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U.S.S. SPIEGEL GROVE

(LSD-32)

TOP DOG

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USS SPIEGEL GROVE (LSD-32) - a Thomaston-class dock landing ship

In Commission 1956 to 1989

LSD-32 Deployments - Major Events

Add a LSD-32 Shellback Initiation Add a LSD-32 Deployment - Major Event
Month Year to Month Year Deployment / Event
SEP1954-Keel Date: 7 SEP 1954
at Ingalls Shipbuilding Pascagoula MS
NOV1955-Launch Date: 10 NOV 1955
JUN1956-Commissioned: 8 JUN 1956
JAN1957-JUN1957Mediterranean-Lebanon
JAN1958-OCT1958Mediterranean-Lebanon
FEB1960-JUN1960Caribbean
MAR1961-SEP1961Solant Amity 11
MAY1961-Shellback Initiation - 1 MAY 1961 - Atlantic Ocean
OCT1962-OCT1962Cuban Missle Blockade
JAN1963-JUN1963Solant Amity IV
MAR1963-Shellback Initiation - 17 MAR 1963 - Atlantic Ocean
OCT1963-OCT1963Cuban Missle Blockade
JAN1964-JUN1964Mediterranean-Indian Ocean-Persian Gulf
NOV1965-APR1966Caribbean
NOV1966-APR1967Mediterranean
NOV1966-JAN1967Mediterranean
OCT1967-APR1968Caribbean
JUL1968-OCT1968Find USS Scorpion Nuke Sub Azores Islands
AUG1968-AUG1968Lisbon, Portugal port visit
MAR1969-MAR1969Savannah, Georgia
MAY1969-JUN1969Operation
MAY1969-SEP1969Operation
JUL1969-SEP1969Santa Lucia
FEB1970-FEB1970Aruba
FEB1970-FEB1970Panama Canal Zone
MAR1970-APR1970St. Croix
APR1970-APR1970Barbados
JUL1970-SEP1970Midshipman Cruise..Portsmouth, England...Copenhagen, Denmark
JAN1971-MAR1971Secondary Recovery Ship (Atlantic) for Apollo 14 mission.
FEB1971-FEB1971Apollo 14 Liberty..Rio DeJaniero, Brazil
MAR1971-Shellback Initiation - 28 MAR 1971 - Atlantic Ocean
APR1971-OCT1971Mediterranean
APR1971-SEP1971Med 1-71 Cruise..Crete, Izmir Turkey, Athens, Naples
AUG1972-Shellback Initiation - 1 AUG 1972 - Atlantic Ocean
JUN1973-AUG1973Caribbean
MAY1974-OCT1974Mediterranean
MAR1975-APR1975Caribbean
JAN1976-JUL1976Mediterranean
SEP1976- Shellback Initiation - 9 SEP 1976 - Atlantic Ocean
OCT1976-DEC1977ship yard bethlehem steel baltimore Md
JUN1977- Shellback Initiation - 17 JUN 1977 - Atlantic Ocean
JAN1979-JUN1979Mediterranean
JAN1979-JUN1979Mediterranean
JAN1980-JUL1980Mediterranean
JAN1980-JUL1980Mediterranean-Indian Ocean
AUG1980-NOV1980North Atlantic
MAY1981-AUG1981Dry Dock
JUN1983-NOV1983UNITAS
JUL1983-Shellback Initiation - 27 JUL 1983 - Pacific Ocean
JUL1983-Shellback Initiation - 25 JUL 1983 - Atlantic Ocean
JUL1983-Shellback Initiation - 27 JUL 1983 - Atlantic Ocean
JUL1983-Shellback Initiation - 7 JUL 1983 - Atlantic Ocean
AUG1983-Shellback Initiation - 23 AUG 1983 - Pacific Ocean
JAN1984-MAR1984North Atlantic
MAY1987-NOV1987Mediterranean-Indian Ocean-Persian Gulf
JUN1987-NOV1987Mediterranean-Indian Ocean
JUL1987-Shellback Initiation - 23 JUL 1987 - Atlantic Ocean
JUL1987-Shellback Initiation - 23 JUL 1987 - Indian Ocean
OCT1989-Decommissioned: 2 OCT 1989

LSD-32 General Specifications

Class: Thomaston-class dock landing ship

Named for: Spiegel Grove

Complement: 18 Officers and 300 Enlisted

Displacement: 8899 tons

Length: 510 feet

Beam: 84 feet

Flank Speed: 21 knots

Final Disposition: Sunk intentionally in 2002 off Key Largo to form artificial reef



USS SPIEGEL GROVE (LSD-32)



Spiegel Grove (LSD-32) was laid down on 7 September 1954 by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp. Pascagoula Miss. Iaunched on 10 November 1955; sponsored by Mrs. Webb C. Hayes and commissioned on 8 June 1956 Capt. S. Filippone in command.

Spiegel Grove
sailed for Hampton Roads and arrived at Norfolk Va. on 7 July. She headed for the Guantanamo Bay area on her shakedown cruise on 26 July and returned on 15 September. The ship was in the yard during October; and in November she participated in amphibious exercises off Onslow Beach N.C.

On 9 January 1957 Spiegel Grove with other ships of Transport Amphibious Squadron (TransPhibRon) 4 sailed from Morehead City N.C. with elements of the 6th Marines embarked for a tour with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. She returned to Norfolk on 3 June and operated along the east coast for the remainder of the year. In November she transported 364 Army troops to Labrador. In January 1958 the LSD was deployed with her squadron to the 6th Fleet on an extended tour which did not end until 6 October. On the 22d Spiegel Grove was assigned to PhibRon 10 the new Fast Squadron. The years 1959 and 1960 saw the LSD participating in numerous operations along the east coast and in the Caribbean.

Spiegel Grove stood out of Norfolk in April 1961 with Task Force (TF) 88 for "Solant Amity II " a good-will tour to the African coast. The force carried tons of medical supplies food and disaster supplies toys books and seed. During the four-month cruise the ships visited Gambia Durban the Malagasy Republic the Seychelles Islands Zanzibar Kenya the Union of South Africa Togo and Gabon before returning home on 8 September. She then entered Horne Brothers Shipyard Newport News Va. for an overhaul that was not completed until early January 1962

Spiegel Grove conducted refresher training and then spent March and April in amphibious exercises in the Caribbean. In May she took part in operations supporting Malcolm Scott Carpenter's manned space flight. In July and August she returned to the Caribbean for "Phibulex 2-62." On 1 December 1962 a tender availability period was begun to prepare the ship for "Solant Amity IV." The LSD loaded supplies during January 1963 and sailed on 15 February for her second good-will tour which lasted until late May. The ship steamed over 21 000 miles and visited nine countries before returning home. Spiegel Grove next deployed to the Caribbean from July to September with PhibRon 8.

The landing ship has spent the greater part of her active service participating in amphibious exercises along the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean. Spiegel Grove was deployed to the 6th Fleet from January to June 1964 3 November 1966 to 11 May 1967; and from 17 April to 9 October 1971. She participated in Operation "Steel Pike I" off Spain in October 1964 and made a midshipman cruise to England and Denmark in 1970. Spiegel Grove still serves with the amphibious forces of the Atlantic Fleet into December 1974.


Spiegel Grove was decommissioned 2 Oct 1980 and her name struck from the Navy list 13 Dec. 1989. The vessel was transferred to the maritime Administration in the James River fleet, then sunk as a reef and is located on Dixie Shoal, 6 miles off the Florida Keys.

[Note: The above USS SPIEGEL GROVE (LSD-32) history may or may not contain text provided by crew members of the USS SPIEGEL GROVE (LSD-32) or by other non-crew members and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]