Shreveport II LPD-12

Shreveport II

(LPD-12: dp. 16,900 (f); 1. 569'; b. 105'; dr. 22', s. 21 k.; cpl. 434; a. 4 3"; cl. Austin)

Shreveport (LPD-12) was laid down on 27 December 1965 by the Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Co., Seattle, Wash.; launched on 22 October 1966 sponsored by Mrs. Andrew McBurney Jackson, Jr., and commissioned on 12 December 1970, Capt. Peter H. Pehrsson in command.

On 22 January 1971, Shreveport departed Puget Sound for her home port, Little Creek, Va., where she arrived on 21 February. Between 9 March and 9 April 1971, the amphibious transport dock underwent shakedown training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and, from 16 June to 4 August, she carried 375 midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy on a training cruise to Northern Europe. After post shakedown repairs from 6 October to 24 November 1971, she sailed for the Caribbean, where she participated in landing exercises during the first part of 1972. On the 12th of June, the ship again sailed on a midshipman training cruise to Northern Europe, visiting the Azores; Aalborg, Denmark; Portsmouth, England; and Le Havre, France before returning to Norfolk on 3 August. During the rest of 1972, Shreveport conducted amphibious training exercises off the coasts of Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida.

Shreveport, with Amphibious Squadron 2, departed Norfolk on 4 January 1973 for her first tour of duty with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. The squadron stopped at Morehead City, N.C., and embarked elements of the 6th Marines (BLT 1/6) before it proceeded to

Rota, Spain, where it was assigned to CTF 61. The task force departed Rota on the 16th, called at Cannes France, on the 18th, and was underway for Monte Romano, Italy, on the 22d. During her six-month deployment, Shreveport also visited parts in Italy, Greece Crete, and Turkey before returning to Morehead City on 2 July. The marines were offloaded, and the ship continued to Norfolk that afternoon.

Shreveport operated in the Norfolk area until February 1974 when she sailed, with PhibRon 2, for operations in the Caribbean. She returned to her home port on 19 March. The ship made another trip south to the Canal Zone area that lasted from 18 April to 4 June. On 24 June, Shreveport sailed for Rotterdam and another deployment with the 6th Fleet where she serves into July 1974.