Progress on the Scrapping of the Amphibious Ship 'Pizarro'

One month after the start of the scrapping work on the amphibious ship 'Pizarro', this is what it looked like yesterday. The superstructure has practically disappeared. The mentioned ship is moored on the banks of the Guadalete River as it passes through El Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz).

Last February, the Ministry of Defense awarded it to Desguaces y Reciclajes de la Bahía, S.L. for 922,000 euros, with the commitment for its dismantling and reduction to scrap.

The ship 'Pizarro' (L-42) was decommissioned in December 2012 and has since remained at the La Carraca arsenal while its disarmament was carried out. After following the same process, its twin 'Hernán Cortés' arrived in September 2014 towed to Arinaga (Gran Canaria) and is now a memory.

It is an American-built ship belonging to the 'Newport' class. Constructed at the National Steel & Shipbuilding Co. shipyard in San Diego (California, USA), it entered service in April 1972 under the name 'Harlan County' (LST-1196). During this time, it participated in the Gulf War and in embargo operations in the Adriatic Sea.

In 1995, it was transferred to the Spanish Navy, first under a lease agreement and then in ownership from April 2000, alongside the ship 'Hernán Cortés'. Due to the landing craft device located at the bow, both units were nicknamed 'the horned ones'.

Flying our Flag, it participated in various missions, such as peacekeeping in the former Yugoslavia and Kosovo, humanitarian aid in Haiti under Operation 'Caribbean Sea', and Operation 'Libre Hidalgo' in support of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.

The main mission of the ship 'Pizarro' and its twin has been to act as landing units in amphibious operations, projecting force ashore through vehicles and landing craft, helicopters, and beach landings. It had great versatility in embarking and disembarking personnel and vehicles, equipped with two access ramps, one at the bow and another at the stern, and two large decks for transporting 26 amphibious vehicles of the Marine Corps and 50 trucks.

Photos: Juan Gabriel Mata (J&N)