Pacific Theater
She sailed from San Diego 25 August, arriving Luzon 16 September. She relieved Eldorado at Subic Bay a week later, becoming flagship of the 7th Fleet, Amphibious Strike Force. Taking station in the South China Sea, with other elements of Amphibious Group 1, AGC 7 stood prepared for any contingency.
While proceeding to Bangkok, Mount McKinley came to assistance of Herkimer, whose master was severely ill. Herkimer's captain was taken on board for further treatment in Singapore while the MSTS ship sailed on to Saigon. In early March and again in mid April, the flagship coordinated the landing of Marine reinforcements at Da Nang and Huế, Vietnam.
Relieved by Estes at Subic Bay in April, she arrived San Diego 15 May 1965. The command ship sailed again from San Diego on 15 March, arriving at Subic Bay on 17 April via Pearl Harbor. Based there, the ship visited ports in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Okinawa, acting as flagship of ComPhibGru 1.
On 23 August, Mount McKinley sailed for home, arriving 19 September 1966. She sailed on her third WesPac deployment 1 July, arriving Da Nang 28 July to become once more the flagship of Commander, 7th Fleet Amphibious Force. She provided communications support for search and destroy operations against the Vietcong and North Vietnamese regulars. As in earlier deployments, support for military forces was combined with civic action operations to assist civilians.
Relieved in mid-January, AGC-7 sailed east for CONUS and home, arriving San Diego 10 February 1968. The ship's designation was changed from AGC-7 to LCC-7 on 1 January 1969. Following her arrival back in CONUS, she has been engaged in type training and amphibious exercises on the west coast as flagship of ComPhibGru 3 Into 1969.
Read more about this topic: USS Mount Mc Kinley (AGC-7)
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