USS Tortuga (LSD-26)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
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| Name: | USS Tortuga |
| Builder: | Boston Navy Yard |
| Laid down: | 16 October 1944 |
| Launched: | 21 January 1945 |
| Commissioned: | 8 June 1945 |
| Decommissioned: | 26 January 1970 |
| Struck: | 15 October 1976 |
| Honors and awards: |
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| Fate: | Ran aground and scrapped, 1987-88 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Casa Grande-class dock landing ship |
| Displacement: | 4,490 long tons (4,562 t) |
| Length: | 457 ft 9 in (139.52 m) |
| Beam: | 72 ft 2 in (22.00 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 geared turbines, 7,400 shp (5,518 kW), 2 shafts |
| Speed: | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement: | 326 |
| Armament: |
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USS Tortuga (LSD-26) was a Casa Grande-class dock landing ship in the United States Navy. She was the first Navy ship to be named for the Dry Tortugas, a group of desert coral islets 60 miles west of Key West, Florida, which were discovered in 1513 by Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon.
Tortuga was laid down on 16 October 1944 by the Boston Navy Yard; launched on 21 January 1945; sponsored by Mrs. George T. Paine; and commissioned on 8 June 1945, Lieutenant Commander Raymond G. Brown, USNR, in command.
Commissioned during the final phase of World War II, Tortuga conducted shakedown in the Virginia Capes area and was at Colón, Canal Zone, en route to the Pacific combat area on 15 August 1945 when she received news of Japan's surrender. The dock landing ship soon proceeded to Buckner Bay, Okinawa, and subsequently operated in Korean and Chinese waters, repairing small craft and serving in the mobile support unit attached to Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet. Operating initially out of Jinsen (now Inchon), Korea, Tortuga subsequently conducted her support missions out of Tsingtao, Taku, and Shanghai, China; Hong Kong; and Yokosuka, Japan. In the spring of 1947, the ship returned to the west coast of the United States, via Guam and Pearl Harbor, and was decommissioned and placed in reserve at San Diego on 18 August 1947.
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