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USS New London County (LST-1066)
Encyclopedia
USS New London County (LST-1066) was an in the United States Navy
. Unlike many of her class, which received only numbers and were disposed of after World War II
, she survived long enough to be named. On 1 July 1955, all LSTs still in commission were named for US counties or parishes; LST-1066 was given the name New London County, after the county
in Connecticut
.
LST-1066 was laid down on 18 January 1945 at Hingham, Massachusetts
, by the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc.; launched
on 21 February 1945, sponsored by Miss Cynthia L. Rowan; and commissioned
on 20 March 1945, Lt. E. J. Gilman in command.
11 May 1945 in convoy for the Western Pacific. Three months later, having transited the Panama Canal
, LST–1066 reached Leyte
, Philippines
via the Marshall
and Caroline Islands
. After transferring ammunition to fleet ships, she sailed 18 October from Lingayen Gulf
, Luzon
, on the first of two voyages transporting elements of the 6th Army to the Japan
ese home islands of Honshū
and Shikoku
for occupation duty.
.
Though given a name, New London County (LST 1066), on 1 July 1955, the ship remained inactive until the aftermath of the Cuban missile crisis
of 1962. The Navy placed several LSTs in commission in reserve and created ResLSTRon TWO at Little Creek, Virginia. New London County joined this squadron 19 June 1963. Beaching and other training exercises commenced in the fall of 1963 and found real application during the Dominican Republic crisis in the spring of 1965. The escalating war in Vietnam
, a country with limited port facilities, caused New London County and her sister ships to be placed in full commission 21 December 1965. After a brief yard period and some intensive refresher training at Pearl Harbor
the squadron reached the Western Pacific in April 1966.
, Japan this landing ship spent much of her time unloading supplies, especially cement, along the central coast of South Vietnam. In February 1967 new orders directed the ship to Pusan, Korea
. There she decommissioned on the 27th and was turned over to the Military Sea Transportation Service in whose service she continued to sail during 1969. On 13 January 1970, while back off the Vietnamese coast, she was damaged by an underwater explosion. She was subsequently towed to Da Nang
for repairs.
LST-1066 earned two battle stars for the Vietnam War.
where she served as Comandante Hemmerdinger (LST-88). She was taken out of service on 14 October 1983 and sold for commercial service, 19 January 1984, renamed M/V Maquiserv, Chilean flagged, out of Valparaiso
. Her fate from that point is unknown.
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...
. Unlike many of her class, which received only numbers and were disposed of after 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...
, she survived long enough to be named. On 1 July 1955, all LSTs still in commission were named for US counties or parishes; LST-1066 was given the name New London County, after the county
New London County, Connecticut
New London County is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of 2010 the population was 274,055. The total area of the county is , including inland and coastal waters....
in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
LST-1066 was laid down on 18 January 1945 at Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and suburb in Greater Boston. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...
, by the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc.; launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 21 February 1945, sponsored by Miss Cynthia L. Rowan; and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 20 March 1945, Lt. E. J. Gilman in command.
World War II Service
Following shakedown the newly designated flagship of LST Group 99 departed New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
11 May 1945 in convoy for the Western Pacific. Three months later, having transited the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
, LST–1066 reached Leyte
Leyte
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
via the Marshall
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
and Caroline Islands
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
. After transferring ammunition to fleet ships, she sailed 18 October from 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...
, Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, on the first of two voyages transporting elements of the 6th Army to the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese home islands of Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
and Shikoku
Shikoku
is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...
for occupation duty.
Reserve
On 30 November she joined the procession of ships old and new steaming homeward and arrived San Pedro, California, 13 January 1946. In March 1946, placed out of commission in the reserve, LST–1066 joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet in Puget SoundPuget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
.
Though given a name, New London County (LST 1066), on 1 July 1955, the ship remained inactive until the aftermath of the Cuban missile crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
of 1962. The Navy placed several LSTs in commission in reserve and created ResLSTRon TWO at Little Creek, Virginia. New London County joined this squadron 19 June 1963. Beaching and other training exercises commenced in the fall of 1963 and found real application during the Dominican Republic crisis in the spring of 1965. The escalating war in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, a country with limited port facilities, caused New London County and her sister ships to be placed in full commission 21 December 1965. After a brief yard period and some intensive refresher training at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
the squadron reached the Western Pacific in April 1966.
Vietnam War
Home ported at SaseboSasebo, Nagasaki
is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...
, Japan this landing ship spent much of her time unloading supplies, especially cement, along the central coast of South Vietnam. In February 1967 new orders directed the ship to Pusan, 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...
. There she decommissioned on the 27th and was turned over to the Military Sea Transportation Service in whose service she continued to sail during 1969. On 13 January 1970, while back off the Vietnamese coast, she was damaged by an underwater explosion. She was subsequently towed to Da Nang
Da Nang
Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
for repairs.
LST-1066 earned two battle stars for the Vietnam War.
BACH Comandante Hemmerdinger
In August 1973, New London County was sold to ChileChile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
where she served as Comandante Hemmerdinger (LST-88). She was taken out of service on 14 October 1983 and sold for commercial service, 19 January 1984, renamed M/V Maquiserv, Chilean flagged, out of Valparaiso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
. Her fate from that point is unknown.