USS Indra (ARL-37)

USS Indra
History
Name:	USS Indra
Builder:	Chicago Bridge & Iron Company
Laid down:	12 February 1945
Launched:	21 May 1945
Commissioned:	2 October 1945
Decommissioned:	6 October 1947
Recommissioned:	December 1967
Decommissioned:	May 1970
Struck:	1984
Fate:	Sunk as an artificial reef, 4 August 1992
General characteristics
Class & type:	Achelous class repair ship
Displacement:	2,125 long tons (2,159 t) light 4,110 long tons (4,176 t) full
Length:	328 ft (100 m)
Beam:	50 ft (15 m)
Draft:	11 ft 2 in (3.40 m)
Propulsion:	2 × General Motors 12-567 diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders
Speed:	12 knots (14 mph; 22 km/h)
Complement:	253 officers and enlisted men
Armament:	2 × quad 40 mm guns (Mark 51 director) 2 × twin 40 mm guns (Mark 51 director) 6 × twin 20 mm guns
Service record
Operations:	Vietnam War
Awards:	2 battle stars

USS Indra (ARL-37) was one of 39 Achelous-class landing craft repair ships built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Indra (the god of weather and war, and lord of Svargaloka in Hinduism), she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name, and only one of two ships (along with the USS Krishna) to be named after a Hindu deity.

Originally laid down as LST-1147 on 12 February 1945; reclassified while building and launched as ARL-37 by Chicago Bridge & Iron Company of Seneca, Illinois 21 May 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Regina K. Hlubek; placed in reduced commission and brought to Bethlehem-Key Highway Shipyard, Baltimore for conversion, and commissioned 2 October 1945 with Lieutenant Commander R. J. Siegelman in command.

Service history

After shakedown Indra sailed to Green Cove Springs, Florida where she remained from 30 November 1945 until 8 May 1946. She then steamed through the Panama Canal to San Diego, arriving 4 June. The ship remained in California until departing 7 January 1947 for the Far East. Indra arrived Tsingtao 19 February to support American Marines there attempting to stabilize the volatile Chinese situation and protect American lives and property. She performed repair and general services there and at Shanghai until 30 August, when she sailed for San Diego. Upon her arrival 25 September 1947 Indra decommissioned 6 October and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group.

Indra was recommissioned in December, 1967. During the Vietnam War Indra participated in the following campaigns:

• Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV (2 April to 16 April 1968)
• Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V (21 September to 1 November 1968)

Decommissioned in May, 1970 she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1984. Transferred to the State of North Carolina in January 1992, she was sunk as an artificial reef off the coast of North Carolina 4 August 1992.

Indra earned two battle stars for service during the Vietnam War.

References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.