- USS Tulare (AKA-112)
USS "Tulare" (AKA-112/LKA-112) was a "Tulare" class
attack cargo ship in theUnited States Navy . She was named after a county in California."Tulare" (AKA-112) was laid down under a
Maritime Administration contract as "Evergreen Mariner" (MA hull 32) on16 February 1953 , atSan Francisco , by the Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp.; launched on22 December 1953 ; sponsored by Miss Carolyn Knight, daughter of the governor of California,Goodwin J. Knight ; renamed "Tulare" and designated as AKA-112 on10 June 1954 . The ship was then converted to an attack cargo ship by her building yard; turned over to the Navy on10 January 1956 ; and commissioned on12 January 1956 , Capt. Donald W. Todd in command.After a year's operations off the West Coast, punctuated by one round trip to
Pearl Harbor , "Tulare" departedSan Diego on11 February 1957 for her first deployment to the WesternPacific . In the course of her operations in the Far East, she participated in amphibious exercises atBuckner Bay ,Okinawa ; called at four Japanese ports:Yokohama , Yokosuka, Sasebo, andShimoda ; visitedSydney, Australia ;Singapore ; and Pusan, Korea, before returning via Pearl Harbor to San Diego on26 September . She then took part in amphibious exercises off the west coast until November 1957 when she entered theLong Beach Naval Shipyard for repairs.The ship's second deployment to the Far East took her to Yokosuka and Sasebo, Japan; Okinawa;
Hong Kong ;Guam ; thePhilippines ; and Pearl Harbor, before she returned to San Diego on16 March 1959 . In the spring and summer of that year, "Tulare" operated in the San Diego area and took part in Operation "Twin Peaks." Standing out of San Diego on13 October , she headed west for extended operations in oriental waters, highlighted by a goodwill tour of eight Japanese cities.The first few months of 1960 saw the ship participating in Operation "Blue Star," the largest amphibious operation in the Western Pacific since the landings at Inchon, Korea, in September 1950. After returning to San Diego on
29 April 1960 , "Tulare" operated locally in exercises off the west coast, with troop and cargo lifts, until sailing for her fourth deployment to the western Pacific on19 June 1961 . Her special duty on the outbound voyage was to carry cargo toWake Island . After unloading there, "Tulare" continued on to Japan. Following two weeks at Yokosuka, the ship visitedBeppu , Japan, and headed for Inchon andPohang , Korea, to take part in Operation "Sharp Edge," in which she embarked 300 Army troops with their equipment. Tulare then visited Hong Kong and several Japanese ports during the summer and early fall of 1961. En route to theRyukyus in October, Tulare was designated command ship for search and rescue operations for merchantmen "Pioneer Muse" and "Shiek", both aground offKito Daito Shima . While "Tulare" directed the operation, USS|Princeton|CVS-37 arrived on the scene and contributed her Marine helicopters which plucked the survivors from the stranded ships.Soon after reaching Okinawa, "Tulare" participated in Operation "Warm Up," with other units of Amphibious Squadron 3. On
16 November 1961 , the ship departed the Far East for the west coast and arrived at San Diego on12 December 1961 .On
6 October 1962 , "Tulare" sailed for her fifth tour in the Orient. Five days out, she assumed new duties as an acting amphibious assault ship for Amphibious Squadron 3, after USS|Iwo Jima|LPH-2 had received a summons to the Atlantic Fleet during theCuban Missile Crisis . Operating in this capacity for two weeks, the attack cargo ship steamed forSubic Bay where she loaded all supplies and ammunition originally earmarked forIwo Jima . Primed for action, "Tulare" remained on alert for the first two months of the deployment. The easing of tensions, however, allowed the ship to return to a routine operating schedule. She later took part inSEATO Operation "Jungle Drum II" offThailand , before visiting Nagasaki, Sasebo, and Yokosuka in March and April of 1963.She returned to the west coast in the middle of April for overhaul and local operations in the San Diego area, including various phases of amphibious, underway, and operational readiness training. Operations "Pine Tree" and "Cherry Tree" occupied her during the spring of 1964, before she departed the west coast on
18 June for her sixth deployment to the western Pacific.After initial routine cruising,
Tulare evadedtyphoons in late July and early August before tensions flared suddenly inSoutheast Asia .North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked USS|Maddox|DD-731 and USS|Turner Joy|DD-951 on 2 and4 August . "Tulare" quickly loaded marines and equipment, headed south, and joined Task Force (TF) 76 in maintaining a posture of readiness in theSouth China Sea . After returning to Okinawa and making a brief yard stop atSubic Bay in the Philippines, the attack cargo ship was ordered in November 1964 to the coast ofVietnam . However, before she could join American naval forces operating off Vietnam, her orders were changed to allow for local operations between Okinawa and Japan. About a fortnight later, the ship headed home and arrived off San Diego on18 December .Early in 1965, the ship participated in Exercise "Silver Lance," at
Camp Pendleton , CA, involving over 50 ships and 10,000 marines—the amphibious force gearing itself to conditions expected in a landing in Vietnam. After spending March and April 1965 in port at San Diego, the ship conducted underway and refresher training in May. Then the stepped-up tempo of operations in Southeast Asia resulted in the ship's making two special voyages to Japan and Okinawa carrying troops and equipment."Tulare" returned to the west coast late in the year but soon was deployed again to WestPac, departing the west coast on
12 February 1966 and steaming viaHawaii toChu Lai , Republic of Vietnam. She off-loaded her cargo between 6 and9 March and then proceeded via Sasebo to Okinawa. The ship later returned to Chu Lai with 47 vehicles and 1,211 tons of other cargo. For the remainder of the year, she operated in the Orient, visitingBuckner Bay , Okinawa; Subic Bay, Philippines;Hong Kong ;Bangkok , Thailand;Camranh Bay , Phan Rang, andTuy Hoa , Vietnam; and Yokosuka and Sasebo, Japan. During the year 1966, the ship steamed a total of 43,397 miles; transported 2,076 men, 8,891 tons of cargo, and 483 vehicles; spent 50 days off Vietnam in combat-related operations; and conducted 16 underway replenishments to ships of the Fleet on duty in the South China Sea.After being drydocked at
Richmond, CA , upon her return to the west coast, "Tulare" conducted training through late September before she got underway for the Hawaiian Islands on18 October . She deployed to WestPac with cruises to Subic Bay and Okinawa before getting underway for Vietnam on4 December . She relieved USS|Washtenaw County|LST-1166 in providing logistic support for Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) Alfa, at Danang on6 December . Underway on the 8th, she operated for the next 11 days with ARG Alfa before being relieved by USS|Wexford County|LST-1168 on19 December . From Christmas of 1967, "Tulare" conducted lifts in support of Marines battling North Vietnamese andViet Cong forces in the vicinity of Hue andCua Vet . She returned to Subic Bay for overhaul on29 January 1968 .As war continued to rage over devastated and troubled Vietnam, the United States' involvement became progressively deeper, and "Tulare" continued her support operations until returning to the west coast late in the summer of 1968. On
1 January 1969 , the ship was redesignated LKA-112. She commenced her 10th WestPac deployment on30 January 1969 , departing San Diego in company with USS|Paul Revere|LPA-248, USS|Belle Grove|LSD-2, USS|Alamo|LSD-33, USS|Cook|APD-130, USS|Tortuga|LSD-26, and USS|Valley Forge|LPH-8, bound, via Pearl Harbor and Okinawa, for Southeast Asia. She arrived in her operating area off Vietnam on7 March and delivered her cargo on the following day before returning to sea to be replenished while underway by USS|Caliente|AO-53, USS|Niagara Falls|AFS-3, and USS|Mattaponi|AO-41. She conducted local operations between the Philippines and Okinawa before arriving in her operating area on8 July to take part in three and one-half weeks of operations supporting Operation "Brave Armada" while serving with the amphibious ready group.After a run from Danang to San Diego, Calif., in which she transported Marines, she subsequently rendezvoused with gunboats USS|Defiance|PG-95 and USS|Welch|PG-93 on
27 October off the coast ofMexico before steaming toAcapulco , Mexico, early in November. She conducted local operations out of San Diego for the remainder of the year 1969 and ended the year preparing for an upcoming voyage to the Far East.Getting underway from San Diego for Vietnam on
23 January 1970 , "Tulare" steamed independently and arrived at Danang on10 February . She embarked marines and loaded cargo soon after her arrival and returned home on2 March . The ship got underway from San Diego for theMare Island Naval Shipyard , Vallejo, CA, on23 March , and arrived there two days later to commence overhaul.Drydock ed from22 April to21 May , "Tulare" emerged from the shipyard on30 June and got underway for the San Diego operating area and refresher training which lasted until11 September . On21 September , the ship commenced preparations for another WestPac deployment; and she got underway on2 November for Okinawa.From 1971 to 1973, the ship conducted regular deployments in support of American operations in Vietnam, up to the time of the American withdrawal from that area in February 1973. Thereafter, she conducted troop and cargo lifts to American bases on Okinawa, Japan, and the Philippine Islands supporting the American military presence in the Far East. In between these WestPac deployments, "Tulare" operated off the southern California coast, participating in local operations and amphibious exercises.
Removed from the active amphibious force on
1 July 1975 and assigned to the Naval Reserve Force, Tulare operated fromSan Francisco , actively involved in the Naval Reserve Training Program, into 1979.Tulare received 11
battle stars , oneNavy Unit Commendation , and oneMeritorious Unit Commendation for Vietnam service.References
External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/t9/tulare.htm Naval Historical Center: USS "Tulare" I]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/02112.htm NavSource Online: AKA-112 / LKA-112 "Tulare"]
* [http://tulare.homelinux.net/ USS "Tulare" web site]
* [http://unitpages.military.com/unitpages/unit.do?id=200305 Military.com: USS "Tulare"]
* [http://ussrankin.org/id352.htm 51 Years of AKAs]
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