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USS St. Louis (LKA 116)

- formerly AKA 116 -
- decommissioned -
- sunk as target -



Initially laid down as AKA 116 but redesignated LKA 116 on January 1, 1969, the USS ST. LOUIS was the fourth CHARLESTON - class amphibious cargo ship and the sixth vessel in the Navy named after the largest city in the state of Missouri. Decommissioned after more than 22 years of service on November 2, 1992, the ST. LOUIS spent the following years laid up at the Naval Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility at Pearl Harbor, Hi. On September 23, 2018, the ship was sunk as a target during Exercise Valiant Shield near Guam.

General Characteristics:Awarded: June 11, 1965
Keel laid: April 3, 1968
Launched: January 4, 1969
Commissioned: November 22, 1969
Decommissioned: November 2, 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 ST. LOUIS. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.


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USS ST. LOUIS Cruise Books:


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USS ST. LOUIS SINKEX:

Ex-USS ST. LOUIS was sunk as a target off Guam during exercise Valiant Shield on September 23, 2018. Valiant Shield is a US only, biennial field training exercise (FTX) with a focus on integration of joint training in a blue-water environment among US forces. The video below is an official US Air Force video by Senior Airman Dhruv Gopinath and shows the SINKEX.




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The photo below was taken by me on July 29, 2006, and shows the ST. LOUIS berthed at the Naval Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility in Pearl Harbor, HI. ST. LOUIS is located in the front, moored alongside behind her sistership DURHAM (LKA 114). The other ships are the ACADIA (AD 42) [behind the two amphibious cargo ships] and the DULUTH (LPD 6) [background].



The photos below were taken by me on March 20, 2010, and show the ST. LOUIS still laid-up at the Naval Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility in Pearl Harbor, HI.



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