USS Dunn County (LST-742) was an built for the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Named after counties in North Dakota and Wisconsin, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.

LST-742 was laid down on 12 March 1944 at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

 by the Dravo Corporation

Dravo Corporation

Dravo Corporation was a shipbuilding company with shipyards in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware. It was founded by Frank and Ralph Dravo in Pittsburgh during the 1890s.-Facilities:...

 of Neville Island; launched on 22 April 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Harry Lester; and commissioned on 23 May 1944 with Lieutenant Warren W. Holmes, USNR, in command.

Service history

During World War II, LST-742 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the following operations: the Lingayen Gulf

Lingayen Gulf

The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...

 landing (January, 1945), Visayan Island

Visayas

The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...

 landings (March and April, 1945) and the Tarakan Island

Tarakan Island

Tarakan is an island off the coast of East Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is a marshy island situated in the eastern Celebes Sea, off the northeastern coast of Borneo. The island occupies an area of .-Petroleum:...

 operation (April and May, 1945).

Following the war, LST-742 was decommissioned on 26 April 1946 and transferred to the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 on 28 June 1946 to serve as USAT LST-742. She was returned to the United States Navy and recommissioned on 1 September 1950. On 1 July 1955 she was redesignated USS Dunn County (LST-742). The ship performed service during the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

 followed by extensive service with Amphibious Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, until decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register

Naval Vessel Register

The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...

 on 1 February 1961. Dunn County was sold to Zidell Explorations, Inc.

Zidell Companies

The Zidell Companies are a group of family-owned companies based in Portland, Oregon. They include Zidell Marine, a ship construction company which specializes in the building of barges, and Tube Forgings of America Inc....

 of Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

 on 6 September 1961 for scrapping.

LST-742 earned three battle stars for World War II service and five battle stars for the Korean War.

See also

• List of United States Navy LSTs
• Dunn County, North Dakota
  Dunn County, North Dakota
  -Major highways:*North Dakota Highway 8*North Dakota Highway 22*North Dakota Highway 200-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 3,600 people, 1,378 households, and 986 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile . There were 1,965 housing units...
  
  
• Dunn County, Wisconsin