HMS Oceanway (F143)

HMS Oceanway (F143) off Norfolk, Virginia (USA), in April 1944
Career (United Kingdom)
Name: HMS Oceanway (F143)
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newport News, Virginia
Laid down: 23 July 1943
Launched: 29 December 1943
Commissioned: 29 March 1944
Decommissioned: 1947
Fate: Loaned to Greece
Career (Greece)
Name: Okeanos
Commissioned: March 1947
Decommissioned: 1952
Fate: Returned to the United States
Career (France)
Name: TCD Foudre (L646)
Namesake: lightning
Acquired: 1952
Commissioned: 1952
Decommissioned: 1969
Fate: sunk as target, 10 February 1970
General characteristics
Displacement:7,930 tons (loaded),
4,032 tons (light draft)
Length:457 ft 9 in (139.52 m) overall
Beam:  72 ft 2 in (22.00 m)
Draft:    8 ft 2 1⁄2 in (2.50 m) fwd,
  10 ft 1⁄2 in (3.06 m) aft (light);
  15 ft 5 1⁄2 in (4.71 m) fwd,
  16 ft 2 in (4.93 m) aft (loaded)
Propulsion:2 Babcock and Wilcox boilers, 2 Skinner geared steam turbines, 2 propeller shafts
Speed:17 kn (31 km/h)
Range:8,000 nmi. at 15 knots
(15,000 km at 28 km/h)
Boats and landing
craft carried:		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, amphibious and landing craft up to capacity
Capacity:22 officers, 218 men
Complement:17 officers, 237 men (ship);
6 officers, 30 men (landing craft)
Armament:• 1 × 5 in / 38 cal. DP gun;
• 16 × 20 mm single barrel AA guns;
• 4 × 2 pound pom pomAA guns;
Notes:Characteristics are as of April 1944

HMS Oceanway (F143) was a Casa Grande class dock landing ship of the British Royal Navy provided under Lend-Lease from the US.

History

The ship was authorised under the United States Lend-Lease act as BAPM-4 ("British Mechanized Artillery Transport 4"), but was reclassified as LSD-12 ("Landing Ship Dock 12") on 1 July 1942. The vessel was originally to have been named HMS Dagger, but the name HMS Oceanway was assigned to it in August 1943. The vessel was formally transferred to the United Kingdom on 29 March 1944.

Oceanway took part in the Normandy Landings, transporting 20 landing craft, arriving at Omaha Beach at 15:30 on 6 June 1944. The vessel served in the Far East in 1945 before being returned to the US.

It was loaned to Greece in Match 1947, where it served as Okeanos, before being returned to the United States in 1952. Later that year, it was loaned to France, where it served as Foudre (L646) and was eventually purchased by the French Government, serving in the French Navy until 1969. The ship was sunk as a target in 1970.

References