USS De Soto County
USS De Soto County (LST-1171) underway in the Caribbean, circa 1958 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | USS De Soto County |
| Namesake | De Soto County |
| Builder | Avondale Marine Ways, Inc. Avondale, Louisiana |
| Laid down | September 1956 |
| Launched | 28 February 1957 |
| Commissioned | 10 June 1958 |
| Decommissioned | 17 July 1972 |
| Stricken | 8 May 1992 |
| Honours & awards |
|
| Fate | Loaned to the Italian Navy, 1972 |
| Italy | |
| Name | Grado (L 9890) |
| Acquired | 1972 |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping, 1989 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | De Soto County-class tank landing ship |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 445 ft (136 m) |
| Beam | 62 ft (19 m) |
| Draft | 16 ft 8 in (5.08 m) |
| Propulsion | 6 × Fairbanks-Morse diesel engines, two shafts, fixed pitch propellers |
| Speed | 17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 3 LCVPs and 1 Captain's Gig |
| Capacity |
|
| Troops | 575 officers and enlisted men |
| Complement | 10 officers and 162 enlisted men |
| Armament | 3 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 Mark 22 caliber gun mounts |
USS De Soto County (LST-1171) was a De Soto County-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during the late 1950s. The lead ship of her class of seven, she was named after counties in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi, the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
De Soto County was designed under project SCB 119 and laid down 15 September 1956 at Avondale, Louisiana by Avondale Marine Ways, Inc.; launched on 28 February 1957; sponsored by Mrs. C. Horton Smith; and commissioned on 10 June 1958.