USS Wahkiakum County (LST-1162) - Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean Operations, 1960-1965

Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean Operations, 1960-1965

At the end of this period, she deployed to the Mediterranean and operated with the 6th Fleet from May to December 1960. She carried cargo and troops and participated in amphibious exercises with naval units of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries in the Mediterranean.

Wahkiakum County underwent a major overhaul at Newport News, Virginia, in 1961, before she resumed active operations with a three-month Caribbean deployment.

Transferred to Amphibious Squadron (PhibRon) 12 on 1 July 1961, Wahkiakum County participated in several amphibious landing exercises and contingency operations over the remainder of the year. During July and September 1961, she transported United States Naval Academy midshipmen from Annapolis, Maryland, to Little Creek, Virginia, for annual summer training and began a three-month Caribbean deployment in September 1961.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis in the autumn of 1962, Wahkiakum County embarked the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, and operated in support of the blockade of Cuba from 24 October 1962 to 7 December 1962. She deployed to the Mediterranean in the spring of 1963, operating with the 6th Fleet Amphibious Task Force, and again to the Caribbean during the spring of 1964.