American Cold War Amphibious Ships Part I (1950-1960)
When the Cold War began, the American amphibious fleet consisted entirely of ships built for World War II. The vast majority of these were just six or seven years old at the beginning of the Korean War and, at the time, represent the most capable amphibious warfare ships ever devised. Despite the massive post-war drawdown, the fleet of 1950 still consisted of 154 ships, including 29 attack transports (APA), 30 attack cargo ships (AKA), 18 landing ships dock (LSD), and 77 landing ships tank (LST), as well as numerous smaller craft. USS Haskell (AKA-117) - note the large number of landing craft on davits and alongside In this force each type of ship performed a specific task. The APA’s carried the soldiers and their equipment as well as small landing craft to put them ashore. They were a somewhat eclectic mix of ships from five different class, the most numerous of which were the eighteen members of the Haskell -class. These were modified Victory ships, 139 meters in length and