USS Page County (LST-1076) was a 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 for counties in Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

 and Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.

Originally laid down as LST-1076 on 16 March 1945 by the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, 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 on 14 April 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Lillian J. Ostler; and commissioned on 1 May 1945, with Lieutenant Grover L. Rawlings, USNR, in command.

World War II, 1944–1945

After shakedown in Chesapeake Bay

Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...

, LST–1076 embarked troops in New York

New 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...

 and sailed, 14 June 1945, for 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...

. She arrived Pearl Harbor on 19 July and began several weeks of rigorous training in the 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...

an operating areas. LST–1076 stood out from Pearl Harbor on 29 August loaded with occupation troops bound for Sasebo, Japan. She disembarked her passengers on 22 September and by 17 October, she was returning to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 with war veterans. She arrived at San Diego on 11 December and shortly thereafter went into overhaul. LST–1076 was sent to 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...

 in April 1946 for inactivation, and decommissioned on 13 June to be assigned to the Columbia Group of the U.S. Pacific Reserve Fleet.

1960–1966

Named USS Page County (LST-1076) on 1 July 1955 the LST remained at 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...

 on the Columbia River

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

 until July 1960 when she was towed to San Diego for modernization and reactivation. Page County was recommissioned on 28 November 1960 and following shakedown carried out local operations off the coast of Southern California

Southern California

Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...

 through 1961.

On 3 January 1962 Page County sailed for Pearl Harbor to provide logistic support for the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

. Page County operated within the Hawaiian Islands in support of the Army through January and shifted to operational control of Commander, Hawaiian Sea Frontier

Hawaiian Sea Frontier

The Hawaiian Sea Frontier was a formation of the United States Navy established during World War II. It was organized to defend the island of Oahu. Vice Admiral David W. Bagley served as COMHAWSEAFRON from 4 April 1942 until July 1943....

 on 1 February for operations in the southern mid-Pacific. On 1 April she was assigned to Joint Task Force 8 in support of nuclear tests being conducted by the U.S. Government. She transported civilian construction crews and their equipment to islands such as Palmyra, Malden

Malden Island

Malden Island, sometimes called Independence Island in the nineteenth century, is a low, arid, uninhabited island in the central Pacific Ocean, about in area...

, Penrhyn

Penrhyn Island

Penrhyn is the most remote and largest atoll of the 15 Cook Islands in the south Pacific Ocean.-Geography:...

, Washington

Washington Island

The name Washington Island refers to:*Washington Island , the largest of the islands that make up the Town of Washington in Door County, Wisconsin*Washington Island in Keweenaw County, Michigan...

, Fanning, and Christmas

Christmas Island

The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....

. She completed these assignments on 5 August and returned to San Diego on the 20th.

On 27 October Page County was called on to participate in 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...

 quarantine. She 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 8 November and reached Vieques, Puerto Rico

Vieques, Puerto Rico

Vieques , in full Isla de Vieques, is an island–municipality of Puerto Rico in the northeastern Caribbean, part of an island grouping sometimes known as the Spanish Virgin Islands...

 on the 16th. After shuttling troops between Roosevelt Roads and Vieques, she was detached on 1 December to return to San Diego.

On 16 March 1963 Page County put into San Francisco to undergo an extensive MK II FRAM

Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization

The Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization program of the United States Navy extended the lives of World War II-era destroyers by shifting their mission from a surface attack role to that of a submarine hunter...

 overhaul which was completed in July. She returned to San Diego on 5 August and was assigned to coastal operations.

Between 18 January and 16 February 1965 she participated in "Operation Silver Lance" (one of the largest Navy-Marine Corps

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...

 training exercises ever held in peacetime). Deteriorating conditions 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 –...

 caused her immediate departure on 17 February, for Pearl Harbor, to transport elements of Marine Air Group 13

Marine Aircraft Group 13

Marine Aircraft Group 13 is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma that is currently composed of four AV-8B Harrier squadrons and a maintenance and logistics squadron...

 to Okinawa. She returned to San Diego on 7 May.

Vietnam, 1966–1970

Page County deployed to Adak, Alaska

Adak, Alaska

Adak , formerly Adak Station, is a city in the Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 326. It is the westernmost municipality in the United States and the southernmost city in Alaska. The city is the former location of the Adak Army Base and Adak...

 from 6 July to 21 October, returning to San Diego for coastal operations until 19 July 1966, when she prepared for deployment to Vietnam. Operating principally between Chu Lai

Chu Lai

Chu Lai is a sea port, urban and industrial area in Dung Quat Bay, Núi Thành district, Quang Nam province of Vietnam. The city is served by Chu Lai Airport.-Vietnam War:...

 and 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...

, she supported the struggle in South Vietnam

South Vietnam

South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...

 until returning to the United States in December.

Resuming local operations, Page County provided services to MinPac in evaluating the capabilities of LSTs for mine sweeping

Minesweeper (ship)

A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...

, and to Pacific Fleet Command for training exercises and administrative lifts for Hawaiian based Army and Marine Corps personnel.

Early 1968 found Page County participating in EastPac exercises, training Camp Pendleton Marines and Seabee

Seabee

Seabees are members of the United States Navy construction battalions. The word Seabee is a proper noun that comes from the initials of Construction Battalion, of the United States Navy...

s from Port Hueneme. During the spring she again 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...

 for operations in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

. From 11 September through 6 November she operated out of Da Nang and returned to San Diego on 24 December, via 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...

, Yokosuka, and Pearl Harbor.

After operations on the West Coast, Page County returned to the Western Pacific in the autumn and served in the 7th Fleet into 1970.

Decommissioning and sale

Decommissioned on 5 March 1971, she was transferred to Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 (date unknown) under the Security Assistance Program and renamed Kriti (L171). The ship was struck from the Naval Vessel Register

Naval Vessel Register

The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...

on 15 April 1978 and sold under the Security Assistance Program to Greece on 1 July 1978. Her final fate is unknown.