Peoria IV (LST-1183)
1970-2002
A city in the state of Illinois.
IV
(LST-1183: displacement 8,753 (full load); length 522'3"; beam 69'5"; draft 15'0", speed 20.0 knots; complement 604; armament 4 3-inch; class Newport)
The fourth Peoria (LST-1183) was laid down on 22 February 1968 at San Diego, Calif., by the National Steel & Shipbuilding Corp.; launched on 23 November 1968, sponsored by Mrs. Robert H. Michel; and commissioned on 21 February 1970, Cmdr. John T. Williams in command.
As the fourth of a new class of tank landing ship, she is a radical departure from the battle-tested LSTs of World War II. Instead of a bow door, she has an over the bow ramp. She also has a stern gate to permit unloading of amphibious tractors or unloading of other vehicles into utility landing craft [LCUs] for ferrying to the beach. She is also twice as fast and much more manuverable.
Assigned to the Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet, upon commissioning, Peoria was homeported at SanDiego Into 1980, the tank landing ship has alternated amphibious training exercises along the west coast of the United States and off Hawaii with regular deployments to the western Pacific. Peoria provided logistic support for American forces in the Vietnam theater in 1971.
Decommissioned on 28 January 1994, Peoria was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 6 November 2002, and ultimately disposed of in support of a Fleet training exercise on 12 July 2004.
Peoria earned two battle stars for her Vietnam War service.
Updated, Robert J. Cressman
27 March 2023
