USS ''Carter Hall'' (LSD-3) was an in the
United States Navy, named in honor of
Carter Hall, the
Millwood, Virginia estate of Lt. Col. Nathaniel Burwell (1750–1814).
''Carter Hall'' was
launched on 4 March 1943 by
Moore Dry Dock Company
Moore Dry Dock Company was a ship repair and shipbuilding company in Oakland, California.
In 1905, Robert S. Moore, his brother Joseph A. Moore, and John Thomas Scott purchased the National Iron Works located in the Hunter's Point section o ...
,
Oakland, California, sponsored by Mrs. T. Wilson; and
commissioned on 18 September 1943.
Operational history
World War II
''Carter Hall'' sailed from
San Francisco 12 October 1943 with cargo and passengers for
Brisbane, Australia. She arrived at her next port,
Milne Bay
Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, south-eastern Papua New Guinea. More than long and over wide, Milne Bay is a sheltered deep-water harbor accessible via Ward Hunt Strait. It is surrounded by the heavily wooded Stirling Range to t ...
,
New Guinea, on 26 November to act as receiving ship, tender, and supply ship for small craft there and at
Buna until 10 May 1944. During this period, she took part in the invasion landings at
Cape Merkus, Arawe, New Britain on 15 December 1943, where valuable experience in the use of newly developed landing craft was gained. Upon the
invasion of Aitape and
Tanahmerah Bay late in April, ''Carter Hall'' once again launched laden
landing craft
Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. Pr ...
, and stood by the invaded beaches to service small craft, remaining in the area until 2 May 1944.
''Carter Hall'' arrived at
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...
on 12 May 1944 for amphibious training, then sailed to
Kwajalein to stand by in case she should be needed during the
invasion of Saipan. Her services not required for that assault, she sailed on to
Eniwetok and final preparations for the smashing return to
Guam, where she arrived 21 July, the day of the
initial assault. She remained off the island, supporting the operation through servicing small craft, until 26 July. The dock landing ship returned to
Hollandia Hollandia may refer to:
* HVV Hollandia, Dutch football team
* Hollandia Victoria Combinatie, defunct Dutch football team
* ''Hollandia'' (1742 ship), a ship of the Dutch East India Company, wrecked in 1743 on her maiden voyage
* Jayapura, a city ...
on 29 August, and from 11 September to 1 October supported the
operations at Morotai.
''Carter Hall'' sailed from Hollandia on 12 October 1944 with the Palo Attack Group of the Northern Attack Force, bound for the landings on Red Beach near
Tacloban,
San Pedro Bay,
Philippines on 20 October. Working efficiently in the apparent chaos that concealed the intricate, smoothly meshed landing plans, ''Carter Halls men carried out their key role both in landing their craft and in caring for small craft through 24 October, when she made her retirement as the
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf ( fil, Labanan sa golpo ng Leyte, lit=Battle of Leyte gulf; ) was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was fou ...
raged nearby. Her participation in the
Leyte operation continued as she carried cargo from New Guinea on a series of runs until 17 November. From then until 30 December, she was stationed in San Pedro Bay as tender and supply ship for landing craft.
Overhauled at Oakland, California, between 31 January and 4 April 1945, ''Carter Hall'' returned to
Subic Bay on 1 May to transport small craft, and to take part in the invasions at
Brunei Bay
Brunei Bay ( ms, Teluk Brunei) is on the northwestern coast of Borneo island, in Brunei and Malaysia.
Brunei Bay is located 5°00'43.44", 115°17'26.66"; east of Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.
It is the ocean gateway to the isolated Temburong Dis ...
, 10 to 16 June, and
Balikpapan, 1 to 4 July. She remained at
Leyte drydocking small craft until 6 September, when she sailed for
Jinsen,
Korea, carrying
LCMs and picket boats for use in the occupation of Korea.
Occupation duty at
Shanghai and
Sasebo continued until 9 April 1946, when ''Carter Hall'' cleared for San Francisco. She was decommissioned and placed in reserve at
San Diego 12 February 1947.
1951–1956
Recommissioned 26 January 1951 for duty in the
Atlantic Fleet, ''Carter Hall'' arrived at her home port,
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
, on 11 June 1951. Until 7 January 1955, she operated on training, salvage, and fleet exercises, as well as a tour with the
6th Fleet in the
Mediterranean from January through May 1953. Prior to the Mediterranean cruise, she operated in support of construction of the Defensive Early Warning system off Hebron, Labradore and briefly visited Greenland, crossing the
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle.
The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...
at 1431, latitude 66'30"N and in longitude 52'03"W on 22 July 1952.
Returning to the
Pacific Fleet, ''Carter Hall'' arrived at San Diego on 31 January 1955. Along with type training and fleet exercises, she had tours of duty in the western Pacific in 1955, 1958, 1959, and 1960, and took part in Arctic supply operations in summer 1956.
Fate
''Carter Hall'' was
decommissioned and struck from the
Naval Vessel Register on 31 October 1969 and sold to N. W. Kennedy,
Vancouver, British Columbia, 28 August 1970, for scrapping.
USS ''Carter Hall'' awards, citations & campaign ribbons
''Carter Hall'' received six
battle stars for
World War II service.
*Top Row:
China Service Medal (extended) —
American Campaign Medal
*Second Row:
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (6) —
World War II Victory Medal —
Navy Occupation Service Medal
The Navy Occupation Service Medal is a military award of the United States Navy which was "Awarded to commemorate the services of Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard personnel in the occupation of certain territories of the enemies of the U.S. durin ...
(with Asia clasp)
*Third Row:
National Defense Service Medal (2) —
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Cuba, 4-Vietnam) —
Vietnam Service Medal (5)
*Fourth Row:
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
The Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross also known as the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross or Vietnam Cross of Gallantry ( vi, Anh-Dũng Bội-Tinh) is a military decoration of the former Government of South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam). The medal wa ...
(14) –
Philippines Liberation Medal
The Philippine Liberation Medal is a military award of the Republic of the Philippines which was created by an order of Commonwealth Army of the Philippines Headquarters on 20 December 1944, and was issued as the Philippine Liberation Ribbon. The d ...
(1) —
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
*Fifth Row: Individual
Combat Action Ribbon (crewmembers aboard 13 December 1966)
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter Hall (LSD-3)
Ashland-class dock landing ships
World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States
Cold War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States
Vietnam War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States
Ships built in Oakland, California
1943 ships