Talk:USS Peoria (LST-1183)

Last Days of LST-1183
I was a US Marine from 1983-1987 and was transported by the USS Peoria, along with my LVT-P7A1 Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV) platoon. I was in Alpha Co., 3rd AAV Battalion, 3d MarDiv, based at Camp Schwab, Okinawa. I rode in this flat-bottomed boat, often sleeping in the well-deck inside my amtrak, all the way to South Korea. We were shipped there by the 7th Fleet along with our Regiment to participate in Bear Hunt '86, the annual show of force operation that ran as near to the DMZ as judgment and maximum effective range would allow.

The boat had a few crew and berthing decks and getting from fore to aft often required going up, around, then back down again. We smoked below decks back then and played cards incessantly. I woke myself up at 3am to get the best water pressure in a quick shower and volunteered for mess duty, talking my way into Captain's Mess service, where I could steal the best food. The Naval officers were really polite and friendlier than Marine officers, who mostly treated us like the highly-trained peasants we really were.

On the way back to the Rock, I didn't heed the "Stations! Stations! Battle drills!" klaxon enough heed and ended up falling backwards, "Poseidon Adventure"-style, onto the floor, which was the bulkhead before the boat started zig-zagging 45-deg. turns at full speed.

I will post some scans of our "yearbook" soon and use them as reference to update the main page of the article. Just about the "Bear Hunt" part, not my shower habits.

Mikeburtner (talk) 03:30, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

I was there to take her out on her last mission in 1993. We were tasked for an escort/fueling trip to bring the a boat from Missippi, through the ditch (Panama Canal) and over to the West coast. The trip down to Panama held some of the heaviest seas I have ever seen. We pointed her into the swells and gave it everything she had. A flat bottom ship going through a hurricane is something you never forget. One second all you see is the sky and then you dip down into the swell and the world is all water. We actually got spray over the pilot house from the waves. Combine the up and down motion with the right and left full rudders to keep her pointed into the next swell and it was like ridding a roller coaster for 2 days. She did not have a traditional keel, so you could actually stand in the tank deck and watch the ship flex as she went through heavy seas. She brought us there and back again, but we began decom shortly after returning. The Uss Peoria was an outstanding ship with one of the best crews I have ever seen. My time aboard her shaped the BM I am today. May she rest in peace. BMC Brian Shapley 75.97.185.212 (talk) 08:50, 10 April 2011 (UTC)