USS Tortuga (LSD-46)
From Freepedia
USS Tortuga (LSD-46) is a Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship of the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship to be named for the Dry Tortugas, a group of desert coral islets 60 miles west of Key West, Fla., which were discovered in 1513 by Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon.
| Image:USS Tortuga (LSD-46);10124602.jpg | |
| Career | Image:Dtomjack large.png |
|---|---|
| Awarded: | 26 November 1984 |
| Laid down: | 23 March 1987 |
| Launched: | 15 September 1988 |
| Commissioned: | 17 November 1990 |
| Status: | Active in service as of 2005. |
| Homeport: | NAB Little Creek, Virginia |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 11,471 tons (light), 16,568 tons (full) |
| Length: | 610 ft overall (185.9 m) |
| Beam: | 84 ft (25.6 m) |
| Draft: | 21 ft (6.4 m) |
| Propulsion: | 4 Colt Industries, 16 cylinder diesel engines, 2 shafts, 33,000 shp (25 MW) |
| Speed: | 20+ knots (37+ km/h) |
| Complement: | 22 officers, 391 enlisted; Marine Detachment: 402 plus 102 surge |
| Armament: | 2 × 25 mm Mk-38 guns; 2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS mounts; 6 × .50 cal. machine guns |
| Landing Craft: | 4 LCACs or 21 LCM-6s |
| Motto: | Tough, Tall, Tenacious |
Tortuga was laid down on 23 March 1987, by the Avondale Shipyards, New Orleans, La.. The threat of Hurricane Gilbert in the Gulf of Mexico forced an early launching of the ship, as a precautionary measure, on 15 September 1988. On 19 November 1988, Mrs. Rosemary Parker Schoultz, the ship's sponsor, presided over the christening ceremony, breaking the traditional bottle of champagne over the bow of the ship. Tortuga was commissioned on 17 November 1990.
As of 2005, Tortuga is commanded by CDR Mark H. Scovill, homeported at NAB Little Creek, Virginia, and assigned to Amphibious Group 2 of the Atlantic Fleet.
Reference
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
See also
- USS Tortuga, for other ships of the same name
External links
| Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship |
| Whidbey Island | Germantown | Fort McHenry | Gunston Hall | Comstock | Tortuga | Rushmore | Ashland |
| List of amphibious assault ships of the United States Navy |
