Louisiana's Military Heritage:

     Vessels named USS CADDO PARISH

USS CADDO PARISH

Only one ship of the U.S. Navy has had the honor to bear the name of CADDO PARISH, the parish (county) containing the city of Shreveport, located in the northwest corner of the State of Louisiana.

USS CADDO PARISH (January 28, 1944 ~ October 20, 1955):

USS CADDO PARISH (LST-515) was laid down as LST-515 on September 03, 1943, at Seneca, Illinois, by Chicago Bridge and Iron Company.  She was launched on December 31, 1943, and sponsored by Miss Rebekah Brown.  She was placed into commission on January 28, 1944.

During World War II, LST-515 was assigned to the European Theater.  In preparation for Operation Overlord (the invasion of Normandy), she was involved in several exercises with other vessels off of Start Bay and Tor Bay in England, beginning on December 15, 1943.  Its resemblance to Omaha Beach and its seclusion (civilians nearby having been evacuated) made the area ideal for simulating amphibious landings.  The culmination of the joint training program was a pair of full-scale rehearsals in late April and early May of 1944 known as Exercise Tiger.

USS CADDO PARISH (LST-515) as seen underway circa 1965.
Photo courtesy of NavSource.

Contributed to NavSource by Brenda Nunnery in memory of

her husband, DK1 James David Nunnery, USN SW (Ret.).

On the night of April 26-27, 1944, Convoy T-4—consisting of eight (8) LSTs, including LST-515—departed Plymouth and Brixham via Lyme Bay en route to the exercise area with minesweepers leading the way.  Following an exercise bombardment of Slapton Sands in Start Bay, exercise landings commenced on the morning of April 27.  On the night of April 28 at approximately 0200, while fully loaded with men and vehicles and maneuvering in Lyme Bay with HMS AZALEA as escort, the convoy was attacked by nine (9) German E-boats out of Cherbourg.  Two LSTs were lost with a third damaged before the combined fire of the remaining LSTs and two British destroyers drove the E-boats off.  Over seven hundred Army and Navy personnel were lost.  To maintain security on the pending Overlord landings, news of this action was suppressed until August of 1944.

In June of 1944, LST-515 would off-load troops on the beaches of Normandy and help to acquire a beachhead on the European continent.  Following the war, she performed occupation duty in the Far East until mid-November of 1952.  She also saw post-war service with the Service Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet.  Upon her return to the United States, she was re-designated USS CADDO PARISH (LST-515) on July 01, 1955, after a parish (county) in Louisiana.  The ship was decommissioned on October 20, 1955.

On August 02, 1963, USS CADDO PARISH was recommissioned and assigned to Landing Ship Squadron TWO (LANSHIPRON-2), based out of the U.S. Amphibious Base at Little Creek, Virginia.  She performed duties with the U.S. Expeditionary Force in the Dominican Republic in 1965.  Following an armament refit in December of that year, she was transferred to the Pacific Fleet.  She arrived at Chu Lai, South Vietnam, in March of 1966.

While in Vietnam, the tank landing ship was attached to the Mobile Riverine Force in a combat support role, operating out of Vung Tau.  In March of 1969, she suffered three to four direct hits on her port side during a late night rocket attack at Dong Tam.  Four crewmen were wounded.  Following repairs in Subic Bay, she returned to the Mekong Delta and continued her supply runs on the inland waterways until the deactivation of LANSHIPRON-2 later that year.  USS CADDO PARISH was transferred to the Republic of the Philippines as grant aid on November 26, 1969.  She served the Philippine Navy at RPS BATAAN (LT-85).

USS CADDO PARISH received one battle star for World War II service.  She received an additional nine battle stars, one Navy Unit Commendation, and one Meritorious Unit Commendation for her service in the Vietnam War.

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All information listed above courtesy of the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, NavSource, and the Mobile Riverine Forces Association website.
All photos courtesy of U.S. Navy unless otherwise noted.

**Copyright 1997-2011 by Louisiana Naval War Memorial Commission**