Vietnam War
Catamount served several tours in the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Catamount was decommissioned
Ship decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
on 31 March 1970, and struck from the Naval Register on 15 October 1976.
She was sold for scrapping, 4 December 1975 by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for $178,148.15 to Max Rouse & Sons, Beverly Hills, Calif.
Catamount received seven battle stars for Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
service and seven campaign stars for Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
service.