Ashland-class dock landing ship

The Ashlands were the first dock landing ships designed and constructed for the United States Navy. Though initially the American planners had no interest in the ship type, a design was developed from a British Staff Requirement which called for a ship with a floodable deck aft to operate at least two British landing craft tanks. The ship type was initially designated "tank landing carrier" (TLC).[1] The dock landing ship was designed with the capability of moving smaller, pre-loaded amphibious warfare craft over long distances.[2] The Ashland-class ships measured 454 feet (138 m) long at the waterline and 457 ft 9 in (139.52 m) overall with a beam of 72 ft 2 in (22.00 m) and a seagoing draft of 15 ft 10 in (4.83 m) and a maximum draft of 18 ft (5.5 m).[2][3] The vessels had a light displacement of 4,032 long tons (4,097 t) and a full load displacement of 5,746 long tons (5,838 t).[2][4] While loaded and seagoing, their displacement is 7,100 long tons (7,200 t) and 13,490 long tons (13,710 t) when the well deck was flooded down.[4] They had a complement of 254.[2]

The vessels were propelled by two shafts powered by two Skinner Uniflow reciprocating engines fed steam by two double boilers creating 7,400 indicated horsepower (5,500 kW). This gave the dock landing ships a maximum speed of 15.4 knots (28.5 km/h; 17.7 mph) and a range of 7,400 nautical miles (13,700 km; 8,500 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[2][3][lower-alpha 1] In United States Navy service, the Ashlands were equipped with a single 5-inch (127 mm)/38-caliber gun, two twin-mounted 40-millimeter (1.6 in) guns and two quad-mounted 40 mm guns and sixteen 20 mm (0.79 in) guns.[2][6][lower-alpha 2]

On 26 November 1941, eight LSDs were ordered for construction at the Moore Dry Dock Company yard in Oakland, California for the United States Navy.[1] They entered service at the height of World War II and saw action in the Pacific theater, taking part in several major invasions including the battles of Saipan, Philippines,[11] Okinawa[12] and Iwo Jima.[13] Following the war, the vessels were placed in reserve.[11] During the war, the ability to transport smaller vessels such as PT boats or minesweepers sometimes led to criticism that the Ashland-class ships were not available for their primary jobs. Furthermore, the landing ship docks were fitted with repair shops and some acted as repair ships in forward areas.[9] They were reactivated for the Korean War, taking part in fleet exercises.[13] Epping Forest operated in Korean waters, taking part in minesweeping operations, the first for an LSD.[12] In 1954, Belle Grove was part of the fleet monitoring Operation Castle, a nuclear test at Bikini Atoll and again in 1957 for Operation Hardtack I.[13] In 1956, Ashland was re-configured to operate six Martin P5M-2 Marlin aircraft before being taken out of service again 1957.[11]

In 1956 White Marsh was decommissioned, but remained in active service with a civilian crew as part of the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS). White Marsh remained in this service until being transferred to the Taiwan.[14] Lindenwald also saw service with the MSTS but was reacquired by the United States Navy.[15] Belle Grove and Gunston Hall operated off the coast of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War and performed several transport missions in support of operations there.[13][16] Lindenwald also took part in the landings of US troops in the Dominican Republic in 1965.[15]

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  USS Oak Hill (LSD-7) underway off San Francisco in April 1944
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  USS Gunston Hall (LSD-5) underway, soon after recommissioning in March 1949
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  LSM-175 about to enter the well of USS Carter Hall (LSD-3) in San Diego Bay, Spring 1951
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  USS Gunston Hall (LSD-5) launches PACV c. 1967

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ashland class dock landing ships.

• Blackman, Raymond V. B., ed. (1953). Jane's Fighting Ships 1953–54. London: Sampson, Low and Marston. OCLC 913556389.
• Couhat, Jean Labayle, ed. (1976). Combat Fleets of the World 1976/77: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Armament. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-183-8.
• "Ashland (LSD-1)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. United States Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
• "Belle Grove". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. United States Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
• "Epping Forest". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. United States Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
• "Gunston Hall I (LSD-5)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. United States Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
• "Lindenwald". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. United States Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
• "White Marsh". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. United States Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
• Friedman, Norman (1980). "United States of America". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Friedman, Norman (2002). U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-250-1.
• Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen & Budzbon, Przemysław, eds. (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.