USS Peoria (LST-1183)

USS Peoria (LST-1183)
History
United States
NamePeoria
NamesakePeoria, Illinois
Ordered1966
BuilderNational Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, California
Laid down24 February 1968
Launched23 November 1968
Acquired1 January 1970
Commissioned21 February 1970
Decommissioned28 January 1994
IdentificationLST-1183
FateSunk as target, 12 July 2004
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"/50 caliber guns
Aviation facilitiesHelicopter deck

USS Peoria (LST-1183) was a Newport-class tank landing ship which replaced the traditional bow door-design tank landing ships (LSTs). The vessel took part in the Vietnam War and Gulf War. The ship was constructed by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego, California and was launched in 1968 and commissioned in 1970. Named for a city in Illinois, Peoria was assigned to the United States Pacific Fleet and home ported at San Diego. The tank landing ship alternated between military exercises along the United States west coast and deployments to the western Pacific. Peoria took part in the evacuations of Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Saigon, South Vietnam, both of which signaled the end of American involvement in the respective countries. The vessel was decommissioned 1994 and sunk as a target ship during a RIMPAC naval exercise in 2004.