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USS Park County (LST-1077)
Encyclopedia
USS Park County (LST-1077) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship
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-1077 was given the name Park County, after a county in Wyoming
.
LST-1077 was laid down on 21 March 1944 by the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, Massachusetts
; launched without ceremony on 18 April 1945; and commissioned
on 8 May 1945, Lt. I. W. Matthews in command.
to Pearl Harbor
, arriving 19 July. She conducted training and provided services in Hawaiian
waters until 29 August, when she sailed for Japan
with occupation troops embarked.
She arrived at Sasebo
22 September and departed on the 25th for Lingayen
, Philippines
to return personnel and equipment to Pearl Harbor. On 2 January 1946, LST–1077 was ordered to the west coast for inactivation. She arrived at San Francisco 11 January; steamed to Astoria, Oregon
3 May; and decommissioned there 31 July 1946. LST–1077 was placed in reserve and berthed with the Columbia River Group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
. She then returned to San Francisco in 1955 and decommissioned 12 May. She was again placed in reserve, and berthed with the San Francisco Group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet. On 1 July 1955, LST–1077 was named Park County (LST–1077) and subsequently moved to Bremerton, Washington
, remaining in the Reserve Fleet there, until recalled in 1965 for Vietnam
service.
for a complete modernization overhaul. On 9 April 1966 she again commissioned and, following shakedown, was assigned to Landing Ship Squadron 3, homeported in Guam
.
Park County arrived in Vietnam in late August after carrying marines (Bruce B. Tucker) to Iwakuni, Japan. Her operations in support of the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, included participation in Operation Duke off the coast of Tam Quan, RVN in October 1966, and lifts to Cam Ranh Bay
, Tuy Hoa, and Qui Nhon. She also spent considerable time in support of Naval Support Activity at Da Nang
carrying general cargo, ammunition, troops, and lubricants.
At Vung Tau
she relieved Sutter County (LST–1150) on 4 February 1967 for Operation Market Time
serving as a base of operations for Coast Guard cutters and Navy Swift Boat
s and providing them necessary supplies and repairs. She was relieved 4 March by Pitkin County (LST–1082), and departed Vietnamese waters for Hong Kong
and Manila
.
Park County returned to Da Nang 31 May and resumed operations with the Naval Support Activity. On 22 September she sailed to Guam and got underway 19 November for Yokosuka, Japan. From Yokosuka she conducted amphibious training operations until 2 December when she returned to Da Nang via Taiwan
and Subic Bay
, arriving 5 January 1968.
At Da Nang she was assigned to the Da Nang-Cua Viet shuttle run. On 29 February she began more Market-Time operations. Park County continued her support of Vietnam operations until 13 December when she got underway for Guam for extensive overhaul. Leaving Guam 18 April 1969 she returned to Da Nang via Buckner Bay and Subic Bay, arriving 11 July.
1 July 1978, and was renamed ARM Rio Panuco (IA-1). Her career and fate are unknown.
Tank landing ship
Landing Ship, Tank was the military designation for naval vessels created during World War II to support amphibious operations by carrying significant quantities of vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto an unimproved shore....
in 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...
. 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-1077 was given the name Park County, after a county in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
.
LST-1077 was laid down on 21 March 1944 by the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., 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...
; launched without ceremony on 18 April 1945; 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 8 May 1945, Lt. I. W. Matthews in command.
World War II Service
After shakedown, LST–1077 was assigned to the Pacific Fleet and proceeded via the Panama CanalPanama 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...
to 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...
, arriving 19 July. She conducted training and provided services in Hawaiian
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
waters until 29 August, when she sailed for 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...
with occupation troops embarked.
She arrived at Sasebo
Sasebo, 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...
22 September and departed on the 25th for Lingayen
Invasion of Lingayen Gulf
The Liberation of Lingayen Gulf was an Allied amphibious operation in the Philippines during World War II. In the early morning of 9 January 1945, an Allied force commanded by Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf began approaching the shores of Lingayen. U.S...
, 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...
to return personnel and equipment to Pearl Harbor. On 2 January 1946, LST–1077 was ordered to the west coast for inactivation. She arrived at San Francisco 11 January; steamed to Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
3 May; and decommissioned there 31 July 1946. LST–1077 was placed in reserve and berthed with the Columbia River Group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
Korean War
On 6 September 1950, LST–1077 recommissioned and joined the Pacific Fleet in the Far East where she served in operations in support of United Nations operations in KoreaKorea
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...
. She then returned to San Francisco in 1955 and decommissioned 12 May. She was again placed in reserve, and berthed with the San Francisco Group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet. On 1 July 1955, LST–1077 was named Park County (LST–1077) and subsequently moved to Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
, remaining in the Reserve Fleet there, until recalled in 1965 for 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 –...
service.
Vietnam War
In November 1965 Park County was towed from Bremerton to Portland, OregonPortland, 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...
for a complete modernization overhaul. On 9 April 1966 she again commissioned and, following shakedown, was assigned to Landing Ship Squadron 3, homeported in Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
.
Park County arrived in Vietnam in late August after carrying marines (Bruce B. Tucker) to Iwakuni, Japan. Her operations in support of the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, included participation in Operation Duke off the coast of Tam Quan, RVN in October 1966, and lifts to Cam Ranh Bay
Cam Ranh Bay
Cam Ranh Bay is a deep-water bay in Vietnam in the province of Khánh Hòa. It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 kilometers / 180 miles northeast of Hồ Chí Minh City / Saigon.Cam Ranh is...
, Tuy Hoa, and Qui Nhon. She also spent considerable time in support of Naval Support Activity at 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...
carrying general cargo, ammunition, troops, and lubricants.
At Vung Tau
Vung Tàu
Vũng Tàu is a city in southern Vietnam. Its population in 2005 was 240,000. The city area is including 13 urban wards and one village. It is the capital of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, and is the crude oil extraction center of Vietnam. It is also known as one of the most beautiful cities of tourism...
she relieved Sutter County (LST–1150) on 4 February 1967 for Operation Market Time
Operation Market Time
Operation Market Time was the United States Navy’s effort to stop troops and supplies from flowing by sea from North Vietnam to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War...
serving as a base of operations for Coast Guard cutters and Navy Swift Boat
Swift Boat
Swift Boat may refer to:*a Patrol Craft Fast*Swift Vets and POWs for Truth, originally named Swift Boat Veterans For Truth*Swiftboating, political jargon for a particular form of character assassination as a smear tactic...
s and providing them necessary supplies and repairs. She was relieved 4 March by Pitkin County (LST–1082), and departed Vietnamese waters for Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
.
Park County returned to Da Nang 31 May and resumed operations with the Naval Support Activity. On 22 September she sailed to Guam and got underway 19 November for Yokosuka, Japan. From Yokosuka she conducted amphibious training operations until 2 December when she returned to Da Nang via Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
, arriving 5 January 1968.
At Da Nang she was assigned to the Da Nang-Cua Viet shuttle run. On 29 February she began more Market-Time operations. Park County continued her support of Vietnam operations until 13 December when she got underway for Guam for extensive overhaul. Leaving Guam 18 April 1969 she returned to Da Nang via Buckner Bay and Subic Bay, arriving 11 July.
Mexican Service
Park County was sold to the Mexican NavyMexican Navy
The Mexican Navy is the naval branch of the Mexican military responsible for conducting naval operations. Its stated mission is "to use the naval force of the federation for the exterior defense, and to help with internal order". The Navy consists of about 56,000 men and women plus reserves, over...
1 July 1978, and was renamed ARM Rio Panuco (IA-1). Her career and fate are unknown.