USS Duval County (LST-758) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

USS Duval County (LST-758) 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 Florida and Texas, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.

LST-758 was laid down on 5 June 1944 at Ambridge, Pennsylvania

Ambridge, Pennsylvania

Ambridge is a borough in Beaver County in Western Pennsylvania, incorporated in 1905 and named after the American Bridge Company. Ambridge is located 16 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, alongside the Ohio River. In 1910, 5,205 people lived in Ambridge; in 1920, 12,730 people lived there, and in...

by the American Bridge Company

American Bridge Company

The American Bridge Company is a privately held civil engineering firm specializing in the construction and renovation of bridges and other large civil engineering projects, founded in 1900, and headquartered in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh.-Products and industry positioning:The...

; launched on 25 July 1944; sponsored by Mrs. F. D. Colburn; and commissioned on 19 August 1944.

Service history

During World War II, LST-758 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the assault and occupation of Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...

in February, 1945 and the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto in April through June, 1945. Following the war, she performed occupation duty in the Far East

Far East

The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...

until mid-September 1945. LST-758 was decommissioned on 13 July 1946, and recommissioned on 3 November 1950 for service in 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...

. She saw service in Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

until late Nov 1953. I James E. Thompson went aboard the 758 in Nov. 1950 and was discharged from it on Feb. 1 1954. We were scheduled to leave Korea in July 1953. When the armistice was signed in June we were held over to return prisoners from Koje Do island to Inchon. Pens were built on the tank deck that held 600 prisoners and we made three trips to Inchon. We sailed to Long Beach CA in Nov. On 1 July 1955 the ship was redesignated USS Duval County (LST-758). Following the Korean War, she had extensive service with the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets through 1969. Duval County was decommissioned on 28 October 1969. Laid up in the Reserve Fleet, the ship was 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 November 1976. Custody transferred to MARAD

Marad

Marad was an ancient Sumerian city. Marad was situated on the west bank of the then western branch of the Upper Euphrates River west of Nippur in modern day Iraq and roughly 50 km southeast of Kish, on the Arahtu River.The city's ziggurat E-igi-kalama was dedicated to Ninurta the god of...

for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet

National Defense Reserve Fleet

The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...

, she was sold by MARAD on 18 August 1981; her final fate is unknown.

LST-758 earned two battle stars for World War II service and four battle stars for the Korean War.

Service history

See also