USS Whitfield County (LST-1169) - Early Career

Early Career

USS LST-1169 was laid down on 26 November 1952 at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, by the Christy Corporation. She was launched on 22 August 1953, sponsored by Mrs. John L. Clarkson of Lake Forest, Illinois, and commissioned on 14 September 1954 with Lieutenant Commander Frank S. Handler in command.

After shakedown training in the Gulf of Mexico, LST-1169 departed New Orleans, Louisiana, on 13 October 1954, bound for her home port, Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek at Virginia Beach, Virginia Upon arrival in the Tidewater, Virginia, area, she entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, for an availability that lasted from 25 October 1954 to 4 November 1954. She then joined Landing Ship Tank Division 44, Squadron 4, Flotilla 2, Amphibious Force, United States Atlantic Fleet. For the remainder of 1954, LST-1169 operated locally in the Chesapeake Bay.

Following a short availability at Norfolk Navy Yard between 5 January 1955 and 22 January 1955, LST-1169 made a run to Havana, Cuba, and, upon her return, reentered the shipyard for further work. She cleared Norfolk, Virginia, on 11 April 1955, bound for the Caribbean, and took part in amphibious warfare exercises at Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, with a reconnaissance team embarked. During that deployment, LST-1169 visited Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands before heading home on 29 April 1955 with units of the 3rd Battalion of the United States Marine Corps's 10th Marine Regiment embarked. After debarking the Marines at Morehead City, North Carolina, LST-1169 pressed northward, reaching Norfolk on 6 May 1955. Except for a brief cruise to Boston, Massachusetts, between 14 June 1955 and 23 June 1955, LST-1169 remained at Little Creek well into the summer of 1955.

Renamed USS Whitfield County (LST-1169) on 1 July 1955, she remained engaged in local operations into 1956, a year in which she underwent an overhaul at Norfolk Navy Yard between 21 January 1956 and 23 May 1956. She then operated in the Chesapeake Bay and off the Virginia Capes until 13 August 1956, when she got underway for the United States West Coast. After skirting a Caribbean hurricane, she transited the Panama Canal on 20 August 1956. Shortly after leaving Rodman Naval Station, Panama Canal Zone, Whitfield County suffered an explosion and fire. The repairs necessitated by that accident delayed her arrival at her new home port, San Diego, California, until 5 September 1956.

Upon arrival at San Diego, Whitfield County became flagship for Landing Ship Tank Division 12, an assignment that soon changed when she was transferred to Landing Ship Tank Division 11. She soon commenced a regular slate of divisional and squadron exercises out of San Diego that stretched into August 1957.

Whitfield County departed San Diego on 13 August 1957 to begin her first deployment to the Western Pacific (WestPac). She called at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, between 24 August 1957 and 4 September 1957 and reached Yokosuka, Japan, on 16 September 1957. A little over a week later, she proceeded to Camp McGill to load vehicles and embark troops for the first of several amphibious exercises. After maneuvers at Okinawa, Whitfield County returned her passengers and cargo to Fukuoka, Japan, before she visited Sasebo, Japan, en route to Yokosuka, where she arrived on 11 October 1957.

On 14 October 1957, Whitfield County sailed to Iwakuni, Japan, to pick up troops for additional landing exercises at Okinawa, returning to Yokosuka on 31 October 1957. She departed Japanese waters on 3 November 1957 and reached Son Gap To, South Korea, soon thereafter, beaching on 7 November 1957 and 8 November 1957 to load cargo that she returned to Yokosuka on 12 November 1957. On 18 November 1957, after again loading troops and vehicles, Whitfield County sailed for Okinawa, offloading her cargo upon arrival and taking on board units of the 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division.

Whitfield County arrived at Dingalan Bay, Luzon, the Philippines, on 30 November 1957 and served as the base for a reconnaissance team during amphibious exercises that lasted until 10 December 1957. She then joined elements of the United States Seventh Fleet at sea for exercises which kept her busy until she arrived at Subic Bay, the Philippines, on 26 December 1957.

Whitfield County remained there into 1958 before steaming to Naha, Okinawa, on 4 February 1958, for the first of two voyages lifting Marines and their vehicles. She arrived back at Dingalan Bay on 26 February 1958 for exercises in which she acted as receiving ship for simulated battle casualties. On 8 March 1958, Whitfield County headed for the U.S. West Coast and reached San Diego on 31 March 1958.

Between 14 April 1958 and 3 May 1958, Whitfield County underwent an overhaul at the National Steel and Shipbuilding Corporation, San Diego. She then operated off the southern California coast into the summer. Her routine was broken late in July 1958 during the crisis in Lebanon, when American armed forces went on alert for a global posture of readiness. During that time, she cruised to Pearl Harbor between 25 July 1958 and 20 August 1958, after which time she resumed her regular routine out of San Diego.

Shifting to San Francisco, California, and later to Mare Island Navy Yard at Vallejo, California, and Alameda, California, Whitfield County underwent an overhaul at the Todd Shipyards Corporation in preparation for the ship's second Western Pacific deployment. She sailed for the Far East on 23 April 1959, called at Pearl Harbor en route, and reached Yokosuka on 22 May 1959. She then visited Hong Kong between 9 June 1959 and 16 June 1959 and returned to Sasebo on 21 June 1959, via Naha, Okinawa. She then lifted landing vehicles tracked (LVTs) to Chinhae, South Korea, between 22 June 1959 and 28 June 1959 before returning to Sasebo.

Subsequently loading elements of the 3rd Marine Division at Naha on 6 July 1959, Whitfield County transported the Marines to Numazu, Japan, arriving there a week later. Shifting to Yokosuka shortly thereafter, Whitfield County remained there into August 1959, undergoing needed upkeep and conducting local operations.

Underway for Inchon, South Korea, on 5 August 1959, Whitfield County rendezvoused with other units of Landing Ship Squadron 1 and took part in Operation Seahorse, a full-scale joint amphibious exercise with embarked units of the United States Army's 7th Cavalry Regiment. En route to the maneuver site, Whitfield County evaded Typhoon Ellen. Embarking the elements of the 7th Cavalry at Inchon soon after her arrival on 12 August 1959, Whitfield County sortied for Pohang Dong, on the coast of South Korea, to take part in Operation Seahorse. Whitfield County proved to be the only landing ship tank involved, because the other units of Landing Ship Squadron 1 had been unable to reach the area due to typhoon evasion maneuvers.

Visiting Otaru and Hakodate, Japan, at the end of August 1959 as part of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's People-to-People Program, Whitfield County was en route to Buckner Bay, Okinawa, for routine training evolutions with amphibious tractor units of the 3rd Marine Division when she was diverted for contingency loading at Naha, Okinawa. She received those orders in light of a developing crisis in the landlocked kingdom of Laos.

Whitfield County remained in a high state of readiness in the Okinawa area from 7 September 1959 to 12 October 1959. She steamed between Naha and Buckner Bay during that time and also conducted routine training evolutions, making one transit of the Taiwan Strait and evading five typhoons. During that period, the ship earned a well-done from Commander, Amphibious Squadron 1, for her contributions to relief efforts for Japanese victims of Typhoon Vera.

Ordered to Sasebo on 12 October 1959, Whitfield County underwent voyage repairs there. She cleared that port on 2 November 1959, bound for the U.S. West Coast, and reached San Diego on 24 November 1959. She then remained at her home port in leave and upkeep status for the remainder of 1959.

Following local operations out of her home port into the summer of 1960, including participation in Operation Swandive, held off Camp Pendleton on 8 February 1960 and 9 February 1960, and Operation Bigtop, held between 2 May 1960 and 10 May 1960, Whitfield County got underway for her third Western Pacific tour. After stopping briefly at Pearl Harbor between 22 June 1960 and 26 June 1960, she joined Landing Ship Squadron 9 in Japan on 1 July 1960.

Home-ported then at Yokosuka, Japan, Whitfield County would remain in the Far East until 1973. Her operating schedule reflected the growing American involvement in the affairs of Southeast Asia, particularly in Vietnam.

Whitfield County spent the better part of August 1960 conducting independent ship exercises and transporting Marines between Naha and Numazu and back. She also engaged in the usual typhoon evasions common to operations in that area of the world. In September 1960, she departed Yokosuka for a six-week cruise that was slated to take her to Okinawa, Hong Kong, and Subic Bay, but, soon after leaving Okinawa, she received word to report to Subic Bay. There, she rendezvoused with landing ship tank USS Windham County (LST-1170) and set out for Singapore in the Federated Malay States, on 26 September 1960.

Reaching Singapore on 30 September 1960, the two landing ships tank embarked 600 Malayan troops and their gear, part of a United Nations (UN) force assigned peacekeeping duties in the turbulent Belgian Congo.

Departing Singapore on 3 October 1960, Whitfield County and Windham County tarried briefly at Port Swettenham, Federation of Malaya, to complete the loading and embarkation process begun at Singapore. On 4 October 1960, the two amphibious ships departed Port Swettenham, bound for the port of Matadi, located on the Congo River.

The ships steamed for 27 consecutive days, crossing the Indian Ocean, rounding the Cape of Good Hope on 22 October 1960, and reaching the mouth of the Congo River on 31 October 1960. They then ascended the river some 82 nautical miles (152 kilometers) to Matadi. After disembarking the 600 troops and their equipment, the two ships departed Matadi on 2 November 1960. They arrived at Cape Town, South Africa, on 11 November 1960. They then visited Singapore and Hong Kong before returning to Yokosuka on 20 December 1960. Whitfield County spent the remainder of 1960 in port there.

From 1961 through mid-1964, Whitfield County continued her operations out of Sasebo and ranged from Okinawa to Japan, with port visits at Japanese ports, and to Hong Kong. She also operated upon occasion at Subic Bay.