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USS Luzerne County (LST-902)
Encyclopedia
USS Luzerne County (LST-902) 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 Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
- Demographics :As of the 2010 census, the county was 90.7% White, 3.4% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 3.3% were of some other race, and 1.5% were two or more races. 6.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry...
, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
Originally laid down as LST-902 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 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
on 5 November 1944; the ship was launched on 16 December 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Michael Grom; and commissioned at Algiers, Louisiana
Algiers, Louisiana
Algiers is a neighborhood within the city of New Orleans. It is the portion of Orleans Parish on the West Bank of the Mississippi River.Algiers is also known as the 15th Ward, one of the 17 Wards of New Orleans.-History:...
on 15 January 1945 with Lieutenant Everett J. Bondesen in command.
World War II
After shakedown off the FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
coast, LST-902 departed New Orleans on 16 February for the Pacific. She reached San Pedro, California, on 13 March; thence, steaming via San Francisco, she arrived 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,...
, 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 31 March. She participated in amphibious training during the next two months. After embarking troops and loading cargo, she cleared 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...
on 18 June for the western Pacific. LST-902 touched at Eniwetok and Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
before arriving 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...
on 28 July as part of a 70-ship convoy. She discharged troops and cargo and on 5 August departed for Saipan where she remained until following the Japanese surrender
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
.
She sailed to the Philippines early in September and during the rest of the month operated in Leyte Gulf and along the western coast of Luzon. Departing Subic Bay on 4 October, she carried occupation troops to Japan where she arrived at Yokohama on 17 October. Between 28 October and 4 November LST-902 steamed to Guam where she embarked 603 war veterans before sailing for the United States. She touched at Pearl Harbor on 27 November, and arrived San Diego on 14 December. After sailing to San Francisco the 19th, she underwent a three-month overhaul before sailing for the Columbia River on 25 April 1946. During the next three months she based at Astoria
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...
and 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...
and at Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
. She decommissioned at Portland on 3 August 1946 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
Korean War
LST-902 recommissioned at Astoria on 18 January 1952 with Lieutenant William J. Martin in command. After completing shakedown and training operations along the Pacific coast, she departed San Diego for the Far East on 31 July. Steaming via Pearl Harbor and Midway, she reached Yokosuka, Japan, on 15 September and began supply runs in support of American naval and military operations in Korea. She operated along the Japanese coast and between Japanese and South Korean ports to bolster the movement of men and supplies to the war-torn peninsula.Departing Yokosuka on 27 April 1953, LST-902 steamed via Pearl Harbor to the west coast where she arrived San Diego on 23 May. Between 31 July and 25 August she carried elements of the 3rd Marine Division to Japan; and, after returning to San Diego on 2 October, underwent overhaul at Alameda the remainder of the year.
LST-902 departed San Diego on 27 March 1954 to resume duty in the Far East. She arrived Yokosuka on 26 April and over the next five months operated on supply and training runs out of Yokosuka to Okinawa, South Korea, and Japanese coastal ports. On 8 October she sailed for French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
where she arrived Hai Phong on 17 October to support the French withdrawal and "Operation Passage to Freedom
Operation Passage to Freedom
Operation Passage to Freedom was the term used by the United States Navy to describe its transportation in 1954–55 of 310,000 Vietnamese civilians, soldiers and non-Vietnamese members of the French Army from communist North Vietnam to South Vietnam...
" from North Vietnam. Between 21 October and 11 November she completed four runs out of Hai Phong, carrying French troops and equipment 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...
and Saigon. After steaming to the Philippines in mid-November, she departed Subic Bay for Japan on 5 December and reached Yokosuka via Hong Kong the 22nd.
The veteran LST cleared Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
on 17 January 1955. After arriving San Diego on 13 February, she operated along the Pacific coast during the next four months, and from 24 to 30 June she steamed to Seattle, Washington. Named USS Luzerne County (LST-902) on 1 July, she underwent deactivation overhaul; and, after sailing to Astoria, Oregon, on 29 August, she decommissioned there on 30 November to rejoin the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
Dominican Republic
Luzerne County recommissioned in reserve at Stockton, CaliforniaStockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
on 29 March 1963 for activation prior to service with the Atlantic Fleet. She joined the active list on 15 April with Lieutenant D. W. Moore in command; and, following shakedown and type training out of San Diego, she departed for the east coast on 24 May and reached Little Creek, Virginia on 19 June. Assigned to ResLSTRon 2, Luzerne County trained Naval Reserve units out of Little Creek during the rest of 1963 and throughout 1964. This important duty sent the LST on training and readiness cruises along the Atlantic coast from Long Island Sound to the Straits of Florida
Straits of Florida
The Straits of Florida, Florida Straits, or Florida Strait is a strait located south-southeast of the North American mainland, generally accepted to be between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and between the Florida Keys and Cuba. The strait carries the Florida Current, the beginning of...
.
After completing a run to Florida waters and back early in 1965, she joined naval forces operating to stabilize a crisis in the Dominican Republic. On 10 May Luzerne County steamed to Norfolk where she embarked troops and loaded equipment for shipment to the Dominican Republic. Departing 12 May, she reached Puerto de Andres on 19 May and debarked units of peacekeeping force. She returned to Little Creek, on 26 May. During the remainder of the year she made numerous runs between the United States and the Dominican Republic, shuttling troops, support equipment, and military cargo from Southport, North Carolina
Southport, North Carolina
Southport is a city in Brunswick County, North Carolina, near the mouth of the Cape Fear River. It is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, to Santo Domingo and to San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. She completed her final run from Santo Domingo to Southport on 14 December and reached Little Creek two days later.
Vietnam War
Landing Craft Utility
The Landing Craft Utility is a type of boat used by amphibious forces to transport equipment and troops to the shore. They are capable of transporting tracked or wheeled vehicles and troops from amphibious assault ships to beachheads or piers....
(LCU) at Charleston; 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...
on 1 February; touched at Pearl Harbor and Subic Bay; and arrived Saigon on 21 April. There she offloaded the LCU before steaming to Da Nang the next day. During the next two weeks she operated in the South China Sea and took part in freeing SS Excellency, an American merchant freighter, from a reef on Triton Island
Triton Island
Triton Island , historically known as Bànlù Zhì or Luó Dǎo to Chinese fishermen, is one of the islands of Paracel Islands in South China Sea, with an area of 1.2 km². The island is administrated by the People's Republic of China...
in the Paracels. Although damaged during salvage operations, Luzerne County carried the merchantman's cargo of ammunition to Bangkok, Thailand, where she arrived on 16 May; thence, she steamed to Sasebo, Japan for repairs and overhaul. Departing Sasebo on 2 July, Luzerne County resumed supply runs to South Vietnamese ports in support of the American war effort. During July, August, and September she carried military stores from Okinawa to Nha Be, Yung Tau, and Nha Trang
Nha Trang
Nha Trang is a coastal city and capital of Khanh Hoa province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the North by Ninh Hoà district, on the East by the South China Sea, on the South by Cam Ranh town and on the West by Diên Khánh district...
, and during the next two months she hauled cement from 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, to Phan Rang
Phan Rang-Tháp Chàm
Phan Rang-Tháp Chàm, also called Panduranga, is a new city in Vietnam and the capital of Ninh Thuan province. The community has a population of 161,000 , of which 91,000 live in the main city....
. After departing 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...
on 26 November, she returned to Sasebo via Okinawa on 13 December.
She returned to South Vietnam early in 1967, and during February, March, and April she shuttled cargo to South Vietnamese ports. She operated out of Sasebo during much of May, but on 4 June she returned to Da Nang. While at Da Nang, she was ordered to Triton Island to aid an American merchantman that had grounded on the islands surrounding reef. While working alongside, Luzerne County was damaged when a sudden swell caused the ships to roll together. As soon as possible, she sailed for Sasebo to undergo repairs. Upon completion of repairs, she spent the remainder of the year hauling supplies to Vietnam from Taiwan and Okinawa. Excluding periods of upkeep and refresher training, Luzerne County remained in this capacity until 1969.
Decommissioned (date unknown), she 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 12 August 1970. Her final fate is unknown.
Awards
LST-902 earned two battle stars for Korean WarKorean 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...
service and as Luzerne County earned ten campaign stars for Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
service.