- USS Saginaw (LST-1188)
USS "Saginaw" (LST-1188), a sclass|Newport|tank landing ship of the
United States Navy was the second ship of that name. Saginaw was named after theSaginaw River , [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/s2/saginaw-ii.htm] a river in mid-Michigan.History
"Saginaw" was laid down on
24 May 1969 by theNational Steel and Shipbuilding Company , inSan Diego, California . She was launched on7 February 1970 , sponsored by Mrs. James Harvey, wife of the Congressman from the Eighth District of Michigan (which included Saginaw), and commissioned at theLong Beach Naval Shipyard on23 January 1971 , withCommander G. P. Brown in command.The new tank landing ship (LST) completed fitting out, took on ammunition at NWS Seal Beach,
California , and got underway from San Diego on4 March 1971 , bound for the east coast. On her first day out, her lookouts sighted a mechanized landing craft, "LCM(6)-805", adrift at sea. The LST took the drifting craft in tow, and later, turned her over to the "Point Defiance" (LPD-31). Then, "Saginaw" proceeded viaAcapulco, Mexico , and thePanama Canal , to NAB Little Creek,Virginia , her home port, arriving on26 March .Early in April, while preparing for shakedown, the ship tested a new concept for her class by hoisting a major self-contained medical unit (MUST) on her tank decks. This was done to evaluate the feasibility of setting up complete hospital facilities on her deck after off-loading her
troops ,vehicle s, andcargo . She got underway on19 April for Guantanamo Bay,Cuba , for shakedown, which lasted until her return to Little Creek on8 June . Various types of training and post-shakedown availability kept her busy through the end of the year.On
16 January 1972 , "Saginaw" weighed anchor to participate in Operation "Snowy Beach" withAmphibious Squadron 8 atReid State Park Beach ,Maine . On28 January , she completed the exercise and began preparations for overseas movement. On23 February , she embarked marines atMorehead City, North Carolina , and sailed for theMediterranean . She arrived atRota, Spain , on5 March , and changed operational control to the6th Fleet on the following day. For the next five months, "Saginaw" sailed the length of the "middle sea," participated in six amphibious exercises at various points across the Mediterranean, and visited ports along the way, fromSpain toTurkey . She left the 6th Fleet in early August, and returned to Morehead City on21 August . After disembarking Marines there, she entered her home port on the next day. After a 30-day standdown period, she resumed normal operations out of Little Creek for the remainder of the year."Saginaw" made two voyages to
Vieques Island, Puerto Rico , in January and early February 1973, to transport Marines to and from exercises held on that island. On22 March , she deployed to theCaribbean for two months as a unit of theCaribbean Amphibious Ready Group . She returned to Little Creek on18 May to regroup and replenish prior to her second deployment to the Caribbean. On5 July , she resumed operations in the Caribbean until24 August when she re-entered Little Creek. She remained in that area until26 November , when she put to sea to join other elements of theUnited States and Canadian Navies in CAUSEX, a convoy protection ASW exercise. "Saginaw" returned to Little Creek on6 December , and remained in port for the duration of 1973.Saginaw spent the first four months of 1974 in local operations out of Little Creek and in preparations for deployment to the Mediterranean. On
10 May 1974 , she embarked Marines at Morehead City, then got underway for Rota, Spain. She arrived in Rota on20 May , and through June, cruised the Mediterranean as a unit of the 6th Fleet.In the fall of 1977, Saginaw escorted the damaged submarine USS Ray back to CONUS after participation in Exercise Display Determination, a major NATO Amphibious exercise in the Mediterranean, returning to the US in 1978.
In January 1979, Saginaw deployed to the Caribbean for operations with the Amphibious Squadron Four. In June of the same year, she participated in the inter-fleet transfer of
USS Pegasus (PHM-1) ; escorting USS Pegasus from Rodman, Canal Zone to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Saginaw deployed to the US Sixth Fleet in September, 1979 with Amphibious Squadron Four and returned to the US in February 1980.In May, 1980, Saginaw participated in Solid Shield. On her way home she was diverted to the Florida Straits to take part in Cuban Refugee Operations, rescuing some 300 people. Also in 1980 Saginaw participated in Readex 2-80 and NATO exercise Teamwork 80. On
24 June , 800 civilians were evacuated from Juniyah, Lebanon by MARG 2-82 ships. On28 August and29 September , Saginaw entered Beirut harbor to provide vehicles and personnel for the Multi-National Force. For her participation in Lebanese operations Saginaw received three awards: the Navy Unit Commendation, the Navy Expeditionary Medal, and the Humanitarian Service Medal.In early 1983, Saginaw participated in Cold Winter 83. The latter part of 1983 found Saginaw busy preparing for her first Operational Propulsion Plant Examination (OPPE) as well as participation in Readex 2-83. In February 1984, Saginaw departed Little Creek for a seven month deployment with MARG 2-84 and Teamwork 84. These exercises began with a 30 plus ship ocean transit and ended with a mock-up reinforcement of NATO forces in Norway. On April 1984, Saginaw arrived in the Mediterranean and found herself again involved in operations off the Lebanese coast. The remaining four months of the cruise were spent providing security for the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.
1985 proved to be a busy year for Saginaw. Prior to a June deployment, Saginaw underwent an Operational Propulsion Plant Examination, Amphibious Refresher Training, and participated in Operation Solid Shield 85. On
14 June , Saginaw commenced the six month UNITAS XXVI / WATCC 85 deployment, making port calls through South America and West Africa. Saginaw arrived home in December, and commenced a much needed drydocking and Phased Maintenance Availability in January.During September 1986, the ship underwent a highly successful INSURV. October saw the ship undergo Intermediate Refresher Training in GTMO where an OPPEE certification was achieved. After GTMO, Saginaw completed a successful Amphibious Refresher Training. It was during AMPHIBREFTRE that she received the highest grades by an LST ever recorded.
In late spring of 1987, Saginaw again deployed to the 6th and 7th fleets with MARG 3-87. Steering in both the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean, Saginaw participated in amphibious exercise Eastern Wind 87 and Bright Star 87. Ports visited included Mombassa, Kenya; Alexandria Egypt; and Naples, Italy. During this cruise, Saginaw suffered a main space fire in engine room #1 (Main Control). Saginaw returned to Little Creek, and entered Jonathan Shipyards for extensive repairs.
In 1988, Saginaw participated in Teamwork 88 with NATO forces. Following the exercise Saginaw conducted a port visit in Ronne, Denmark on the island of Bornholm. Saginaw was the 1st U.S. Naval ship to visit Bornholm in 26 years.
Saginaw finished 1988 at Jonathan Shipyards in a Phased Maintenance Availability. Following PMA, Saginaw began an extensive work-up schedule to prepare for her fall Mediterranean deployment as part of MARG 1-90. This included a Damage Control Training deployment to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, followed by an OPPEE in which Saginaw earned a "clean sweep". The MARG 1-90 deployment included many Joint Amphibious Exercises. Saginaw participated in exercises with troops from the countries of Spain, Tunisia, France, and Egypt.
In 1990, "Saginaw" completed a successful Supply Management Inspection, Operational Propulsion Plant Examination, and INSURV inspection, before seeing duty in both Operation Desert Shield, and Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf. In September 1990, Saginaw left Little Creek, VA. en route to the Persian Gulf, and entered the Gulf area on 14 Sept, as part of the amphibious force in the area. During her stay, she visited ports in Oman, and the United Arab Emirates before the commencement of the ground war. During the hostilities, Saginaw participated in several practice landings just south of Kuwait City, Kuwait.
Saginaw left the Persian Gulf after cessation of hostilities on
March 24 ,1991 . After which, she entered dry-dock for much needed repairs. In the spring of 1991, it was decided that most of the U.S. LSTs were no longer needed by the Navy, and were to be decommissioned and sold to other countries.In March 1992, the next six month Mediterranean Deployment commenced, and "Saginaw" as part of MARG 2-92 with a full crew of approx 14 officers and 210 enlisted, plus several platoons of US Marines with Humvees, Amtraks, Amphibious assault vehicles, etc. The ship participated in numerous amphibious training exercises with forces from Spain, France, Greece, Turkey, and others while also conducting operations in the Adriatic supporting US involvement in the former Yugoslavia. After deployment the ship entered into an expedited turn around of industrial work, training, inspections and pre-deployment preparations. "Saginaw" completed a successful Supply Management Inspection and INSURV inspection. This training also included a Damage Control Training deployment to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and a complete Amphibious Refresher Training period off the coast of Virginia and North Carolina. Late in this aggressive work up period, on the eve of the Operational Propulsion Plant Examination, the decision to sell the ship to the Australians in a "hot-ship" transfer was approved. The ready crew and ship were told to stand down from deployment preparations and begin training a full Australian crew in LST operations and maintenance. After several months of much Congressional and State Department activity, the ship was decommissioned in Little Creek, VA on 29 August 1994 and at the same ceremony transferred to the Royal Australian Navy. In Australia, the ship was converted into a Amphibious Troop Transport to meet the needs of the Australian Navy's mission.
Fate
"Saginaw" was sold to
Australia for use as atransport , and was re-named HMAS "Kanimbla" (L-51).Previous Commanding Officers
Commander Charles W. Luck 1992 - 1994
Commander Paul K. Kessler, Jr 1990 - 1992
Commander John F. Howard 1988 - 1990
Commander Tematio E. Bugarin 1986 - 1988
Commander P. M. Fagan 1984 - 1986
Commander K. H. Johnson 1982 - 1984
Commander T. P. McGuire 1980 - 1982
Commander R. M. Brierley 1978 - 1980
Commander R. A. Harris 1976 - 1978
Commander B. C. McLaughlin 1974 - 1976
Commander D. W. Moore 1972 - 1974
Commander G. P. Brown 1971 - 1972References
*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/s2/saginaw-ii.htm
*NVR|http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/LST1188.htm
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