# Casa Grande Class Dock Landing Ship: Authorized under the Lend-Lease Act as British Mechanized Artillery Transport BAPM-1
# Reclassified Landing Ship Dock LSD-9, 1 July 1942
# Contract awarded for LSD-9 to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, VA., 10 September 1942
# LSD-9 was laid down, 23 November 1942 as HMS Battle Axe
# Launched, 21 May 1943
# LSD-9 never saw active service in the US Navy
# Transferred to the United Kingdom, 14 September 1943, under the Lend Lease Program
# Delivered, 14 November 1943
# Commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Eastway (F-130)
HMS Eastway arrived in Portland on 15 June 1944, departed the Solent on 19 June making for JUNO where
she arrived the same day... sailed in Convoy ETM13.
# Returned to US custody, 23 April 1946
# Laid up in the Reserve Fleet
# Transferred (loaned) to Greece in 1953 and commissioned into the Greek Navy as
HS Nafkratoussa (L-153)
# Purchased by Greece, date unknown
# Replaced in 1972 by Ex-USS Fort Mandan (LSD 21)
# Struck from the US Naval Register, date unknown
# Final Disposition, scrapped circa 1972 Specifications: (as reported by Office of Naval Intelligence, 7 April 1944)
Displacement 4,032 (light draft), 7,930 (seagoing - loaded)
Length 457' 9" o.a.
Beam 72"
Draft 8' 2 ½" fwd, 10' ½" aft (light draft); 15' 5 ½" fwd, 16' 2" aft (seagoing loaded)
Speed 17 knots maximum (design speed)
Endurance 8,000 miles @ 15 knots
Crew Complement 17 officers, 237 men; Landing Craft: 6 officers, 30 men
Troop Complement 22 officers, 218 men
Well Deck Capacity (varies with mission)
3 LCT (Mk V or VI) each w/ 5 medium tanks or
2 LCT (Mk III or IV) each w/ 12 medium tanks or
14 LCM (Mk III) each w/ 1 medium tank or 1, 500 long tons cargo or
47 DUKW or
41 LVT or
Any combination of landing vehicles and landing craft up to capacity or
Any combination of United Kingdom Combined Operations amphibious craft or vehicles up to capacity
Armament
1 - 3"/.50 caliber Dual Purpose single barrel mount in open tub
16- 20MM single barrel Anti-Aircraft mounts (local control)
(note: above armament was outfitted prior to transfer)
4 - 2 Pound Pom-Pom (barrel count per mount - unknown)
(note: above armament was outfitted after transfer)
Propulsion
2 - Babcock and Wilcox Boilers, D Type, 2 Drum, Single Furnace, Single Uptake,
Oil Fired
2 - Skinner Engines - steam turbine (geared)
Twin screws