USS ''Spartanburg County'' (LST-1192) was the fourteenth of twenty s of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

(USN) which replaced the traditional bow door-design tank landing ships (LSTs). Named after a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, the ship was constructed by

National Steel and Shipbuilding Company National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, commonly referred to as NASSCO, is an American shipbuilding company with three shipyards located in San Diego, Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk and Mayport (Jacksonville), Mayport. It is a division of General Dy ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The LST was launched in 1970 and was commissioned in 1971. Assigned to the

United States Atlantic Fleet United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

, ''Spartanburg County'' deployed regularly to the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

and

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

s. In 1983 and 1985, the vessel was present in Lebanese waters. In 1990, the LST was deployed to the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

in the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, returning to the United States in 1991. ''Spartanburg County'' was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1994. Transferred to the

Royal Malaysian Navy The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ms, Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia; TLDM; Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defense operations. RMN's area of o ...

and commissioned as KD ''Sri Inderapura'' in 1995, the LST was deployed off the coast of Somalia in anti-piracy operations in 2008. The ship suffered two major fires, the first in 2002 after which ''Sri Inderapura'' was repaired and returned to service. The second took place in 2009 after which the vessel sank. The ship was raised and decommissioned on 21 January 2010.

Design and description

''Spartanburg County'' was a which were designed to meet the goal put forward by the United States

amphibious forces Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

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 A hull is the watertight body of a ship, boat, or flying boat. The hull may open at the top (such as a dinghy), or it may be fully or partially covered with a deck. Atop the deck may be a deckhouse and other superstructures, such as a funnel, der ...

with a

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The LST had a

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and Physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

of when light and at full load. ''Spartanburg County'' was

long overall __NOTOC__ Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, and ...

and over the derrick arms which protruded past the bow. The vessel had a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of , a draft forward of and at the stern at full load. ''Spartanburg County'' was fitted with six Alco 16-645-ES

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

s 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 Diesel fuel , also called diesel oil, is any liquid fuel specifically designed for use in a diesel engine, a type of internal combustion engine in which fuel ignition takes place without a spark as a result of compression of the inlet air and t ...

for a range of at the cruising speed of . The ship was also equipped with a

bow thruster Manoeuvering thruster (bow thruster or stern thruster) is a transversal propulsion device built into, or mounted to, either the bow or stern, of a ship or boat to make it more manoeuvrable. Bow thrusters make docking easier, since they allow th ...

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 A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

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

davit Boat suspended from radial davits; the boat is mechanically lowered Gravity multi-pivot on Scandinavia'' file:Bossoir a gravité.jpg, Gravity Roller Davit file:Davits-starbrd.png, Gravity multi-pivot davit holding rescue vessel on North Sea ferr ...

s for four vehicle and personnel landing craft (LCVPs) and could carry four pontoon causeway sections along the sides of the hull. ''Spartanburg County'' was initially armed with four Mark 33 /50 caliber guns in two twin

turrets Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * M ...

. 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 Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

. Atop the stern gate, the vessels mounted a helicopter deck. They had a maximum complement of 213 including 11 officers.

Construction and career

US service

The LST was ordered as the fifth hull of the third group of the ''Newport'' class in Fiscal Year 1967 and a contract was awarded on 15 July 1966.Naval Vessel Register The ship was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

on 7 February 1970 at

by the

. Named after a

, ''Spartanburg County'' was launched on 7 November 1970, sponsored by the wife of Neville Holcombe. The LST was commissioned into the

on 1 September 1971 and assigned to the Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet. ''Spartanburg County'' transited the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

and arrived at the LST's new home port, Little Creek,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. From there the tank landing ship alternated routine operations along the east coast of the United States and in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

with deployments to the

. ''Spartanburg County'' maintained this pattern into 1980. In 1983, while in port at

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

, Lebanon, crew from ''Spartanburg County'' aided in extinguishing a fire aboard the Lebanese freighter ''Aziz''. In June 1985, ''Spartanburg County'' was among the ships deployed off the Lebanese coast in response to the terrorist hijacking of

TWA Flight 847 Trans World Airlines Flight 847 was a flight from Cairo to San Diego with en route stops in Athens, Rome, Boston, and Los Angeles. On the morning of June 14, 1985, Flight 847 was hijacked shortly after take off from Athens. The hijackers demande ...

and the dispersal of some hostages around Beirut. During the

, ''Spartanburg County'' was part of Amphibious Group 2 (PhibGru2). Tasked with transporting part of the

4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade The 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade was a brigade-sized unit of the United States Marine Corps that was designed specifically to be an anti-terrorism unit. The mission of this unit was to be a quickly deployable unit to wherever needed in th ...

(4th MEB) via the Mediterranean to the

, the group was divided up into transit groups, with ''Spartanburg County'' joining Transit Group 1. Along with elements of the 4th MEB, the LST transported the aviation command and control equipment of Marine Aircraft Group 40. Transit Group 1 departed

Morehead City Morehead City is a port town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2010 census. Morehead City celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding on May 5, 2007. It forms part of the Crystal Coast. His ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

on 17 August 1990 and united with the other transit groups off

Masirah Island Masirah Island ( ar, جَزِيْرَة مَصِيْرَة, Jazīrat Maṣīrah), also referred to as Mazeira Island or ''Wilāyat Maṣīrah'' ( ar, وِلَايَة مَصِيْرَة), is an island off the east coast of mainland Oman in the ...

on 16 September. Transit Group 1 rejoined PhibGru2. PhibGru2 was split back into respective transit groups on 24 March 1991 and Transit Group 1 returned to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina on 17 April after a ceasefire had been declared on 1 April. ''Spartanburg County'' was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 16 December 1994.

Malaysian service

''Spartanburg County'' was acquired by Malaysia in a cash sale as part of the

Security Assistance Program The United States Department of Defense's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program facilitates sales of U.S. arms, defense equipment, defense services, and military training to foreign governments. The purchaser does not deal directly with the defense ...

on 16 December 1994. The ship was commissioned into the

as KD ''Sri Inderapura''. The vessel was refit between 1995 and 1998 at Johore. On 15 December 2002, the ship was damaged by fire. ''Sri Inderapura'' was subsequently rebuilt and returned to service which included deployments to Somalian waters in September 2008 as part of international anti-piracy efforts. On 8 October 2009, while berthed at the Lumut Naval Base, ''Sri Inderapura'' caught fire and sank. The vessel was later raised. ''Sri Inderapura'' was decommissioned by the Royal Malaysian Navy on 21 January 2010.

Notes

Citations

References

* * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

NavSource
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spartanburg County (LST-1192) Newport-class tank landing ships Ships built in San Diego 1970 ships Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Royal Malaysian Navy Amphibious warfare vessels of the Royal Malaysian Navy