USS Mobile (LKA-115)

USS Mobile (AKA-115/LKA-115) was a Charleston class amphibious cargo ship named after the city of Mobile, Alabama. She was the fourth U.S. Navy ship to bear that name. She served as a commissioned ship for 24 years and 4 months. LKAs had the distinction of being the only ships in the "Gator Navy" that were not flat bottom. They would drop anchor several hundred yards offshore and use their Mike 8s (LCM-8) and Mike 6s (LCM-6) to ferry in the Marines and their equipment.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Mobile.
History
United States
NameUSS Mobile
NamesakeMobile, Alabama
BuilderNewport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co.
Laid down15 January 1968
Launched19 October 1968
Commissioned20 September 1969
Decommissioned25 February 1994
Stricken31 August 2015
FateArrived for scrapping
StatusScrapping underway
General characteristics
Class and typeCharleston-class amphibious cargo ship
Displacement
  • 8,368 tons (light)
  • 18,600 tons(full load)
Length575 ft 6 in (175.41 m)
Beam82 ft (25 m)
Draft25 ft 5 in (7.75 m)
Boats & landing
craft carried		18 × LCM-8 and LCM-6 landing craft
Complement50 officers, 592 men
Armament4 × twin 3"/50 caliber guns
Service record
Operations:

The name was assigned on 6 November 1967, and the ship was laid down at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, VA, 15 January 1968 as AKA-115. As of the date of her article in DANFS, she was still under construction, and was scheduled to be completed in early spring 1969.

Mobile was extensively involved in the Vietnam War.

In April 1975, Mobile participated in Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon, Vietnam.[1]

Mobile took part in WestPac 84 and was involved in numerous operations. In the Gulf War, she was part of an 18-ship amphibious task force that was the largest such force since the Korean War. The task force arrived on station in the North Arabian Sea on 12 January 1991.

The ship was decommissioned on 4 February 1994 at Long Beach, California. She was berthed at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On October 12, 2023 after nearly 3 decades after decommissioning Mobile arrived at All Star Metals in Brownsville, Texas for scrapping along with her sister ship USS El Paso.

Mobile earned 15 awards and campaign ribbons for her service.

References
  1. "By Sea, Air and Land: An Illustrated History of the U.S. Navy and the war in Southeast Asia Chapter 5: The Final Curtain, 1973-1975". Archived from the original on 2007-06-27. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
USS Mobile mothballed at Philadelphia NISMF, in January 2008.

USS Mobile LKA-115 was part of the Operation Eagle Claw rescue attempt in April 1980. Awards issued to crew from that rescue attempt included the Navy expeditionary medal and Armed Forces expeditionary Medals issued July 1980 for participation in the Rescue attempt called Eagle Claw.

OS2 Richard Medeiros, USN, coordinated emergency evacuation establishing communications with AFB in Germany from USS Mobile CIC center.


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