Spacecraft Recovery
21 July 1966: Gemini 10
13 March 1969: Apollo 9
General Characteristics:
Awarded: December 21, 1959
Keel laid: September 1, 1961
Launched: March 16, 1963
Commissioned: July 20, 1963
Decommissioned: August 31, 1994
Builder: Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, Penn.
Propulsion system: Two boilers, one geared steam turbines, one shaft, 22,000 total shaft horsepower
Propellers: one
Length: 603, 65 feet (184 meters)
Beam: 104 feet (31.7 meters)
Draft: 25,9 feet (7.9 meters)
Aircraft elevators: two
Displacement: approx. 19,500 tons full load
Speed: 23 knots
Aircraft: 20 UH-46D Sea Knight Helicopters, 10 MH-53E Sea Stallion Helicopters,
3 UH-1 Helicopters, 3 AH-1 Helicopters (but the actual mix depends upon mission)
Armament: two Phalanx CIWS, two Mk-25 Sea Sparrow Missile Launchers
Crew: 80 officers, 638 enlisted, 1,750 Marine Detachment
More information on USS Guadalcanal from the United States Navy.
Guadalcanal was laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Fort Eustis, VA, 3 May 2001.
