USS Westchester County (LST-1167) - 1950s

1950s

Originally laid down as LST-1167 on 11 January 1952 by the Christy Corporation of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin; launched on 18 April 1953; sponsored by Mrs. Robert E. Wood; and commissioned on 10 March 1954 with Lieutenant Commander Leamond F. Lacy in command. The tank landing ship departed New Orleans on 8 April 1954 and reached the Naval Amphibious Base at Little Creek, Virginia on 14 April. The remainder of the year was spent in amphibious warfare exercises in the Chesapeake Bay. On 14 February 1955 LST-1167 sailed from Little Creek to embark 205 marines and equipment for exercises in the Caribbean. These exercises were repeated in April, and the ship returned to Little Creek on 6 May 1955.

On 1 July, LST-1167 was renamed USS Westchester County. Westchester County spent the remaining months of 1955 engaged in operations along the east coast with the majority of the time being spent in local training. After loading marines and equipment at Morehead City, North Carolina the tank landing ship sailed for exercises in the Caribbean on 11 January 1956. She returned to Norfolk, Virginia on 6 February and made another training cruise to the Caribbean from 20 February to 24 March. Upon returning to Little Creek the ship conducted local operations until the Fourth of July which she spent at Yonkers, New York. She visited Trenton, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., then went into overhaul on 21 September at the Brewer Dry Dock Company of Staten Island, New York. After a two-month yard period, the ship conducted local operations to finish out the year.

On 28 February 1957 Westchester County embarked personnel and equipment at Morehead City and sailed to the Caribbean for amphibious training exercises, returning to Norfolk on 13 May. She conducted local operations until 28 August when she sailed for a Mediterranean deployment, joining the 6th Fleet at Messina, Sicily on 15 September. The ship conducted exercises off Turkey, Greece, and Spain. On 4 November the ship departed Alicante, Spain for Little Creek, where she spent the remainder of the year in local operations. Westchester County began the year 1958 departing Norfolk for San Francisco via the Panama Canal. She arrived at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard on 31 January for overhaul which was completed on 2 April. The ship put to sea from San Diego on 7 June for her first tour of duty in the Far East. She reached Sasebo, Japan on 5 July for amphibious warfare maneuvers and assault landing practice in Buckner Bay, Okinawa; Subic Bay, Philippines; and Tsoying, Taiwan where she engaged in joint operations with Chinese Underwater Demolition Teams embarked. She returned to San Diego on 10 December 1958 and there finished the year. The first eight months of 1959 were spent in amphibious training along the California coast. On 24 August Westchester County embarked marines and vehicles for Kaneohe, Hawaii and amphibious landings. On 6 October she returned to California, off-loaded the marines and returned to San Francisco. On 30 November WestChester County entered the Todd Shipyard, Alameda, California for overhaul until 12 February 1960.