Originally laid down as CM–7 by the Willamette Iron and Steel Corporation of Portland, Oregon 12 July 1941, the ship was launched on 15 June 1942; sponsored by Mrs. A. J. Byrholdt. Ozark, a $12,500,000 vessel, and her sister Catskill, were the largest naval vessels constructed in the Columbia River area to that time.[1] The ship was redesignated AP–107 on 1 May 1943 and again redesignated LSV–2 on 21 April 1944. The vessel was commissioned on 23 September 1944.
Although in the midst of fighting WWII, it appears the ship never was actually completed and delivered to the USN and remained at her builder's yard during the period from her launch until her 1944 commissioning as an LSV.
On 9 January, S-Day for the Lingayen invasion, Ozark supplied 15 DUKWs carrying two battalions of supporting artillery, which were landed before noon.[2]
Iwo Jima operations
Subsequent to that successful operation, she steamed for the Marianas where she joined Transport Squadron 15 at Saipan for the invasion of Iwo Jima. She landed three waves of troops there 19 February 1945 and continued logistic support to the beach until 27 February.
Supporting Okinawa operations
After transporting wounded marines to Guam for hospital care, Ozark reported to Transport Squadron 13 at Leyte rehearsing for the invasion of Okinawa. She landed her troops and equipment on Okinawa 1 April and again remained to lend logistic support to beach operations until departing 10 April for Guam.
Ozark entered Tokyo Bay 30 August where she debarked her special landing force. After making two complete tours with the "Magic Carpet" Fleet returning overseas troops to the United States after the war, Ozark transited the Panama Canal and arrived Barrow, Alaska 31 January 1946 where she was placed in upkeep status. She commenced pre-inactivation overhaul in Orange, Texas 14 March and decommissioned 29 June.
After shakedown and intensive training at Guantanamo Bay, she remained in port for the rest of the year. With the Navy’s first minesweeping launches (MSL, Mark IV) and helicopters (RH-3A) on board, Ozark conducted her first mine countermeasures training in the Charleston area early in 1967.
USS Ozark as a target ship, aground near Perdido Key in 1979.
After a cruise to several western European ports in 1967, she continued to operate in the Charleston, South Carolina, area until deploying to the Mediterranean 18 November 1968. Returning to Charleston 14 February 1969 she began material maintenance and upkeep followed by periodic deployment to the West Indies and the South Atlantic Ocean. Decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register, 1 April 1974, she was towed to a location south of Destin, Florida and anchored there while being used as a target by the Air Force from Eglin Air Force Base. Ozark was hit multiple times with large practice (non-explosive) bombs but was not sunk. In September 1979, Ozark was ripped loose from her anchorage by Hurricane Frederic and driven onto the beach near Perdido Key, Florida. Naval units from Norfolk, Virginia, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Hawthorne, Nevada, participated in a salvage effort that began in October 1979.
Sinking
This photo shows Ozark listing at 16 degrees to starboard 12 hours before she sank.This photo shows the entry hole of a Maverick missile milliseconds after impact.
After salvage, she was returned to Destin, and unintentionally sunk with a Maverick missile launched from a United States Air ForceF-4 Phantom II from Eglin Air Force Base in 1981. The missile's warhead entered on her starboard side approximately 13 feet (4.0 m) above the waterline, went through two decks, and exploded above the hull, leaving a hole approximately 3 feet (0.91 m) in diameter in her hull. The hole in the bottom of the ship was not noticed until the next day when U.S. Air Force personnel and Hughes Missile Systems Company engineers entered the ship for damage assessment. By this time, she was listing 16 degrees and all personnel were ordered off the ship. The wreck currently lies upright and intact in the Gulf of Mexico in approximately 330 feet (100 m) of water, 28 to 30 miles (45 to 48 km) due south of Destin at 29°55.101′N86°34.952′W / 29.918350°N 86.582533°W / 29.918350; -86.582533.[3]
^Wire service, "Cruiser-Minelayer Launched in Oregon", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 17 June 1942, Volume 48, page 3.
^Morison, Samuel Eliot, "History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Volume XIII: The Liberation of the Philippines - Luzon, Mindanao, the Visayas 1944-1945", Little Brown and Company, Boston, 1959, 1989, Library of Congress card number 47-1571, page 127.
^Allen, Tony (1 February 2015). . Electric Blue Fishing. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
References
Egan, Robert (June 2019). "USS Terror and her Family: Part 3: The Conversions (1st Installment)". Warship International. LVI (2): 139–165. ISSN 0043-0374.
Egan, Robert S. (2020). "USS Terror and her Family: Part 3: The Conversions (3d Installment)". Warship International. LVII (1): 57–76. ISSN 0043-0374.
ozark, other, ships, with, same, name, ozark, this, article, includes, list, general, references, lacks, sufficient, corresponding, inline, citations, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, more, precise, citations, december, 2015, learn, when, rem. For other ships with the same name see USS Ozark This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations December 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message USS Ozark LSV 2 CM 7 AP 107 MCS 2 was a Catskill class vehicle landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II Named for the native American Ozark tribe of the Quapaw confederacy she was the third U S Naval vessel to bear the name USS Ozark on 16 September 1944HistoryUnited StatesNameUSS OzarkNamesakeAn Indian tribe of the Quapaw confederacy living in Missouri and ArkansasOrderedas Mine Layer CM 7BuilderWillamette Iron and Steel Corp Portland OregonLaid down12 July 1941Launched15 June 1942Sponsored byMrs A J ByrholdtCommissioned23 September 1944Decommissioned1 April 1974Stricken1 April 1974IdentificationLSV 2Honors andawardsBattle stars Luzon Iwo Jima Okinawa Won the Philippine Republic Presidential Unit CitationFateSunk as a target off Destin Florida 1981General characteristicsClass and typeCatskill class vehicle landing shipDisplacement5 875 tons dockside 9 040 tons fully loaded Length453 ft 0 in 138 07 m Beam60 ft 2 in 18 34 m Draft20 ft 0 in 6 10 m PropulsionFour Combustion Engineering 2 drum boilers two General Electric geared turbines two shaftsSpeed20 knots 37 km h 23 mph Boats amp landing craft carried31 DUKWs plus LCVPs LSV configuration 20 36 ft 11 m MSLs MCS configuration Troops868 officers and enlisted LSV configuration Complement400 officers and enlisted menArmament2 x single 5 in 130 mm 38 dual purpose gun mounts 4 x twin 40 mm guns 20 x single 20 mm gunsAircraft carriedTwo helicopters MCS configuration Contents 1 Constructed in Oregon 2 World War II service 2 1 Philippine operations 2 2 Iwo Jima operations 2 3 Supporting Okinawa operations 2 4 End of war operations 3 Operating as MCS 2 4 Sinking 5 Honors and awards 6 Citations 7 References 8 External linksConstructed in Oregon EditOriginally laid down as CM 7 by the Willamette Iron and Steel Corporation of Portland Oregon 12 July 1941 the ship was launched on 15 June 1942 sponsored by Mrs A J Byrholdt Ozark a 12 500 000 vessel and her sister Catskill were the largest naval vessels constructed in the Columbia River area to that time 1 The ship was redesignated AP 107 on 1 May 1943 and again redesignated LSV 2 on 21 April 1944 The vessel was commissioned on 23 September 1944 Although in the midst of fighting WWII it appears the ship never was actually completed and delivered to the USN and remained at her builder s yard during the period from her launch until her 1944 commissioning as an LSV World War II service EditPhilippine operations Edit Following shakedown Ozark sailed for Manus Admiralty Islands where she reported 16 November to Commander U S 7th Fleet for assignment to the 3rd Amphibious Force After intensive training the new vehicle landing ship departed 31 December for Lingayen Gulf Luzon Philippine Islands as a unit of invasion Task Group 79 1 On 9 January S Day for the Lingayen invasion Ozark supplied 15 DUKWs carrying two battalions of supporting artillery which were landed before noon 2 Iwo Jima operations Edit Subsequent to that successful operation she steamed for the Marianas where she joined Transport Squadron 15 at Saipan for the invasion of Iwo Jima She landed three waves of troops there 19 February 1945 and continued logistic support to the beach until 27 February Supporting Okinawa operations Edit After transporting wounded marines to Guam for hospital care Ozark reported to Transport Squadron 13 at Leyte rehearsing for the invasion of Okinawa She landed her troops and equipment on Okinawa 1 April and again remained to lend logistic support to beach operations until departing 10 April for Guam End of war operations Edit With the end of World War II in the Pacific near Ozark was chosen to transport select occupational units to Japan In an operation that took two days working around the clock 911 officers and men were transferred to her at sea by breeches buoy from 9 aircraft carriers 3 battleships 2 cruisers and 6 destroyers Ozark entered Tokyo Bay 30 August where she debarked her special landing force After making two complete tours with the Magic Carpet Fleet returning overseas troops to the United States after the war Ozark transited the Panama Canal and arrived Barrow Alaska 31 January 1946 where she was placed in upkeep status She commenced pre inactivation overhaul in Orange Texas 14 March and decommissioned 29 June Operating as MCS 2 EditOzark s hull classification was changed 7 February 1955 from LSV 2 to MCS 2 Struck from the Naval Vessel Register 1 September 1961 she was returned to the Maritime Administration and placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet and berthed at Beaumont Texas USS Ozark at sea on 31 August 1966 She was reacquired by the Navy 19 June 1963 for conversion to a mine countermeasures support ship under project SCB 123 by the Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Corporation and reinstated on the Naval Register 1 October 1963 Recommissioned USS Ozark MCS 2 on 24 June 1966 complete with the ship s bell from the second Ozark BM 7 she was assigned to MinRon 8 homeported in Charleston South Carolina where she became flagship for Commander Mine Forces U S Atlantic Fleet After shakedown and intensive training at Guantanamo Bay she remained in port for the rest of the year With the Navy s first minesweeping launches MSL Mark IV and helicopters RH 3A on board Ozark conducted her first mine countermeasures training in the Charleston area early in 1967 USS Ozark as a target ship aground near Perdido Key in 1979 After a cruise to several western European ports in 1967 she continued to operate in the Charleston South Carolina area until deploying to the Mediterranean 18 November 1968 Returning to Charleston 14 February 1969 she began material maintenance and upkeep followed by periodic deployment to the West Indies and the South Atlantic Ocean Decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register 1 April 1974 she was towed to a location south of Destin Florida and anchored there while being used as a target by the Air Force from Eglin Air Force Base Ozark was hit multiple times with large practice non explosive bombs but was not sunk In September 1979 Ozark was ripped loose from her anchorage by Hurricane Frederic and driven onto the beach near Perdido Key Florida Naval units from Norfolk Virginia Pearl Harbor Hawaii and Hawthorne Nevada participated in a salvage effort that began in October 1979 Sinking Edit This photo shows Ozark listing at 16 degrees to starboard 12 hours before she sank This photo shows the entry hole of a Maverick missile milliseconds after impact After salvage she was returned to Destin and unintentionally sunk with a Maverick missile launched from a United States Air Force F 4 Phantom II from Eglin Air Force Base in 1981 The missile s warhead entered on her starboard side approximately 13 feet 4 0 m above the waterline went through two decks and exploded above the hull leaving a hole approximately 3 feet 0 91 m in diameter in her hull The hole in the bottom of the ship was not noticed until the next day when U S Air Force personnel and Hughes Missile Systems Company engineers entered the ship for damage assessment By this time she was listing 16 degrees and all personnel were ordered off the ship The wreck currently lies upright and intact in the Gulf of Mexico in approximately 330 feet 100 m of water 28 to 30 miles 45 to 48 km due south of Destin at 29 55 101 N 86 34 952 W 29 918350 N 86 582533 W 29 918350 86 582533 3 Honors and awards EditOzark earned three battle stars for Luzon Iwo Jima and Okinawa operations as well as the Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation Badge for service in World War II Citations Edit Wire service Cruiser Minelayer Launched in Oregon San Bernardino Daily Sun San Bernardino California Wednesday 17 June 1942 Volume 48 page 3 Morison Samuel Eliot History of United States Naval Operations in World War II Volume XIII The Liberation of the Philippines Luzon Mindanao the Visayas 1944 1945 Little Brown and Company Boston 1959 1989 Library of Congress card number 47 1571 page 127 Allen Tony 1 February 2015 Shipwrecks of Florida Electric Blue Fishing Archived from the original on 21 August 2016 Retrieved 4 August 2016 References EditEgan Robert June 2019 USS Terror and her Family Part 3 The Conversions 1st Installment Warship International LVI 2 139 165 ISSN 0043 0374 Egan Robert S 2020 USS Terror and her Family Part 3 The Conversions 3d Installment Warship International LVII 1 57 76 ISSN 0043 0374 This article incorporates text from the public domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships External links EditThis article incorporates text from the public domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships The entry can be found here NavSource Online CM 7 AP 107 LSV 2 MCS 2 Ozark Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title USS Ozark LSV 2 amp oldid 1144081073, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
