USS Alamo (LSD-33) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

USS Alamo (LSD-33) was a of 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...

. She was named for the Alamo

Alamo Mission in San Antonio

The Alamo, originally known as Mission San Antonio de Valero, is a former Roman Catholic mission and fortress compound, site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, and now a museum, in San Antonio, Texas....

, site of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo

Battle of the Alamo

The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar . All but two of the Texian defenders were killed...

.

Alamo was laid down on 11 October 1954 at Pascagoula, Miss., by the Ingalls Shipbuilding

Ingalls Shipbuilding

Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries...

Corp.; 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 20 January 1956; sponsored by Mrs. Daniel V. Gallery, the wife of Rear Admiral Daniel V. Gallery

Daniel V. Gallery

Rear Admiral Daniel Vincent Gallery was an officer in the United States Navy who saw extensive action during World War II. He fought in the Second Battle of the Atlantic, his most notable achievement was the capture of the German submarine U-505, on June 4, 1944...

: 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 24 August 1956, Capt. James L. Semmes in command.

1956–1960

After commissioning, the ship briefly visited Galveston, Tex.

Galveston, Texas

Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...

then headed for NS Norfolk, Va.

Naval Station Norfolk

Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, is a base of the United States Navy, supporting naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command, those operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean...

, to complete her outfitting and initial loading. On 13 October, the dock landing ship sailed for the West Coast. After transiting 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...

, she reached NS San Diego, Calif.

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, her home port, and joined the Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet

United States Pacific Fleet

The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...

. The ship held amphibious exercises and acceptance trials off San Diego in February 1957. Further training exercises occupied her until 29 May, when she got underway for the Marshall Islands

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...

. Alamo paused 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...

from 6 June to 8 June to load amphibious craft, then continued on to the Marshall Islands. She discharged the craft at Eniwetok on 14 June and for the next 10 days, provided shuttle service between Eniwetok and Bikini Atoll

Bikini Atoll

Bikini Atoll is an atoll, listed as a World Heritage Site, in the Micronesian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands....

s. Alamo put to sea from Bikini on 22 June and steamed by way of Pearl Harbor to San Diego where she loaded landing craft, tugs, and spare parts before sailing for Pearl Harbor on 23 July. There, on 6 August, she embarked Marines

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

and their equipment and put to sea for participation in "Operation Tradewind", conducted in the area of Lahaina Roads

Lahaina Roads

Lahaina Roads, also called the Lahaina Roadstead is a channel of the Pacific Ocean in the Hawaiian Islands. The surrounding islands of Maui, and Lānai make it a sheltered anchorage....

, Maui

Maui

The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...

. Alamo returned from this exercise on 15 August; then left Pearl Harbor four days later to return to San Diego.

On 24 September, Alamo began a voyage to the western Pacific (WestPac). She repeated her pattern of loading equipment at Pearl Harbor for transport to Eniwetok. Alamo then shuttled equipment between Eniwetok, Utirik, Kwajalein

Kwajalein

Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...

, and Ujelang Atolls. A voyage to Yokohama

Yokohama

is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...

, 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...

, where she arrived on 17 November, interrupted that duty. Alamo cleared that port on 21 November to resume her shuttling service in the Marshalls before returning to San Diego on 15 December.

The beginning of 1958 brought more training and upkeep. On 8 March, Alamo headed for Pearl Harbor where she joined a fast transport group for a series of amphibious force landing and salvage exercises at Kauai

Kauai

Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...

. The ship departed Pearl Harbor on 7 April and reached San Diego on 14 April. Ten days later, she entered the Mare Island Naval Shipyard

Mare Island Naval Shipyard

The Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located 25 miles northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates the peninsula shipyard from the main portion of the...

for an overhaul and returned to her home port on 31 July to begin two and one-half months of refresher training. On 10 October, Alamo sailed for Japan. After loading landing craft

Landing craft

Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...

at Yokosuka

United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka

U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, or Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka is a United States Navy base, in Yokosuka, Japan. Its mission is to maintain and operate base facilities for the logistic, recreational, administrative support and service of the U.S. Naval Forces Japan, U.S. 7th Fleet and...

, Alamo headed to Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...

, 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...

. At that port, the ship conducted amphibious training with units of the Nationalist Chinese Navy

Republic of China Navy

The Republic of China Navy is the maritime branch of the Armed forces of the Republic of China . The ROC Navy's primary mission is to defend ROC territories and the sea lanes that surround Taiwan against a blockade, attack, or possible invasion by forces of the People's Republic of China...

until 2 December 1958. She then steamed for independent ship exercises off Okinawa

Okinawa Prefecture

is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...

and stopped at Naha to load the men and equipment of Marine Transport Squadron 163 for transportation to Yokosuka. For the next two months, Alamo shuttled various Marine Corps units between Yokosuka and Okinawa, terminating her last voyage of this duty at Naha on 11 February 1959. Three days later she pushed on to Sasebo

United States Fleet Activities Sasebo

U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo is a United States Navy naval base, in Sasebo, Japan, on the island of Kyūshū. It provides facilities for the logistic support of forward-deployed units and visiting operating forces of the United States Pacific Fleet and designated tenant activities.- History :Sasebo...

, Japan, but again got underway for home on 23 February and paid visits to Adak

Adak Island

Adak Island is an island near the western extent of the Andreanof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Alaska's southernmost town, Adak, is located on the island...

and Kodiak, Alaska

Kodiak Island

Kodiak Island is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States and the 80th largest island in the world, with an...

, and San Francisco, Calif.

San Francisco, California

San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

, before reaching San Diego on 12 March.

Following a round-trip run to Astoria, Oreg.

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...

, — from 17 April to 25 April — to deliver a load of small craft, she took part in exercises with other units of Amphibious Squadron 3 off Coronado

Coronado

Coronado may refer to:* Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, a Spanish explorer* Rodney Coronado, a US activist* Coronado, California* Coronado, Chihuahua* Coronado, Kansas* Coronado * Coronado Yachts* Coronado 15...

, followed by "Operation Twin Peaks", held off the California coast from 18 May to 5 June. Late in September, Alamo sailed for the Far East. The ship visited Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Yokosuka, Iwakuni, Kagoshima, and Shimazu

Shimazu clan

The were the daimyō of the Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga provinces in Japan.The Shimazu were identified as one of the tozama or outsider daimyō clans in contrast with the fudai or insider clans which were hereditary vassals or allies of the Tokugawa clan,The Shimazu were...

, Japan, Naha, Okinawa, 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...

, 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...

, 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...

, and Buckner Bay, Okinawa. After touching at Pearl Harbor, she arrived at San Diego on 3 May 1960. From 25 July to 1 November, the ship was overhauled at the Todd Shipyard, Seattle, Wash.

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

; and, from 14 November to 9 December, she went through refresher training.

1961–1964

The ship began 1961 with amphibious refresher training at San Diego and devoted most of the first half of the year to training and gunnery exercises, Naval Reserve training cruises and "Operation Greenlight Phase III". On 17 June, she got underway for another WestPac deployment. Upon her arrival at Subic Bay, Alamo joined the 7th Fleet

United States Seventh Fleet

The Seventh Fleet is the United States Navy's permanent forward projection force based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near Japan and South Korea. It is a component fleet force under the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, with...

's Amphibious Ready Group

Amphibious Ready Group

An Amphibious Readiness Group of the United States Navy consists of a Navy element—a group of warships known as an amphibious task force —and a landing force of United States Marines , in total about 5,000 people. Together, these elements and supporting units are trained, organized, and equipped...

(ARG) and shuttled Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

units to Buckner Bay. She took part in "Operation Warm-Up" off the northwest coast of Okinawa from 13 October to 20 October. A visit to Hong Kong followed before the ship returned to Subic Bay and began preparations for her voyage back to the United States. She got underway early in December and arrived at NS San Diego

Naval Station San Diego

Naval Base San Diego is the largest base of the United States Navy on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, consisting of 54 ships and over 120 tenant commands. The base is composed of 13 piers stretched...

on 16 December.

Alamo remained there until 6 March 1962, when she got underway for San Francisco and the Todd Shipyard for her first interim overhaul. Six weeks later, she returned to San Diego. Local operations occupied her until 16 October when she got underway for the Far East with Amphibious Squadron 3. En route, several ships of the squadron were diverted to the Caribbean

Caribbean Sea

The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....

in response to 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...

, and Alamo was held in Hawaii

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...

on a standby basis. On 17 November, she sailed for typhoon-stricken 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...

with emergency supplies. After a two-day stop in Guam to unload supplies, the vessel proceeded to Subic Bay. Local operations off San Miguel

San Miguel

San Miguel, Spanish for Saint Michael, describes numerous locations.-Argentina:*San Miguel Partido*San Miguel, Buenos Aires*San Miguel Arcángel , a Volga German colony in Adolfo Alsina Partido, Buenos Aires Province...

were held before the ship sailed to Hong Kong for the Christmas holidays.

The ship visited 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,...

during the New Year's holiday in 1963 then returned to Subic Bay. In January, she took part in "Operation Jungle Drum II" in Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

and then spent two days in Bangkok

Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

. Her next assignment took her to the flood-stricken island of Mindanao

Mindanao

Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...

in the Philippines. The month of March was taken up by "Operation Silver Blade" off Taiwan

Taiwan

. After three weeks of restricted availability at Subic Bay, Alamo sailed on 20 April for Yokosuka. The ship finally reached San Diego on 11 May. Following a period of upkeep and training, she got underway for four weeks of operations in the Pacific Northwest

Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...

with units of Amphibious Squadron 7 and Army Reserve

United States Army Reserve

The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....

units. Visits to Seattle, Wash.

Seattle, Washington

, and Portland, Oreg.

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...

, preceded her return to San Diego on 6 September. In mid-September, the ship entered the Bethlehem Steel

Bethlehem Steel

The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...

Co. shipyard, Long Beach, Calif.

Long Beach, California

Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

, to begin an overhaul which was completed barely in time for her to get back home for the Christmas holidays.

A period of upkeep and refresher training kept the crew busy through March 1964. In April, Alamo proceeded north to assist the earthquake

Earthquake

An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...

-stricken region around Kodiak

Kodiak, Alaska

Kodiak is one of 7 communities and the main city on Kodiak Island, Kodiak Island Borough, in the U.S. state of Alaska. All commercial transportation between the entire island and the outside world goes through this city either via ferryboat or airline...

, Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

. She returned to San Diego in May and took part in "Operation Pine Tree". Then, after several weeks of preparations, Alamo departed San Diego on 18 June, bound for the Far East. Upon reaching Pearl Harbor, she was involved in "Operation Tool Box" and had a period of leave and upkeep before sailing for Okinawa on 9 July. Alamo returned to Subic Bay on the last day of July. On 5 August, she sailed with Marine Corps Battalion Landing Team 3/1 (BLT 3/1) embarked for patrol duties off the coast of 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 –...

and, through most of the autumn, alternated periods of leave and upkeep at Hong Kong and Subic Bay with Vietnamese patrol duty through 2 December. The ship arrived back in San Diego on 18 December 1964.

1965–1969

Participation in "Operation Silver Lance" off the coast of southern California lasted from 23 February through 10 March 1965. On 11 March, Alamo was called upon to make an unscheduled run to Yokosuka carrying men and equipment for the American military buildup in the Far East as the United States was beginning direct participation in operations in Vietnam. She returned to San Diego on 12 April. The ship made a second unscheduled deployment to WestPac on 25 May. She sailed to Okinawa

Okinawa Prefecture

, onloaded Marines, then landed them at Qui Nhon

Qui Nhon

Qui Nhơn , also Quy Nhơn, is a coastal city in Binh Dinh province in central Vietnam. It is composed of 16 wards and five communes with a total of 286 km². Quy Nhon is the capital of Bình Định province. As of 2009 its population was 280,900. Historically, the commercial activities of the city...

and Danang, Vietnam. Alamo touched briefly at Yokosuka, then headed back to San Diego. She took part in "Operations Cleansweep" and "Ragweed" during September, devoted most of the autumn to training exercises, and ended the year in port at NS San Diego

Naval Station San Diego

.

In February 1966 the ship began her seventh major deployment to Westpac. Alamo spent six months operating as a part of an amphibious ready group (ARG) and shuttled troops and equipment from Subic Bay

Subic Bay

and Okinawa

Okinawa Prefecture

to various points in Vietnam

Vietnam

. She returned to the United States in August. In September, her home port was switched to NS Long Beach, Calif., and she was assigned to the newly formed Amphibious Squadron 7.

In early 1967, she entered drydock at the Todd Shipyard in San Pedro, Calif., for her third major overhaul which, with the ensuing series of refresher training exercises, accounted for most of the year. In November, the ship sailed for the Far East. There, Alamo was engaged in a series of lifts from Guam

Guam

and the Philippines

Philippines

to Danang. She also again became a member of an ARG and operated along the Vietnamese coast for much of her tour. The ship also participated in four amphibious operations before returning to Long Beach in June 1968.

The ship engaged in local operations along the West Coast for the rest of 1968. On 30 January 1969, she began another WestPac deployment in which she lifted troops and equipment to Da Nang and then proceeded to Subic Bay where she joined ARG "Bravo." The ship also took part in three amphibious operations off the coast of South Vietnam. After eight months away from home Alamo returned to Long Beach on 26 September 1969. The ship then engaged in a series of training exercises and operations for the remainder of the year.

1970–1974

Alamo opened 1970 at San Pedro, California, undergoing a restricted availability during which repairs were made to damaged deck plating, cranes, and a boiler. Work was completed on 19 January, and the ship made final preparations for more service in Oriental waters. On 31 January, she sailed with to participate in "Operation Keystone Bluejay", which involved the withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam. Alamo sailed into Danang harbor on 19 February and began loading Marines and equipment for transportation back to the United States. Alamo debarked the Marines at Camp Pendleton, Calif., on 14 March and then steamed north to Long Beach. She spent the next four and one-half months in training exercises, refresher training, and availability. On 1 August, Alamo headed out to sea on her 10th WestPac deployment. She stopped at Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

and Guam

Guam

before reaching Subic Bay

Subic Bay

on 20 August. There, she unloaded her cargo and sailed on 21 August for Danang to bring more Marines back to the United States. Alamo reached Camp Pendleton on 11 September. After 10 days of leave and upkeep she got underway for Danang. Alamo also visited Yokosuka Tokyo, and Subic Bay. She transported landing craft along the Vietnamese coast between such points as Danang, 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...

, Song Bo De, and An Thoi. In early December, the ship took on board BLT 2/4 for participation in Exercise GRR-1 in Subic Bay. Upon finishing that exercise, she sailed to Hong Kong

Hong Kong

for Christmas. On 28 December 1970, she returned to the Danang operating area.

The vessel steamed to Mindoro

Mindoro

Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located off the coast of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. The southern coast of Mindoro forms the northeastern extremum of the Sulu Sea.-History:...

, Philippines

Philippines

, on 5 January 1971 for amphibious operations and moved on to Subic Bay on 10 January to onload equipment to ship to Vietnam. After briefly touching back at Subic Bay, Alamo left Danang to onload Marines and vehicles as part of the general American troop withdrawal. On 1 February, she got underway to return to NS Long Beach

Long Beach Naval Shipyard

thumb|right|300px|Long Beach Naval Shipyard in 1993The Long Beach Naval Shipyard, which closed in 1997, was located at Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles and approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles International Airport.The Long Beach...

and reached home port on 22 February. A leave and upkeep period ensued.

Operations resumed on 5 April as Alamo sailed for southern California waters to hold a midshipman

Midshipman

A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...

training cruise and amphibious exercises. In early May, Alamo unloaded her ammunition at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station

Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach

Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach is a United States Navy weapons and munitions loading, storage and maintenance facility located in Seal Beach, California with detachments in Concord, Fallbrook, and San Diego, all also in California...

in preparation for an overhaul at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard

Long Beach Naval Shipyard

. The ship entered drydock on 13 May. Yard work was completed on 15 September, and then began a period of refresher training which lasted through 10 December.

The year 1972 began with the ship in upkeep. Then a series of training exercises in preparation for deployment followed. In April, Alamo left Long Beach for the Far East. During her seven and one-half-month WestPac tour, she made numerous troop and equipment lifts to and from Vietnam. During this tour, the ship was attached to Amphibious Squadron 7. Alamo participated in the last US Vietnam military campaign "Vietnam Cease Fire". This involved the sea and air landing of VNMC assault troops

Republic of Vietnam Marine Corps

The Republic of Vietnam Marine Corps ) was part of the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam . It was established by Ngo Dinh Diem in 1954 when he was Prime Minister of the State of Vietnam, which became the Republic of Vietnam in 1955. The longest-serving commander was Lieutenant General Le...

near Quang Tri City in June 1972. Alamo also participated in the rescue efforts for flooding victims in the Philippines in July 1972. The ship was awarded the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation

Presidential Unit Citation (Philippines)

The Philippine Presidential Unit Citation is a decoration of the Republic of the Philippines which has been awarded to certain units of the United States military for actions both during and subsequent to the Second World War....

. Following completion of these duties, she got underway and returned to Long Beach on 8 November.

The ship remained in upkeep through 27 March 1973. On 28 March, she moved to the Weapons Depot at Seal Beach to unload ammunition. She entered the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation

Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation

Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipbuilding Division was created in 1905 when Bethlehem Steel Corporation acquired the San Francisco shipyard Union Iron Works in 1905...

shipyard at San Pedro on 5 April for a restricted availability. This period ended on 15 May, when Alamo held sea trials along the California coast. She commenced an availability at San Diego on 28 May to convert the fuel system from Navy standard fuel oil to distillate fuel. This work was completed on 14 September, and the ship sailed to Hunters Point Naval Shipyard on 16 September to begin a week of training. She returned to Long Beach on 24 September. Alamo held amphibious refresher training off Coronado, Calif.

Coronado, California

Coronado, also known as Coronado Island, is an affluent resort city located in San Diego County, California, 5.2 miles from downtown San Diego. Its population was 24,697 at the 2010 census, up from 24,100 at the 2000 census. U.S. News and World Report lists Coronado as one of the most expensive...

, through 12 November, and remained at Long Beach through the end of the year.

The first three weeks of 1974 were spent making final preparations for another WestPac deployment which began on 19 January. Eight days later, Alamo took part in a Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

landing exercise off Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. She reached Okinawa

Okinawa Prefecture

on Valentine's Day. After refueling and onloading Battalion Landing Team 2/9 (BLT 2/9) she sailed to Numazu, Japan, unloaded the Marines, and pushed on to Yokosuka

United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka

for a fortnight's restricted availability. Next came port calls at Beppu

Beppu, Oita

is a city located in Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan, at the west end of Beppu Bay. As of January 1, 2011, the city has an official population of 125,664 and a total area of 125.13 km², with a population density of 977 persons per km²....

, Japan, and at Keelung

Keelung

Keelung City is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. It borders New Taipei and forms the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with the Taipei and New Taipei. Nicknamed the Rainy Port for its frequent rain and maritime role, the city is Taiwan's second largest seaport...

, Taiwan. Alamos ensuing assignment was an amphibious training exercise off Okinawa which, in turn, was followed by stops at Subic Bay; Chinhae, South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

; Hong Kong; and Numazu and Yokosuka, Japan. On 30 May, the ship got underway to participate in Exercise Kangaroo I. The assault force gathered in the Coral Sea

Coral Sea

The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...

off the east coast of Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. On 19 June, she headed for Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

for a leave period. On 4 July, the ship weighed anchor and sailed home, via Pago Pago, American Samoa

American Samoa

American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...

, and arrived back at San Diego on 19 July. Local operations, which began for the ship on 23 September, were soon followed by preparations for an overhaul which began at San Diego on 4 December 1974.

1975–1979

Alamo got underway for Long Beach on 27 May 1975 and spent the month of June at her home port in restricted availability. On 2 July, Alamo sailed to Seal Beach to take on ammunition and, on 14 July, began amphibious refresher training off San Diego. She sailed on 4 October for another WestPac cruise. Following her arrival at Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

, she took part in an amphibious exercise held in Kaneohe Bay from 12 October to 14 October. The next day, the ship continued her journey, bound via Kwajalein

Kwajalein

Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...

for Subic Bay

Subic Bay

. After a brief stop there on 1 November, Alamo sailed to Sasebo

United States Fleet Activities Sasebo

for upkeep. She next transported BLT 2/9 from Numazu to Okinawa

Okinawa Prefecture

, then made a trip 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...

. Her other subsequent ports of call included Sasebo and Kagoshima, Japan; Keelung

Keelung

, Taiwan; Buckner Bay, Okinawa, Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

; Sattahip, Thailand; and Inchon, Korea. On 7 May, Alamo finally set course for the United States. She reached her new home port of NS San Diego

Naval Station San Diego

on 25 May and, following upkeep, devoted herself to local operations along the California coast for the rest of 1976.

The year 1977 began with three months of refresher training for the ship. On 29 March, she once again set off for the Far East. During this trip, Alamo visited the now-familiar ports of Iwakuni and Numazu, Japan, Subic Bay, Buckner Bay, Inchon and Pusan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Keelung, Taiwan. She also participated in joint exercises with Korean and Thai naval forces and made numerous troop and supply shuttles before getting underway for home on 23 October. On 17 November, Alamo arrived at San Diego and entered a post-deployment standdown period.

On 19 January 1978, Alamo began a fortnight's operations off the southern California coast and then turned to preparations for an overhaul. On 13 March, Alamo entered the Todd Shipyard in San Pedro. She held sea trials in December and was in port at Long Beach for the Christmas holidays.

She returned to San Diego on 11 January 1979. The vessel sailed to NWS Seal Beach

Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach

on 22 January to load ammunition and then began a series of training exercises. In June, the ship was assigned to resupply duty and provided small boat repair service at the naval outpost on Eniwetok. The group was involved in a cleanup operation to make the island habitable once again. After finishing her work on 28 June, she got underway for Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

. At the end of a short stay there, she resumed her voyage and sailed into San Diego harbor on 15 July. She spent the month of August in restricted availability. In September, Alamo took part in a fleet exercise involving over 30 American and Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

warships that included an amphibious landing on Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...

, just off the Canadian coast. On 9 October, Alamo sailed to Seattle, where she underwent repair work for three weeks. She returned to San Diego on 2 November. The ship spent the remainder of the year preparing for a scheduled WestPac deployment in early 1980.

1980–1984

Alamo embarked upon the voyage to the Far East on 4 January 1980. En route, she made stops at Pearl Harbor and Guam

Guam

before arriving at Subic Bay

Subic Bay

in the Philippines on 10 February. The dock landing ship stayed in the Philippines through the end of the month, getting underway once between 22 February and 26 February to carry out an amphibious landing exercise at Zambales

Zambales

Zambales is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is Iba. Zambales borders Pangasinan to the north, Tarlac and Pampanga to the east, and Bataan to the south. The province lies between the South China Sea and the Zambales Mountains. With a land area of...

. On 1 March, she departed Subic Bay bound ultimately for duty in the Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

. Along the way, Alamo stopped at Pattaya

Pattaya

Pattaya is a city in Thailand, located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 165 km southeast of Bangkok located within but not part of Amphoe Bang Lamung in the province of Chonburi....

, Thailand

Thailand

, and at Singapore

Singapore

. She departed Singapore on 15 March and made her way across the Indian Ocean to the Arabian Sea

Arabian Sea

The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...

where she joined the contingency force established in response to the takeover of the American embassy in Tehran

Tehran

Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...

, Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

. Alamo operated in that area until the beginning of May. At that time the dock landing ship headed for the Navy facility at Diego Garcia

Diego Garcia

Diego Garcia is a tropical, footprint-shaped coral atoll located south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean at 7 degrees, 26 minutes south latitude. It is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory [BIOT] and is positioned at 72°23' east longitude....

Island. After stopping at Diego Garcia from 5 May to 13 May, she returned to sea and shaped a course for Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

. Following a five-day visit to Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

, the ship departed Australia on her way back to the Philippines. Alamo paid a five-day visit to Subic Bay as well and then began the voyage back to the United States.

The dock landing ship stopped off at Pearl Harbor between 24 June and 26 June to disembark Marines and arrived in San Diego on 3 July. Post-deployment standdown occupied her time from then until 11 August when she began normal operations along the West Coast. She remained so engaged through the end of 1980 and for the bulk of the first six months of 1981. On 24 June Alamo stood out of San Diego for another tour of duty with the 7th Fleet

United States Seventh Fleet

. Once again, however, her western Pacific assignment included an Indian Ocean interlude. After a stop at Pearl Harbor and an exercise out of Buckner Bay, Okinawa, she visited Subic Bay for a fortnight in August. On 21 August, Alamo left the Philippines

Philippines

for the east coast of Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

and arrived in Mombasa

Mombasa

Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....

, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

, on 6 September. There, she participated in a bilateral exercise with Kenyan forces before heading back across the Indian Ocean via Diego Garcia to Australia. After visits to Perth and Sydney and the multilateral exercise Exercise Kangaroo 81, the dock landing ship set course for the Philippines on 1 November. She pulled into Subic Bay on 9 November and remained there for the rest of the month. On 30 November, the ship got underway for the United States.

Alamo reentered San Diego again on 23 December and ended the year with the usual leave and upkeep routine. The relative inactivity following a deployment continued through the end of January 1982. In February, the dock landing ship carried out some operations at sea, but, late in the month, began preparations for regular overhaul. The extended repair period began on 12 April, lasted through the end of 1982, and carried over well into 1983. Overhaul ended on 6 May 1983, and Alamo commenced refresher training in the Southern California Operating Area. Late in June, however, damage to her propulsion plant interrupted her training evolutions and caused her to spend the summer tied up to a pier for repairs. Late in September, Alamo resumed operations at sea.

Service along the West Coast, interrupted sporadically by repair problems, continued through the end of the year and into 1984. In February, she began concentrating her efforts on readiness exercises, trials, and examinations specifically geared to preparing the amphibious warship for her scheduled deployment to the Far East. On 30 May 1984, Alamo embarked upon the voyage to the western Pacific. On the first leg of the crossing she participated in multinational defense exercises with units of the navies of Australia

Royal Australian Navy

The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...

, Canada

Royal Canadian Navy

The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...

, and of New Zealand

Royal New Zealand Navy

The Royal New Zealand Navy is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...

as well as with elements of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

Japan Self-Defense Forces

The , or JSDF, occasionally referred to as JSF or SDF, are the unified military forces of Japan that were established after the end of the post–World War II Allied occupation of Japan. For most of the post-war period the JSDF was confined to the islands of Japan and not permitted to be deployed...

. For the most part, those exercises were conducted in the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaiian Islands

The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...

.

On 3 July, Alamo concluded her visit to Hawaii and resumed the voyage to the Orient. En route, further troubles surfaced in the boilers of her main propulsion plant so that, upon her arrival in Subic Bay

Subic Bay

on 20 July, she commenced another round of repairs. The dock landing ship carried out post-repair trials during the last week in August and finally departed Subic Bay on 24 August. Alamo reached Buckner Bay, Okinawa

Okinawa Prefecture

, on 27 August and began embarking Marines for transportation to Japan. Between 28 August and 16 September, the amphibious warship made two round-trip voyages between Okinawa and Japan carrying Marines to and from training exercises. On 18 September, she stood out of Buckner Bay on her way to Inchon, Korea

Korea

. During the period 18 September to 13 October, she made three round-trip voyages between Okinawa and South Korean ports. Upon her return to Okinawa from the third of those assignments, a problem with her stern gate was due to a maneuver consisting of a 90 degree turn with the rear gate down in the water at 15 knots. The force ripped one of the hinges and a hydraulic rod thrust out the back side end causing her to be tied up with repairs until 2 November. At that time she headed back to Korea to participate in the bilateral exercise "Operation Valiant Blitz 85-1" in cooperation with elements of the South Korean Navy and Marine Corps. Following stops at Buckner Bay and 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...

, Japan

Japan

, Alamo began the voyage back to the United States at the end of the third week in November. The dock landing ship made the usual call at Pearl Harbor and then reentered San Diego on 6 December.

1985–1990

Post-deployment standdown and holiday routine occupied her time for the rest of 1984 and during the first two weeks of January 1985. Alamo resumed local operations out of her home port late in January. The amphibious warship spent the whole of 1985 conducting exercises, trials, examinations, and inspections either in port in San Diego or in waters adjacent to the west coast. The only break in that schedule came in October when she made a round-trip voyage from the west coast to Hawaii and back for refresher training.

At the beginning of 1986, preparations for her upcoming tour of duty with the 7th Fleet

United States Seventh Fleet

occupied the energies of Alamos crew. She embarked upon the voyage west on 16 January 1986 and made no stops along the way. The danger of violence during elections in the Philippines

Philippines

even prompted the cancellation of planned exercises at 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 order that Alamo and other Navy ships be on station near Manila

Manila

to render assistance to United States citizens in that eventuality. The threat never really materialized, and she entered Subic Bay

Subic Bay

on 9 February. Ten days later, the dock landing ship set sail for Hong Kong

Hong Kong

where she spent the five days from 21 February to 26 February. Returning to Subic Bay briefly at the end of the month, Alamo then headed for Okinawa on 2 March. At Okinawa, she embarked troops for a major bilateral amphibious exercise conducted on the South Korea

South Korea

n coast. Alamo returned to Okinawa on 1 April but stayed only until 4 April when she got underway for Japan

Japan

. Following a nine-day call at Sasebo

United States Fleet Activities Sasebo

, the dock landing ship returned to Subic Bay on 20 April. From there, she voyaged to Singapore

Singapore

by way of the Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

n island of Bali

Bali

Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...

. Back in the Philippines by mid-May, Alamo carried out exercises there for the remainder of the month. On 10 June, she headed back to Okinawa. Alamo arrived at her destination on 13 June and spent the next 10 days conducting amphibious exercises at Okinawa.

On 23 June, the dock landing ship put to sea for the passage home. After brief pauses at Iwo Jima and Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

, the amphibious warship dropped anchor at Del Mar, Calif.

Del Mar, California

Del Mar is an upscale beach town in San Diego County, California. The population was 4,161 at the 2010 census, down from 4,389 at the 2000 census. The San Diego County Fair is hosted on the Del Mar Fairgrounds every summer. Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "by the sea", because it is located...

, on 15 July. She moved to San Diego on 16 July and commenced postdeployment standdown. The leave and upkeep period ended during the second week in August, and Alamo started another schedule of amphibious warfare training in waters along the west coast. Those evolutions lasted until 14 October at which time she began a restricted availability at pierside in San Diego. She remained there through the end of 1986.

Rio de Janeiro (G-31)

Alamo was decommissioned 2 November 1990 and loaned the same day to the Brazilian Navy

Brazilian Navy

The Brazilian Navy is a branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible for conducting naval operations. It is the largest navy in Latin America...

as Rio de Janeiro (G31).

External links

nvr.navy.mil: USS Alamo
hazegray.org: USS Alamo
navysite.de: USS Alamo
Texas Navy hosted by The Portal to Texas History. A survey of the Texas Navy during the Texas Revolution and the Republic Era. Includes maps, sketches, a list of ships of the Texas Navy, and a chronology. Also includes photographs of 20th century U.S. Navy ships named after Texans or Texas locations. See photos of the USS Alamo.

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