USS Newport (LST-1179)

History
United States
Laid down:	1 November 1966
Launched:	3 February 1968
Commissioned:	7 June 1969
Decommissioned:	30 September 1992
Homeport:	NAB Little Creek, Virginia (former)
Motto:	"First in Her Class"
Fate:	Transferred to Mexico; renamed Papaloapan (P-411)
History
Mexico
Name:	Papaloapan (A411)
Acquired:	23 May 2001
Status:	In service
General characteristics
Class & type:	Newport class tank landing ship
Displacement:	5,190 tons (light), 8,792 tons (full)
Length:	522 ft (159.11 m) overall, 500 ft (152.40 m) at the waterline.
Beam:	70 ft (21.34 m)
Draft:	19 ft (5.79 m)
Propulsion:	6 diesel engines, 16,000 brake horsepower, two shafts, Twin Controllable Pitch Screws Bow Thruster – Single Screw, Controllable Pitch,
Speed:	21.5 knots (37+ km/h)
Capacity:	19,000 sq ft (1,765.2 m^2), capacity of 29 tanks or 30 AAVs.
Troops:	Marine detachment:   360 plus 40 surge
Complement:	Crew:   14 officers, 210 enlisted
Armament:	4 three-inch/50 caliber guns in two twin-barrel mounts 1 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS mounts.

The USS Newport (LST-1179) was the third ship to bear the name of the Rhode Island city. The first of her class of LSTs, she was capable of a sustained speed of 20 knots (37 km/h). Her ability to adjust her draft, accompanied by her unique bow-ramp design, helped bring a new degree of responsiveness to the amphibious fleet.

Built by the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, she was christened on 3 February 1968 by Mrs. Nuella Pell; wife of Rhode Island Senator, Claiborne Pell.

While assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, Newport completed ten deployments to the Mediterranean, as an asset of the Sixth Fleet. She also completed numerous deployments to the North Atlantic and Caribbean, in support of U.S. foreign policy. She assisted in the 1976 evacuation of Lebanon, and the 1990 Liberian Civil War; as well as operating in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, from a station in the Mediterranean.

During her service, she earned the Meritorious Unit Commendation, Navy "E" Ribbon (for Battle Efficiency), (twice), Navy Expeditionary Medal (one service star), National Defense Service Medal (one service star), Humanitarian Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (nine service stars), and a Secretary of State Tribute of Appreciation.

Deployments

• May 1970; Caribbean
• April 1971 – Oct 71 Mediterranean
• August 1972; Caribbean
• November 1973 – June 1974; Regular Overhaul
• August 1974 – Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
• January 1975 – March 1975; Caribbean
• August 1975 ; Caribbean
• October 1975 – December 1975; North Atlantic
• March 1976; Caribbean
• June 1976 – December 1976; Mediterranean
• June 1977; Caribbean
• February 1978 – August 1978; Mediterranean
• September 1978 – September 1979; Regular Overhaul

Initially dry docked at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, followed by move to Horn Brother, Newport News, Virginia. Commander William Naldrett relieves Commander Fred – June 1979.

• October 1979; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba/Haiti

Refresher training after Regular Overhaul included a post visit to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

• February 1980; North Atlantic

12 March 1980 – Crosses Arctic Circle off the coast of Norway.

• July 1980; Caribbean
• August 1980 – February 1981; North Atlantic-Mediterranean–Indian Ocean
• 5 November 1980 – Shellback Initiation off the coast of Kenya crossing the Equator
• Early December 1980 - Supporting Amphibious landings on the island of Sardinia and training in Italy with port calls to Naples and Gaieta, Italy
• December Holiday Season and New Years in Malaga, Spain
• January 1981 - 2 of four engines fail and one shaft fails. Ship under tow. Embarked Navy SEEBEES cut through decks to move remaining good engine to good shaft. Ship makes 8 knots back to the USA under her own power.
• February 1981 - Return to Morehead City, NC, USA to offload embarked Marines
• February 1981 - Return to Naval Amphibous Base, Little Creek, VA
• January 1982 – Mediterranean-Indian Ocean

17 March 1982 – Fire destroys No. 3 Engine Room while anchored in the port of Berbera, Somalia

• April 1982 – December 1982; yard period
• December 1982; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
• January 1983 – April 1983; North Atlantic
• September 1984 – February 1985; Mediterranean
• April 1986; Caribbean Included port call in St. John's, Antigua
• August 1986 – October 1986; Northern Wedding Included crossing of Arctic Circle in August, port calls in Bergen, Norway and Edinburgh, Scotland and traverse of Kiel Canal, Germany
• January 1987 – August 1987; Mediterranean, Included port calls in Genoa and Naples, Italy; Marseilles and Villefranche sur mer, France; Valencia, Spain; and Lisbon, Portugal; Completed OPPE on return trip
• December 1988 – June 1989; Mediterranean
• September 1989 – March 1990; regular overhaul
• April 1990; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
• August 1990 – March 1991; Mediterranean – West Africa

December 1990 – Shellback Initiation off the coast of Liberia

• November 1991 – June 1992; Mediterranean
• September 1992; decommissioned

Fate

USS Newport was decommissioned on 30 September 1992, at her homeport of NAB Little Creek, Virginia. After several years in the Navy's mothball facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was sold to the Mexican Navy. Rechristened at Mexican Naval Shipyard Number 1 (ASTIMAR-1), Tampico, Tamaulipas Mexico, as Mexican Navy Ship (ARM in Spanish) Papaloapan (P-411).

In late 2005, the ARM Papaloapan (P-411) (former USS Newport) answered the call of the United States once again, bringing aid and supplies to citizens of Mississippi, who fell victim to Hurricane Katrina.

In January 2010, she was deployed with 5000 tons of cargo in a humanitarian mission to Haiti.^[1]

In November 2012, she was sent to Cuba with tons of supplies to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy

Gallery

• 

  Ship's patch

• 

  As the ARM Papaloapan (P-411)

References

1. Sale ayuda mexicana rumbo a Haití (in Spanish), retrieved 2010-01-14

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

External links

• navsource.org: USS Newport