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

The 'Landing Ship Dock' or LSD developed from a British staff requirement for a type of self-propelled drydock to transport beaching craft over long distances, that would in turn deliver trucks and supplies onto the beach. A flooding deck aft capable of holding either two of the larger British Landing craft tanks (LCTs) or three of the new US LCTs was included in the designs. With the option of fitting extra decks, large numbers of vehicles could be transported, and loaded into landing craft via ramps. Despite an initial specification for a speed of , the LSDs were capable of only .

Service

The British initially ordered seven of the class from US dockyards, numbered LSD-9 to 15. Only four were delivered, numbers 9 to 12, while 13 to 15 were retained by the US Navy, which ordered another twelve to the design, but only built ten. In total thirteen of the ships served with the US Navy, while four ships served with the Royal Navy.

Ships

United States Navy

Royal Navy

Gallery

File:USS Catamount;10121701.jpg, An LCVP bucks in the well of USS ''Catamount'' (LSD-17) during mine clearance operations off Chinnampo, North Korea, in November 1950 File:USS Fort Marion;10122203.jpg, LVTs embarking British commandos leave USS ''Fort Marion'' (LSD-22) for the beach at Sorye Dong, Korea, on 7 April 1951 File:USS Casa Grande;10121302.jpg, USS ''Casa Grande'' (LSD-13) discharging LCU-1491 from her well deck, circa 1957 File: USS San Marcos with USS Donner.jpg, USS ''San Marcos'' (LSD-25, front) with USS ''Donner'' (LSD-20, rear) File:USS Shadwell (LSD-15) in Mobile Bay (02) 2014.jpg, Decommissioned USS ''Shadwell'' (LSD-15) in Mobile Bay as a Fire Research asset, 2014

Notes

References

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External links

Casa Grande class at Uboat.net

"Mother of Minesweepers."
''Popular Mechanics'', February 1952, pp. 97–104. {{Casa Grande-class dock landing ships Ship classes of the Royal Navy Ship classes of the French Navy