Search the Site with

General Characteristics

Crew List

Memorabilia

History

Image Gallery

to end of page

USS Peoria (LST 1183)

USS PEORIA was the fifth NEWPORT - class Tank Landing Ship and the fourth ship in the Navy to honor the city in Illinois. Decommissioned on January 28, 1994, and stricken from the Navy list on November 6, 2002, the PEORIA spent the following months at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF), Pearl Harbor, HI, until she was sunk as a target during RIMPAC 2004 in July 2004.

back to top

go to the end of the page

back to top

go to the end of the page

Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS PEORIA. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

• Click here to view the list.

back to top

go to the end of the page

• Click here to see which USS PEORIA memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

back to top

go to the end of the page

USS PEORIA History:

USS PEORIA was laid down at San Diego, California, by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company on February 22, 1968. She was launched on November 23, 1968, sponsored by Mrs. Robert H. Michel, and commissioned on February 21, 1970, with Commander John T. Williams as her first commanding officer. Assigned to the Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet, PEORIA was homeported at San Diego.

Following commissioning, PEORIA spent much of 1970 completing the testing, training and qualifications required to bring a new amphibious ship to full operational status. Her arrival in the fleet coincided with a period of major change in Southeast Asia. The United States was progressively reducing its ground-force presence in South Vietnam under the policy of Vietnamization, but the withdrawal itself generated a substantial requirement for naval transportation. Amphibious ships continued carrying personnel, vehicles and equipment out of South Vietnam while simultaneously maintaining contingency forces throughout the western Pacific.

PEORIA became directly involved in this logistical effort during 1971. A Marine Corps operational report dated June 9 identified PEORIA together with USS POINT DEFIANCE (LSD 31) and USS FREDERICK (LST 1184) as sea-lift shipping supporting Embarkation Unit XII during the withdrawal of American personnel and equipment from South Vietnam. PEORIA was assigned elements that included Company A, 1st Engineer Battalion, Company A, 1st Motor Transport Battalion and Company C, 1st Service Battalion. Her movement from the theater was scheduled for June 22, with the transported units expected at Camp Pendleton on July 9.

PEORIA remained assigned to Pacific Fleet amphibious forces during the following years. By 1974, the political and military deterioration of Cambodia had become an increasingly important factor in Seventh Fleet amphibious planning. The government of the Khmer Republic was under mounting pressure from the Khmer Rouge, and the United States maintained contingency plans for evacuating American personnel if Phnom Penh became untenable. PEORIA entered the western Pacific deployment cycle that eventually placed her in both major American evacuation operations in Southeast Asia during the spring of 1975.

On November 27, 1974, PEORIA was at Subic Bay in the Philippines as part of Amphibious Ready Group Alpha supporting the 31st Marine Amphibious Unit. The principal amphibious ships included USS TRIPOLI (LPH 10), USS VANCOUVER (LPD 2), USS THOMASTON (LSD 28) and PEORIA. The group was maintaining a 168-hour response requirement for Operation Eagle Pull, the contingency plan for evacuation from Cambodia. At the same time, the amphibious force was preparing for Exercise Mablex I-75, a combined American-Philippine amphibious exercise. On November 30, PEORIA was photographed underway off Palawan Island during a rehearsal associated with Mablex I-75.

The Cambodian contingency remained an important part of PEORIA's assignment as 1975 began. By January 29, she was serving in Amphibious Ready Group Alpha with USS OKINAWA (LPH 3), USS VANCOUVER and USS THOMASTON. The group's required response time for movement toward Kampong Som, Cambodia, had by then been reduced to 96 hours as the position of the Cambodian government continued to deteriorate.

PEORIA was temporarily detached from the principal amphibious group early in February. On February 2, she separated from the other ships with elements of Battalion Landing Team 2/4 embarked and proceeded toward Tinian. Exercise Quick Jab II was conducted there from February 9 through February 15. The training commitment took place while the broader amphibious organization continued to maintain its Eagle Pull readiness requirement.

By February 19, PEORIA was again listed within the shipping assigned to Amphibious Ready Group Alpha, although Company E, Battalion Landing Team 2/4, embarked aboard PEORIA, was then en route to Subic Bay with an expected arrival on February 20. The repeated changes in Marine loading and ship disposition reflected the need to combine routine training requirements with continuing readiness for a possible evacuation from Cambodia. During March and early April, the Khmer Rouge progressively isolated Phnom Penh. American planning moved from contingency preparation toward imminent execution. PEORIA became involved in the logistical organization supporting the evacuation force. USS VEGA (AF 59), carrying refugee subsistence supplies, transferred approximately 12.4 tons of those supplies to USS DUBUQUE (LPD 8) and PEORIA near Phu Quoc before rejoining the principal Eagle Pull task organization on April 9.

Operation Eagle Pull was executed on April 12, 1975. American helicopters evacuated U.S. Embassy personnel, Cambodian officials and other designated evacuees from Phnom Penh before Khmer Rouge forces captured the capital on April 17. PEORIA was officially credited as one of the Navy ships involved in Eagle Pull and supported the larger evacuation organization, although the principal amphibious platforms directly supporting the April 12 helicopter extraction were USS OKINAWA, USS VANCOUVER and USS THOMASTON, supplemented by carrier and escort forces. PEORIA's participation therefore formed part of the broader naval operation rather than making her one of the three primary helicopter platforms used for the Phnom Penh extraction itself.

The collapse of Cambodia was followed almost immediately by the final crisis in South Vietnam. As North Vietnamese forces advanced toward Saigon, the Seventh Fleet shifted from Operation Eagle Pull to preparations for the much larger evacuation of American personnel and Vietnamese evacuees from South Vietnam. Between April 18 and April 24, a substantial amphibious force concentrated off the coast near Vung Tau. PEORIA was assigned to Movement Transport Group Alpha with USS OKINAWA, USS VANCOUVER and USS THOMASTON. Other amphibious elements of the evacuation force included USS DUBUQUE, USS DURHAM (LKA 114), USS FREDERICK, USS ANCHORAGE (LSD 36), USS DENVER (LPD 9), USS DULUTH (LPD 6) and USS MOBILE (LKA 115), while aircraft carriers, escorts and support ships formed the larger naval force offshore.

Operation Frequent Wind was activated on April 29 after continuing attacks on Tan Son Nhut Air Base made conventional fixed-wing evacuation increasingly hazardous. Helicopters became the principal means of moving evacuees from Saigon to the ships waiting offshore. On the morning of April 29, PEORIA and USS BARBOUR COUNTY (LST 1195) were ordered into positions off Vung Tau to serve as emergency helicopter landing platforms. USS COCHRANE (DDG 21) provided protection and forward air-traffic-control support in the area. The merchant vessel PIONEER COMMANDER was also assigned nearby for the possible reception of evacuees arriving by sea.

PEORIA's flight deck became an active component of the helicopter movement. Official Marine Corps helicopter-flow records document CH-53 helicopters staging through PEORIA during the operation. USS HANCOCK (CVA 19) launched CH-53s toward PEORIA to pick up troops, and helicopters associated with USS OKINAWA were also incorporated into movements involving PEORIA. Helicopters then departed PEORIA as part of the staging and refueling sequence supporting the evacuation. One CH-53 originating from PEORIA was incorporated into the first major helicopter wave.

The operating environment around Vung Tau became increasingly unstable as South Vietnamese military authority disintegrated. By daybreak on April 30, artillery rounds fired from ashore were falling in the vicinity of the ships. The closest reported impacts landed approximately one mile from PEORIA. USS HENRY B. WILSON (DDG 7) went to general quarters as the naval force prepared for the possibility of deliberate fire against the ships. The shelling subsequently ceased.

Operation Frequent Wind ended on April 30 after the final American helicopter departures from Saigon. PEORIA withdrew with the other amphibious forces as the evacuation organization dispersed. By May 13, she was back at Subic Bay. Her participation in both Operation Eagle Pull and Operation Frequent Wind gave PEORIA a direct operational role in the two evacuations that accompanied the collapse of the U.S.-supported governments in Cambodia and South Vietnam in April 1975.

Following the Southeast Asian evacuation operations, PEORIA returned to the normal Pacific Fleet cycle of maintenance, amphibious training and preparation for another western Pacific deployment. On April 13, 1976, she departed San Diego as part of Amphibious Squadron 3. The formation included USS CLEVELAND (LPD 7), USS OGDEN (LPD 5), USS POINT DEFIANCE, USS FRESNO (LST 1182), USS FREDERICK and PEORIA. USS CHICAGO (CG 11) and USS COOK (FF 1083) also participated in the initial movement. USS CLEVELAND suffered an engineering casualty shortly after departure and returned temporarily to San Diego, while PEORIA and the remaining ships continued across the Pacific.

By May 19, PEORIA was operating with Amphibious Ready Group Bravo. Company A, Battalion Landing Team 1/9, and Battery D, 2nd Battalion, 12th Marines, were embarked aboard her and were scheduled to take part in Exercise Quick Jab V on Tinian from May 25 through May 31. The plan was disrupted by Typhoon Pamela, which approached Guam with destructive winds and forced naval units to move to storm-evasion areas. Typhoon Pamela struck Guam on May 21 and May 22 and caused extensive damage to military and civilian infrastructure across the island. PEORIA subsequently participated in the naval humanitarian-relief effort. Other Navy ships involved in relief and recovery work included USS DIXIE (AD 14), USS WHITE PLAINS (AFS 4), USS JASON (AR 8), USS PROTEUS (AS 19) and USS TRIPOLI. The ships provided personnel, equipment and support to the damaged island as the Navy and Marine Corps shifted resources from scheduled training to disaster recovery.

After the Guam relief effort, PEORIA resumed her western Pacific deployment. The normal operating cycle included movement of Marine units, amphibious training, port periods and continuing contingency readiness across the western Pacific. The deployment concluded in the autumn. USS CLEVELAND, USS THOMASTON and PEORIA departed Pearl Harbor on October 26 under the sail order known as Tiger Express and arrived at San Diego on November 2, 1976. PEORIA returned to the Pacific Fleet training and maintenance cycle during 1977.

By 1978, PEORIA was again operating in the western Pacific. She served in Amphibious Ready Group Alpha with USS TRIPOLI, USS POINT DEFIANCE and USS SAN BERNARDINO (LST 1189). Marine Corps operational reporting during the summer placed PEORIA at Yokosuka, Japan, while other elements of the amphibious organization were dispersed among operating and transit locations in the Pacific. Her assignment continued the post-Vietnam pattern of maintaining a forward-deployed amphibious capability available for training, reinforcement of regional allies and unforeseen contingencies.

PEORIA remained part of the Pacific amphibious force through the end of the 1970s. By this stage, she had been in commissioned service for almost a decade, and the recurring deployment schedule increasingly had to be balanced against the maintenance requirements of the Newport-class machinery and amphibious systems.

Another western Pacific deployment began on October 14, 1980, when Amphibious Squadron 7 departed the West Coast. The formation included USS TARAWA (LHA 1), USS OGDEN, USS POINT DEFIANCE, USS ST. LOUIS (LKA 116), USS BARBOUR COUNTY and PEORIA. The ships initially operated together before dividing into separate amphibious ready groups for their Seventh Fleet assignments. By December, PEORIA was serving with Amphibious Ready Group Bravo alongside USS OGDEN and USS POINT DEFIANCE. Marine Corps reporting in December placed PEORIA en route to Subic Bay with an expected arrival on December 12. Later that month, the group proceeded to Hong Kong, where USS OGDEN, USS POINT DEFIANCE and PEORIA were together over the New Year period.

On January 2, 1981, the three ships left Hong Kong and proceeded toward Okinawa. They continued operating together during the first part of January, including formation steaming and helicopter operations while Marine units were rotated between ships and training areas. Their schedules then diverged. By late January, Marine Corps reporting placed PEORIA en route to Guam with an expected arrival on January 27, while USS OGDEN and USS POINT DEFIANCE were returning toward Okinawa.

Following the 1980-1981 deployment, PEORIA returned to the West Coast and entered another cycle of maintenance and readiness training. In January 1982, she participated in Exercise Kernel Egress, a no-notice evacuation exercise intended to test the ability of Navy and Marine Corps forces to respond rapidly to a noncombatant evacuation requirement. Participating amphibious ships included USS PELELIU (LHA 5), USS CLEVELAND, USS POINT DEFIANCE, USS MONTICELLO (LSD 35), USS BRISTOL COUNTY (LST 1198) and PEORIA. The exercise ran from January 7 through January 17, with the final evacuation phase conducted at San Clemente Island.

PEORIA began another western Pacific deployment on April 2, 1982, as part of Amphibious Squadron 7. Ships in the deploying amphibious organization included USS CLEVELAND, USS POINT DEFIANCE, USS BRISTOL COUNTY, USS SAN BERNARDINO and PEORIA. The force reached Pearl Harbor on April 9. Beginning on April 12, the ships participated in Rimpac 82, the major multinational Pacific exercise centered on Hawaiian waters. Rimpac brought together American and allied naval and air forces for coordinated maritime warfare training and provided the amphibious units with another opportunity to practice integrated operations before continuing westward.

By late May, PEORIA had become part of Amphibious Ready Group Alpha with USS PELELIU and USS CLEVELAND, supporting the 31st Marine Amphibious Unit. On May 26, the group was scheduled to depart Subic Bay. Its subsequent deployment carried the ships south to Australia. During July, all three ships were at Fremantle, Western Australia, with departure scheduled for July 13. The amphibious group later returned toward Northeast Asia. By September, PEORIA, USS PELELIU and USS CLEVELAND were at Yokosuka, Japan. PEORIA was scheduled to depart on September 14.

PEORIA began another western Pacific deployment on September 12, 1983, when Amphibious Squadron 7 departed San Diego. The squadron included USS PELELIU, USS CLEVELAND, USS ANCHORAGE, USS FORT FISHER (LSD 40), USS ST. LOUIS, USS SAN BERNARDINO and PEORIA. The formation supported the 31st Marine Amphibious Unit, whose principal elements included Battalion Landing Team 2/3 and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262. The ships proceeded to Hawaiian waters, where Marine personnel and equipment were embarked before the westward transit continued in early October. The deployment subsequently placed the amphibious force throughout the western Pacific as ships were divided among different training, transport and readiness assignments.

The deployment extended into 1984. PEORIA eventually began the eastward return with other elements of Amphibious Squadron 7. On February 28, 1984, USS CLEVELAND, USS FORT FISHER and PEORIA departed Pearl Harbor for the final leg to California. The three ships reached San Diego on March 6, completing the deployment.

During October 1984, PEORIA and USS FREDERICK were photographed at the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company yard in San Diego. PEORIA subsequently returned to Pacific operations. The command history of U.S. Naval Forces Korea places PEORIA at Pohang, South Korea, from February 5 through February 6, 1986. She returned to Korean waters the following month and was at Pusan from March 1 through March 3. These visits occurred during a period of extensive United States-South Korean combined training and reflected the continuing amphibious contribution to reinforcement exercises on the Korean Peninsula.

PEORIA continued her Pacific Fleet service during 1987 and 1988. Contemporary photographic documentation places her at the Ship Repair Facility at Subic Bay during 1987, establishing that she underwent work there. She continued participating in the Pacific amphibious training and readiness cycle.

A particularly significant late-career assignment took PEORIA into the Persian Gulf during 1989. Although the Iran-Iraq War had ended with a ceasefire in August 1988, American naval forces continued mine-clearing and maritime-security operations in the Gulf after the period of intensive convoy protection and mine warfare generally associated with the Tanker War. PEORIA supported naval forces operating in the region in a logistical role. On February 20, 1989, USS DE WERT (FFG 45) conducted a vertical replenishment with PEORIA. PEORIA supplied fresh provisions, including milk and vegetables, while the frigate's embarked helicopter carried out the transfer. By the end of March, the extraordinary American mine-warfare presence in the Persian Gulf was being reduced. On March 30, 1989, PEORIA departed the Gulf in company with USS FEARLESS (MSO 442), USS ILLUSIVE (MSO 448) and USS INFLICT (MSO 456). Their departure formed part of the withdrawal of forces that had remained after the Iran-Iraq ceasefire to complete mine-clearance and related maritime-security tasks.

PEORIA returned to Pacific Fleet amphibious operations and continued preparing for contingency deployments. The international environment changed dramatically during 1990 after Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2. The United States began the rapid buildup of naval, air and ground forces in Southwest Asia under Operation Desert Shield.

Beginning on September 20, PEORIA participated in a major predeployment amphibious exercise in the southern California operating area. The force included USS NEW ORLEANS (LPH 11), USS DENVER, USS MOBILE, USS GERMANTOWN (LSD 42) and PEORIA. The exercise continued for approximately ten days around San Clemente Island and formed part of the intensified preparations for the deployment of additional Marine forces to Southwest Asia.

On December 1, 1990, PEORIA departed the West Coast with Amphibious Group 3 carrying the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade. The large amphibious formation included USS TARAWA, USS TRIPOLI, USS NEW ORLEANS, USS DENVER, USS JUNEAU (LPD 10), USS VANCOUVER, USS ANCHORAGE, USS MOUNT VERNON (LSD 39), USS GERMANTOWN, USS MOBILE, USS BARBOUR COUNTY, USS FREDERICK and PEORIA. Military Sealift Command shipping carried additional equipment required by the Marine brigade.

The force crossed the Pacific and Indian Ocean as the United States and its coalition partners prepared for the possibility that Iraqi forces would have to be expelled from Kuwait by military action. Amphibious Group 3 arrived on station in the Arabian Sea on January 12, 1991. Its arrival brought together an 18-ship American amphibious force, the largest such concentration assembled by the United States since the Korean War. The enlarged formation incorporated ships already in the region, including USS OKINAWA, USS OGDEN, USS FORT McHENRY (LSD 43), USS DURHAM and USS CAYUGA (LST 1186), in addition to the ships of Amphibious Group 3. The force carried thousands of Marines and gave coalition commanders the option of conducting a large-scale amphibious landing against Iraqi-held Kuwait.

Operation Desert Storm began with coalition air operations on January 17. Throughout the following weeks, PEORIA remained part of the amphibious force as Marines trained, rehearsed landings and maintained the capability to approach the Kuwaiti coast. The threat of a seaborne assault was one element of the wider coalition plan and required Iraqi commanders to retain forces in coastal defenses while the main coalition ground effort was prepared farther west. The coalition ground offensive began on February 24. No large American amphibious assault against the defended Kuwaiti shoreline was ultimately ordered. Instead, coalition ground forces advanced from Saudi Arabia into Kuwait and southern Iraq while the amphibious force continued to provide an afloat Marine capability, logistical support and the option for operations from the sea. Combat operations ended after the rapid liberation of Kuwait.

Following the ceasefire, the organization of the amphibious force changed. During March, the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Amphibious Squadron 1 were separated from the larger 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade organization. The amphibious group included USS NEW ORLEANS, USS DENVER, USS GERMANTOWN, USS MOBILE and PEORIA. The ships remained overseas as the United States reduced its wartime force while retaining naval and Marine units for regional security and follow-on commitments. PEORIA's return deployment continued through the summer of 1991. On August 1, most of Amphibious Squadron 1 and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit were already moving toward Subic Bay, but PEORIA remained at Singapore for an additional period. Company L, Battalion Landing Team 3/1, was embarked and participated with elements of the 1st Armored Assault Battalion in Exercise Valiant Mark 91-5. PEORIA was scheduled to depart Singapore on August 1 and arrive at Subic Bay on August 4, where personnel flown to Singapore specifically for the exercise were to be debarked and PEORIA would rejoin the remainder of the amphibious squadron.

The ships reached the Philippines only weeks after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Pinatubo had severely damaged Clark Air Base and Naval Base Subic Bay. PEORIA was photographed off Cubi Point on August 5 amid the continuing aftermath of the eruption. The deployment then entered its final trans-Pacific phase. PEORIA and the other returning ships of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Amphibious Squadron 1 reached the United States on August 27, 1991, ending an overseas deployment of nearly nine months.

PEORIA remained an active Pacific Fleet ship after Desert Storm. During 1992, she underwent maintenance and continued readiness work from San Diego. Marine Corps reporting on April 1 listed PEORIA at San Diego in a repair or availability status. Unlike some other aging NEWPORT-class ships, PEORIA had not been transferred to the Naval Reserve Force in 1990; she remained in regular active service through the final years of her career.

The ship was still operational in 1993. During September, she participated in an unusual replenishment evolution involving the newly delivered CYCLONE-class patrol coastal ship HURRICANE (PC 3). HURRICANE was moving from the Gulf Coast toward her future home port at San Diego and, during the transit, conducted an underway refueling with PEORIA. The evolution was recorded as the first underway refueling carried out by a PC-class patrol coastal ship. HURRICANE subsequently reached San Diego on September 24 and was commissioned there the following month.

By this time, PEORIA was approaching the end of almost twenty-four years of commissioned service. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the resulting post-Cold War reduction of the United States fleet accelerated the retirement of older amphibious ships. Newer dock landing ships and multipurpose amphibious designs were assuming missions formerly performed by the NEWPORT-class, while the manpower and maintenance requirements of older ships made their continued operation increasingly difficult to justify.

PEORIA was decommissioned on January 28, 1994. Her active-service career had lasted almost twenty-four years. After decommissioning, PEORIA was retained rather than being immediately scrapped or transferred overseas. She was placed in inactive status with the Pacific reserve fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The former landing ship remained there for more than eight years while the Navy considered eventual disposal. PEORIA was formally struck from the Naval Vessel Register on November 6, 2002. With no requirement for reactivation and no foreign transfer completed, the former ship was subsequently selected for disposal in support of fleet training. On July 12, 2004, the former PEORIA was disposed of in support of a United States Fleet training exercise.

back to top

go to the end of the page

USS PEORIA Image Gallery:

The photo below was taken by CJ Reyes and shows the PEORIA berthed at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF), Pearl Harbor, HI, in February 2004. The PEORIA was sunk as a target in July 2004 during RIMPAC.

back to top

Back to Tank Landing Ships page.

Back to ships list.

Back to selection page.

Back to 1^st page.