Greek Navy - LSD-21 update recieved on 2/20/00 The following information was received from a Greek sailor serving onboard the Fort Mandan: Regretfully I announce you the decommisioning of HNS (Hellenic Navy Ship) NAFKRATOUSSA, LSD of the Cabildo Class, on the end of February 2000. I cannot recall right now what the ship's name originally was, Ill look in my books, but it was built in 1945, and until today on active duty. After having completed nearly 50 years of service life, the ship was the last 2 years in a desolate condition with no spare parts for most of its devices and corrosion as much as 2/3 of wall thickness. The ship is to be stored either in Salamis or Crete naval stations and sold as scrap later on.
Laid down as Fort Snelling (LSD-23), 8 November 1944 at Gulf Shipbuilding Corp., Chickasaw, AL. Contract canceled (date unknown) Completed in 1956 as SS Carib Queen Acquired by the US Navy and assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) Classified as a Cargo Ship and placed in service, 15 January 1959, as USNS Taurus (T-AK-273)Reclassified as a Landing Ship Vehicle (T-LSV-8), 1 January 1963 Placed out of service in September 1968 at Yokosuka Japan Custody transferred to MARAD, 25 June 1969 for disposal Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 25 June 1969 to Union Minerals and Alloys Corp., New York NY., 25 June 1969 Struck from the Naval Register, 22 June 1971
Originally Hilton Head but renamed Point Defiance 30 December 1944, LSD-24 was laid down 28 May 1945 by Gulf Shipbuilding Corp., Chickasaw, Ala. After Japan capitulated the Navy canceled the contract for her construction 17 August 1945, but she was launched under private auspices 21 October 1945
