Features: Ships of this class were the first to depart from the bow-door design that characterized the workhorses of World War II. The hull form necessary to attain the 20-knot speeds of contemporary amphibious squadrons would not permit bow doors. Accordingly, these ships offload cargo and vehicles by means of a 112-foot ramp over their bow. A stern gate allows off-loading of amphibious vehicles directly into the water. As of the date of this page, there is only one ship of this 20-ship class of LSTs remaining in the fleet. It, USS Frederick, is assigned to the Naval Reserve Force. USS La Moure County (LST 1194) went aground off Chile. She was decommissioned and stricken from the Navy List on 17 November 2000.