USS Newport (LST-1179)

USS Newport at Rota, Spain in 1982
History
United States
NameNewport
NamesakeNewport, Rhode Island
OrderedFY 1965
BuilderPhiladelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Laid down1 November 1966
Launched3 February 1968
Commissioned7 June 1969
Decommissioned1 October 1992
Stricken13 July 2001
IdentificationLST-1179
FateTransferred to Mexico
Mexico
NamePapaloapan
Acquired18 January 2001
Commissioned23 May 2001
IdentificationA 411
StatusIn service
General characteristics as built
Class and typeNewport-class tank landing ship
Displacement
  • 4,793 long tons (4,870 t) light
  • 8,342 long tons (8,476 t) full load
Length
  • 522 ft 4 in (159.2 m) oa
  • 562 ft (171.3 m) over derrick arms
Beam69 ft 6 in (21.2 m)
Draft17 ft 6 in (5.3 m) max
Propulsion
Speed22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) max
Range2,500 nmi (4,600 km; 2,900 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Troops431 max
Complement213
Sensors and
processing systems
  • 2 × Mk 63 GCFS
  • SPS-10 radar
Armament2 × twin 3-inch/50-caliber guns
Aviation facilitiesHelicopter deck

USS Newport (LST-1179) was the third ship of the United States Navy (USN) to bear the name of the Rhode Island city. The first of her class of landing ship tanks (LST), she was capable of a sustained speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). Her ability to adjust her draft, accompanied by her unique bow-ramp design, helped bring a new degree of responsiveness to the amphibious fleet. The ship was launched in 1968 and entered service with the USN in 1969. Assigned to the United States Atlantic Fleet for the entirety of her career, Newport made deployments to the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas. The vessel was taken out of service in 1992 and laid up until 2001.

In 2001, the ship was sold to the Mexican Navy and initially renamed ARM Sonora before becoming ARM Rio Papaloapan (or just ARM Papaloapan for short). In Mexican service, the LST has participated in humanitarian missions in the aftermath of the hurricanes Katrina and Sandy and taken part in multi-national naval exercises.