- USS Jerome County (LST-848)
The USS "Jerome County" (LST-848) was an sclass|LST-542|tank landing ship built for the
United States Navy duringWorld War II . Named afterJerome County, Idaho , she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.History
LST-848 was laid down on
6 November 1944 atAmbridge, Pennsylvania by the American Bridge Company; launched on21 December 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs. F. D. Porter; and commissioned on20 January 1945 with Lieutenant R. P. Bentley, USNR, in command. Following shakedown offFlorida , LST-848 departedNew Orleans 24 February for the Pacific. After touchingBalboa, Panama in theCanal Zone and West Coast ports, she proceeded toHawaii , arriving atKalua Harbor 9 April . For the next 6 weeks, she engaged in amphibious exercises in the Hawaiian Islands before sailing to theMarianas . Arriving atGuam 11 June , LST-848 shuttled troops and equipment from the Marianas toOkinawa for the duration of World War II. When Japan accepted Allied peace terms, thereby ending the War, the landing ship was assigned to transport occupation forces in theFar East . Operating between thePhilippines andJapan , LST-848 carried troops, vehicles, and cargo to support American forces in the Pacific. She departed Japan in early December and, after stays atSaipan andPearl Harbor , arrived atSan Francisco 11 February 1946 . Following operations along the West Coast, she sailed toAstoria, Oregon early in April and decommissioned atVancouver, Washington 10 August 1946 . While berthed with the Columbia River group,Pacific Reserve Fleet , LST-848 was named USS "Jerome County" (LST-848)1 July 1955 ."Jerome County" recommissioned
7 December 1959 with Lieutenant Kenneth H. Ruecker in command, then completed a shakedown along the Pacific coast. On14 May 1960 she departed fromSan Pedro, California for mid-Pacific missile operations out ofMidway Island . After 5 months in support of the U.S. missile program, she returned toSan Diego late October. During1961 , "Jerome County" participated in amphibious training exercises along theCalifornia coast; then on12 January 1962 she sailed for the mid-Pacific. Assigned toOperation Dominic , she performed weather studies, charting, and communications during the U.S. nuclear tests of that year. The veteran LST returned to San Diego18 August to resume amphibious training exercises. From August, 1962 until August, 1965 "Jerome County" usually operated along the West Coast in addition to two mid-Pacific deployments. Following the increased American commitment to assist theSouth Vietnam ese government in their struggle againstCommunist aggression, "Jerome County" sailed forSoutheast Asia 10 August 1965 . ArrivingChu Lai , South Vietnam11 September , she supported U.S. operations in Asia for the next 3 months. The landing ship returned San Diego22 December . "Jerome County" sailed again for the Far East3 March 1966 and arrived atDa Nang , South Vietnam8 April . She unloaded her cargo and continued shuttling supplies, ammunition, and equipment in and out of the war zone until departing fromSubic Bay 1 September for home. She arrived at San Diego13 October and operated along the West Coast for the remainder of the year and into1967 preparing for future action.In mid-1969 a planned fourth
Southeast Asia n deployment was cancelled, and "Jerome County" was instead prepared for transfer abroad. Decommissioned again on1 April 1970 she was turned over, via lease, to theRepublic of Vietnam Navy that same month. She became the Republic of Vietnam Navy ship RVN "Nha Trang" (HQ-505) in April 1970. Five years later, at the fall ofSouth Vietnam , she escaped to thePhilippines and subsequently became the Philippine Navy's PN "Agusan Del Sur". The ship was discarded by the Philippine Navy about 1992. Her final fate is unknown."LST-848" earned one award of the Presidential Unit Citation, one award of the
Meritorious Unit Commendation , and fivebattle star s for theVietnam War .References
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* cite web|title=LST-848 "Jerome County"|work=Amphibious Photo Archive
url=http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/16/160848.htm|accessdate=July 26|accessyear=2007Further reading
*cite book|author=Friedman, Norman |year=2002|title=US Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History|publisher=
Naval Institute Press |id=ISBN 1-55750-250-1ee also
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List of United States Navy LSTs External links
* [http://www.mrfa.org/lst_848.htm History of The USS Jerome County (LST-848)]
* [http://www.hullnumber.com/LST-848 LST-848 Personnel Roster at HullNumber.com]
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