USS Charleston (LKA 113)

- formerly AKA 113 -
- decommissioned -

USS CHARLESTON was the first of five CHARLESTON - class amphibious cargo ships. Initially laid down as AKA 113 but redesignated LKA 113 on January 1, 1969, the USS CHARLESTON was transfered to the Naval Reserve Force in the early 1980s, but returned to the active fleet shortly afterwards because of the need for additional sealift capacity. Decommissioned on April 14, 1968, CHARLESTON was subsequently berthed at the Naval Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility at Philadelphia, Penn., where she was held in reserve to make her available in the case of a military emergency. The ship was stricken from the Navy list on August 15, 2015, and was finally removed from Philadelphia for dismantling in March 2026.

General Characteristics:	Awarded: June 11, 1965
	Keel laid: December 5, 1966
	Launched: December 2, 1967
	Commissioned: December 14, 1968
	Decommissioned: April 27, 1992
	Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Va.
	Propulsion system: two boilers, one geared turbine, one propeller shaft, 22,000 shaft horsepower
	Propellers: one
	Length: 575.5 feet (175.4 meters)
	Beam: 82 feet (25 meters)
	Draft: 25.6 feet (7.8 meters)
	Displacement: approx. 18,700 tons full load
	Speed: 20+ knots
	Aircraft: helicopter platform only
	Boats: 4 LCM-8, 4 LCM-6, 2 LCVP and 2 LCP
	Armament: two 20mm Phalanx CIWS
	Crew: Ship: 22 officers and 334 enlisted USMC: 15 officers and 211 enlisted

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS CHARLESTON. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

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USS CHARLESTON Cruise Books:

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Ship's History:

USS CHARLESTON, the lead ship of the CHARLESTON-class amphibious cargo ships, was ordered on June 11, 1965, and laid down at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia, on December 5, 1966. She was launched on December 2, 1967, and commissioned on December 14, 1968, initially as USS CHARLESTON (AKA 113). On January 1, 1969, the Navy redesignated its attack cargo ships as amphibious cargo ships, and CHARLESTON consequently became LKA 113. Norfolk, Virginia, became her principal home port. The ship had been designed to transport Marines, vehicles, ammunition, equipment, landing craft, and general cargo to an amphibious objective and to unload them without requiring developed harbor facilities. Cargo could be transferred by landing craft or moved by helicopter when circumstances permitted.

During 1969 and early 1970, USS CHARLESTON completed the normal process of becoming fully integrated into Atlantic Fleet amphibious forces, including training, trials, and readiness work. By 1970, she was operating regularly with Atlantic Fleet amphibious formations. On May 13, 1970, she sailed as part of a Caribbean Amphibious Ready Group that also included USS NEWPORT (LST 1179), USS GUAM (LPH 9), and USS HERMITAGE (LSD 34). The group conducted amphibious training in the Caribbean and took part in Exercise Exotic Dancer III. After the severe earthquake that struck Peru on May 31, USS GUAM was detached for humanitarian assistance, while the remaining ships continued their training commitments. In July, the force participated in an Atlantic Fleet landing exercise in the Camp Pendleton area of Virginia.

The most extensive voyage of CHARLESTON's career began on February 9, 1971, when she departed Norfolk on a deployment that developed into a circumnavigation of the world. She first proceeded to Davisville, Rhode Island, where she loaded personnel, equipment, construction material, and other supplies for the developing American support facility on Diego Garcia in the central Indian Ocean. The establishment of facilities on Diego Garcia was then in its initial phase, and the United States relied heavily on naval construction units and sealift to move the equipment required for communications, aviation, accommodations, and harbor support. After completing loading, CHARLESTON crossed the Atlantic. Her route included Monrovia, Liberia, followed by Port Louis, Mauritius, before she reached Diego Garcia on March 20, 1971. The cargo carried by CHARLESTON contributed to the early construction effort on the island. After unloading, she departed Diego Garcia on March 25 and continued eastward rather than returning through the Atlantic.

USS CHARLESTON next proceeded to Singapore and then entered the western Pacific. She subsequently operated in the Vietnam theater and called at Da Nang, South Vietnam, in early April 1971. During this period, she carried personnel and material connected with the continuing reduction of the American military presence in South Vietnam. Her Vietnam service between April 4 and April 8 qualified the ship for Vietnam Service Medal campaign credit. After completing her work in the area, CHARLESTON continued to Subic Bay in the Philippines and Okinawa before beginning the eastward Pacific crossing. She reached Pearl Harbor later in April and then proceeded to San Diego, California, where she was present on April 29 and April 30. From San Diego she sailed south and visited Acapulco, Mexico, from May 4 through May 6. She then continued toward the Panama Canal, reached the Canal Zone on May 11, transited the canal on May 12, and returned to Norfolk on May 17, 1971.

After only a relatively short period at Norfolk, USS CHARLESTON resumed amphibious readiness duties. On June 21, 1971, she became part of the Caribbean Amphibious Ready Group. On July 6, she embarked Battalion Landing Team 1/6 at Morehead City, North Carolina. The deployment combined amphibious training with regional port visits and included calls at Colon, Panama; Cartagena, Colombia; and Kingston, Jamaica. After operating with the embarked Marines in the Caribbean, CHARLESTON returned to Norfolk on August 6. Another Caribbean deployment began on September 9, again involving Battalion Landing Team 1/6. Training was conducted around Vieques, Puerto Rico, and CHARLESTON participated in Exercise Escort Tiger X and Exercise Doria Salute. The latter involved American and Dutch forces and provided combined amphibious training. The deployment also included visits to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Oranjestad, Aruba. CHARLESTON returned to Norfolk on October 28 and continued to support the Caribbean Amphibious Ready Group until late December.

In February 1972, USS CHARLESTON again deployed Marines for Caribbean training. On February 15, elements of the 10th Marines embarked in an amphibious formation that included USS CHILTON (APA 38), USS AUSTIN (LPD 4), USS SPIEGEL GROVE (LSD 32), USS PENSACOLA (LSD 38), USS LORAIN COUNTY (LST 1177), and USS CHARLESTON. The ships reached Vieques on February 19 for FirEx 72, where Marine artillery and associated units conducted live-fire and amphibious training. The force remained involved in the exercise cycle before returning to the Morehead City area in March. CHARLESTON continued Atlantic Fleet amphibious operations through 1972 and 1973.

A major Mediterranean deployment began on September 25, 1974, when USS CHARLESTON sailed as part of Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group 2-74 with the 32nd Marine Amphibious Unit embarked. The amphibious force included USS GUAM, USS PONCE (LPD 15), USS CHARLESTON, USS PLYMOUTH ROCK (LSD 29), USS SUMTER (LST 1181), and USS SPARTANBURG COUNTY (LST 1192). The force initially operated in the North Atlantic and participated in Exercise Alien Gold southwest of the United Kingdom before continuing toward the Mediterranean. In October, the group entered the Sixth Fleet operating area and began a series of Mediterranean amphibious exercises. CHARLESTON participated in Phiblex 4B-75 off Corsica during the autumn. The ready group subsequently operated from several Mediterranean ports and anchorages. CHARLESTON was documented at Brindisi, Italy, in November 1974 and at Marseille, France, in February 1975. Later that month, she operated in southeastern Spain during Phiblex 8A-75 near Carboneras. The deployment combined amphibious training, Marine landing exercises, allied cooperation, and Sixth Fleet readiness duties at a time when the Mediterranean remained one of the principal areas of competition between the United States and the Soviet Union.

USS CHARLESTON returned to the Mediterranean in January 1976 as part of Amphibious Squadron Eight. The force included USS BARNSTABLE COUNTY (LST 1197), USS SPIEGEL GROVE, USS RALEIGH (LPD 1), USS GUADALCANAL (LPH 7), and USS CHARLESTON. The ships departed the Norfolk area on January 5 and proceeded to Morehead City, where the 34th Marine Amphibious Unit and its equipment were embarked. Following amphibious rehearsals near Onslow Beach, the force departed for the Atlantic crossing on January 10. After reaching the western Mediterranean, the new ready group relieved its predecessor and began amphibious training, including operations near Carboneras, Spain.

The ongoing Lebanese Civil War soon transformed the deployment. Fighting in Lebanon had severely weakened central government authority and created concern for the safety of foreign citizens. The amphibious group therefore shifted from routine training toward contingency readiness. The ships operated in the Mediterranean while maintaining the ability to respond to Lebanon at short notice. By late March, evacuation procedures were being rehearsed as the force maintained a high state of readiness. After a prolonged period of operations, elements of the group obtained a short port period at Naples, Italy, in early June before again returning to sea.

By June 17, 1976, USS CHARLESTON and the other ready-group ships were positioned at a holding area known as Point Sandy, approximately 220 nautical miles west of Beirut, from which the amphibious force could respond to developments in Lebanon within about twelve hours. The situation became more serious after United States Ambassador Francis E. Meloy Jr. and economic counselor Robert O. Waring were abducted and killed on June 16. On June 20, the United States carried out a seaborne evacuation of civilians from Beirut. USS SPIEGEL GROVE moved closest to the Lebanese coast and provided the landing craft used in the direct evacuation, while USS CHARLESTON and the remainder of the amphibious force remained offshore in support of the operation. CHARLESTON therefore participated in the evacuation as a supporting member of the amphibious task group rather than as the ship that directly collected evacuees from the shore. Her participation later qualified the ship for the Humanitarian Service Medal.

During the autumn of 1976, USS CHARLESTON also participated in major North Atlantic Treaty Organization amphibious activities in northern European waters. These operations included Exercise Teamwork 76 and subsequent allied training associated with the reinforcement and defense of northern Europe. Marine forces and amphibious shipping practiced the movement of substantial forces across the North Atlantic and their employment ashore under Cold War conditions. CHARLESTON subsequently returned to Atlantic Fleet duties.

During 1977, USS CHARLESTON continued Atlantic and Caribbean amphibious operations and later deployed again to the Mediterranean. She operated as part of Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group 2-77 with the 34th Marine Amphibious Unit embarked. The core amphibious ships included USS GUADALCANAL, USS RALEIGH, USS PORTLAND (LSD 37), USS CHARLESTON, and USS SUMTER. On October 5, 1977, the force was operating in the Saros Bay region of Turkey during Exercise Display Determination 77. Display Determination was one of the recurring allied exercises designed to test reinforcement procedures, combined naval operations, and amphibious warfare on NATO's southern flank.

The Mediterranean deployment continued into 1978. USS CHARLESTON was at Malaga, Spain, on January 4, 1978, and during February the amphibious force conducted additional training around Sardinia, including Phiblex 2-78 and Sardinia 78. Following completion of the deployment, CHARLESTON underwent substantial maintenance and overhaul work. The overhaul period was completed in February 1979 and prepared the ship for continued operational service into the next decade.

On July 8, 1979, while USS CHARLESTON was at Norfolk, a fire occurred in a diesel-generator space. The incident was investigated as suspected arson, and three sailors were subsequently reported as being held in connection with the investigation. The ship remained in service and later that year participated in Exercise Display Determination 79 in the Mediterranean. In November 1979, CHARLESTON was transferred to the Naval Reserve Force. The change did not remove her from operational service; instead, she combined amphibious readiness duties with the training and integration of Naval Reservists.

In 1980, USS CHARLESTON participated in Exercise Teamwork 80, a large NATO exercise conducted across the North Atlantic and northern European waters from September 10 through September 24. The exercise involved more than 100 ships and tens of thousands of personnel from allied nations and was intended to test the reinforcement, protection, and resupply of NATO's northern region. Following the main exercise, participating ships dispersed for northern European port visits. USS CHARLESTON made a documented visit to Copenhagen, Denmark. The deployment formed part of the wider allied effort to demonstrate that substantial American and allied forces could be moved rapidly across the Atlantic and supported in northern Europe if required.

USS CHARLESTON remained in Naval Reserve Force service during 1981 and into 1982. During this period, the ship continued reserve training and amphibious readiness activities. She subsequently underwent an extended overhaul during 1982 and early 1983. After completion of the work, USS CHARLESTON returned to the Active Fleet on February 14, 1983.

Later in 1983, USS CHARLESTON participated in exercise Ahuas Tara II, a major United States-Honduran military exercise in Central America. The regional context included the Contra conflict in Nicaragua, the civil war in El Salvador, and increasing United States military cooperation with Honduras. On November 9, 1983, the 28th Marine Amphibious Unit departed Norfolk aboard ships of Amphibious Squadron Two. The force included USS NASSAU (LHA 4), USS GUADALCANAL, USS RALEIGH, USS PENSACOLA, USS CHARLESTON, and USS LA MOURE COUNTY (LST 1194). On November 18, the force conducted an amphibious landing near Puerto Castilla, Honduras. Approximately 1,200 United States Marines and 500 Honduran soldiers participated. Simulated naval gunfire support was provided by USS SEMMES (DDG 18) and USS BOONE (FFG 28). CHARLESTON transported and delivered personnel, vehicles, equipment, and supplies required for the amphibious operation.

Early in 1984, USS CHARLESTON took part in another major NATO deployment, this time to northern Europe for Exercise Teamwork 84. She operated with USS SAIPAN (LHA 2) and USS RALEIGH during the deployment. Marines, vehicles, equipment, and cargo were embarked at Morehead City before the force crossed the Atlantic. The wider amphibious formation included numerous Atlantic Fleet ships supporting Marine forces assigned to the northern Norwegian exercise area. Teamwork 84 ran from February 28 through March 22 and was designed to test the reinforcement of northern Norway under Cold War conditions. CHARLESTON supported the movement and landing of Marine forces and their equipment in Norwegian waters, where the operating environment presented demanding conditions of cold weather, mountainous terrain, narrow fjords, and limited infrastructure.

After completion of the Norwegian phase, USS CHARLESTON continued through European waters. A documented visit to Antwerp, Belgium, occurred during April 1984. Later that year, she performed support duties during underwater shock-testing activities off Florida involving USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV 67) and USS YORKTOWN (CG 48). The controlled explosive tests were intended to evaluate the ability of ships, systems, machinery, and fittings to withstand the effects of nearby underwater detonations. CHARLESTON supported the test program but was not the principal ship being shock-tested.

During 1985, USS CHARLESTON remained heavily involved in Atlantic Fleet amphibious training. She participated in Exercise Solid Shield 85, a major joint-service exercise involving substantial Navy and Marine Corps forces. Official photographs document CHARLESTON loading supplies at Morehead City in preparation for the exercise. As in previous large exercises, CHARLESTON's principal contribution was the transport and delivery of Marine equipment, vehicles, ammunition, supplies, and personnel.

USS CHARLESTON began another Mediterranean deployment on May 7, 1986. She sailed with an amphibious ready group carrying the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit. The principal amphibious ships were USS GUAM, USS TRENTON (LPD 14), USS PORTLAND, USS FAIRFAX COUNTY, and USS CHARLESTON. The Mediterranean remained a major Sixth Fleet operating area during the final years of the Cold War. Earlier in 1986, American forces had been involved in direct hostilities with Libya, but CHARLESTON's documented role during this deployment centered on amphibious readiness and multinational exercises rather than participation in the April air strikes against Libya. During the deployment, she participated in Exercise Tridente, Phiblex in Spain, and Exercise Display Determination 86. Display Determination took place from September 19 through October 13 and involved American and allied forces in a large combined exercise on NATO's southern flank. USS CHARLESTON and the other ships of the amphibious ready group returned to their home ports on November 11, 1986.

The ship continued intensive amphibious training during 1987. USS CHARLESTON participated in Exercise Solid Shield during the spring and in Exercise Solar Flare during the summer. She subsequently underwent a shipyard maintenance period later in the year before returning to operational service.

In 1988, USS CHARLESTON participated in Exercise Ocean Venture 88 before beginning another Mediterranean deployment. She operated with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Amphibious Squadron Four. The principal amphibious ships included USS GUAM, USS NASHVILLE (LPD 13), USS PENSACOLA, USS FAIRFAX COUNTY, and USS CHARLESTON. The deployment began in August 1988 and continued into early 1989. During this period, CHARLESTON participated in Exercise Display Determination 88 and Exercise African Eagle 88. Display Determination again tested combined amphibious and reinforcement operations on NATO's southern flank. The deployment concluded in early 1989, after which CHARLESTON returned to Atlantic Fleet operations.

USS CHARLESTON participated in Exercise Solid Shield 89 during 1989 and subsequently entered an extended maintenance and modernization period that continued into 1990. Work included significant repairs and improvements to shipboard machinery and equipment. Among the documented changes made during the later phase of her career were improvements to defensive, firefighting, and support systems. By this time, two of the ship's original twin 3-inch/50 gun mounts had been removed, while two remained, and two Phalanx close-in weapon systems had been added.

The final overseas deployment of USS CHARLESTON began in January 1991. She sailed with USS GUADALCANAL and USS AUSTIN as part of the amphibious force carrying the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The deployment coincided with the Gulf War, but CHARLESTON's documented operational involvement centered on Mediterranean amphibious operations and the humanitarian crisis that followed the war rather than the principal combat operations in the Persian Gulf.

In early April 1991, the amphibious group was conducting a landing exercise off Sardinia, Italy, when rapidly developing events in northern Iraq altered the deployment. Following the end of major combat operations in the Gulf War, Kurdish uprisings against the Iraqi government and their suppression resulted in a massive movement of civilians toward the mountainous regions near the Turkish and Iranian borders. The resulting humanitarian emergency led to the establishment of the multinational relief effort known as Operation Provide Comfort.

On April 9, 1991, while USS GUADALCANAL, USS AUSTIN, and USS CHARLESTON were participating in the Sardinian amphibious exercise, Commander, Sixth Fleet ordered the group to terminate the exercise, recover its Marines and equipment, and proceed to Iskenderun, Turkey. The backload was completed on April 10 and the ships moved rapidly toward the eastern Mediterranean. The amphibious group reached the Iskenderun area on April 13. On April 14, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Amphibious Squadron Eight came under the multinational command structure supporting Operation Provide Comfort.

The Marines established a forward support base near Silopi in southeastern Turkey, close to the Iraqi border. From there, helicopters and ground elements delivered humanitarian aid to displaced Kurdish civilians. USS CHARLESTON's large cargo capacity made her particularly useful during the relief operation. She was documented pierside at Iskenderun while vehicles, supplies, and equipment were unloaded for movement inland. Her role was logistical and humanitarian, supporting the establishment and sustainment of the relief effort ashore.

Following completion of the Operation Provide Comfort commitment, the amphibious force eventually returned westward through the Mediterranean. The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit completed its deployment in July 1991, and USS CHARLESTON subsequently returned to Norfolk. This was the ship's final overseas deployment. During the remaining months of her active career, she remained associated with Atlantic Fleet amphibious forces while preparations were made for decommissioning.

USS CHARLESTON was decommissioned on April 27, 1992, after more than twenty-three years of commissioned service. She was initially placed in inactive reserve status and later transferred to the inactive-ship facility at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Unlike many decommissioned amphibious ships, CHARLESTON was not immediately disposed of. The Navy retained her as part of the Amphibious Lift Enhancement Program, under which selected inactive amphibious cargo ships and tank landing ships were preserved as potential supplementary sealift in the event that a major contingency created requirements beyond the capacity of the active amphibious fleet.

The continued retention of the CHARLESTON-class ships was periodically reviewed as newer amphibious ships entered service and the physical condition of the inactive vessels deteriorated. By the 2010s, the Navy had concluded that restoring CHARLESTON to useful service would require extensive work and that continued retention no longer provided sufficient military value. CHARLESTON was formally stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on August 31, 2015. A subsequent Navy inspection documented extensive deterioration resulting from her long period in inactive status and supported disposal rather than reactivation.

The former USS CHARLESTON nevertheless remained berthed at Philadelphia for several more years. During this prolonged period of inactivity, she was used in part for storage. An unusual issue emerged when federal records, including material associated with the IOWA-class battleships, were found to have been stored aboard the vessel. In 2023, the National Archives and Records Administration documented problems involving the removal and transfer of some of these records to private organizations. The Navy subsequently recovered affected material and arranged for proper federal records handling.

After almost thirty-four years out of commission, the former USS CHARLESTON finally departed Philadelphia under tow in March 2026 for Brownsville, Texas, where she was scheduled for dismantling.

Official Navy documentation credits the ship with one Joint Meritorious Unit Award, three Navy "E" Ribbons, one Vietnam Service Medal award, and one Humanitarian Service Medal.