USS Plymouth Rock (LSD-29), 1954-1995

USS Plymouth Rock, a 11,270-ton Thomaston class dock landing ship, was built at Pascagoula, Mississippi. Commissioned on November 29, 1954, she was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. Over the next three decades, Plymouth Rock deployed regularly to the Caribbean area, made several cruises with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean, and occasionally visited northern Europe and South America. She also participated in Arctic Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line support operations in 1955 and 1957, a Project "Mercury" space flight support mission in 1961, the Cuban Missile Crisis blockade in 1962, the Palomares nuclear weapons recovery effort in 1966, weapons development efforts, disaster relief undertakings, and a large number of Amphibious exercises. USS Plymouth Rock was decommissioned in September 1983. Following a decade in the Reserve Fleet, she was sold for scrapping in September 1995.

LSD 
(Dock Landing Ship)

This hybrid sea going vessel was initially conceived in November, 1941. As the design progressed and developed, the Tank Landing Craft (TLC) was re-designated an Artillery Transport, Mechanized (APM) - 8 vessels (APM 1-8), were authorized for the U. S. Navy and 7 vessels - (BAPM 1-7) were ordered for the Royal Navy under the Lend Lease Act. Before actual construction of these 15 vessels began, the designator was again changed, this time, to Landing Ship, Dock (LSD). The Navy twice expanded orders of the design during WWII - first to total 19 vessels, then to total 27 LSDs.

Landing Ship, Docks (LSDs) were designed to transport loaded landing craft, amphibious vehicles and troops into an amphibious landing area; ballast down to flood their well decks; lower the stern gate to the sea, and disembark their craft and vehicles for the assault on a hostile beach. Once a beachhead was established, they acted as offshore repair docks for damaged ships, craft and vehicles up to Landing Ship Medium (LSM) and Landing Ship Infantry (LSI) sizes. In at least one reported case, the bow of a Destroyer Escort (DE) was docked for emergency repairs. Equipped with their long dry docks; shipfitter's shop; machine shop; and a carpentry shop; these vessels were able to handle extensive repairs at the scene of the assault. The first 27 of the LSD design were considered prototypes. As soon as one LSD was launched, commissioned and tested in actual combat conditions, successive launchings of the LSDs reflected the latest improvements in armament and transport capacity with their "super" or "portable" prefabricated decks. The end result, is that no two LSDs of the World War II design are exactly alike!