USS ''Traverse County'' (LST-1160), previously USS ''LST-1160'', was a United States Navy landing ship tank (LST) in commission from 1953 to 1970, and which then saw non-commissioned

Military Sealift Command Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US m ...

service as USNS ''Traverse County'' (T-LST-1160) from 1972 to 1973.

Construction and commissioning

USS ''LST-1160'' was designed under project SCB 9A and laid down on 18 December 1952 at

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, Maine, by the Bath Iron Works. She was launched on 3 October 1953, sponsored by Mrs. Omar R. King, and commissioned on 19 December 1953.

Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean service

Late in January 1954, ''LST-1160'' moved, from Boston, Massachusetts, where she had completed outfitting, to Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek at Virginia Beach, Virginia. On 26 March 1954, after seven weeks of shakedown training in the Virginia Capes operating area and three weeks of post-shakedown availability, ''LST-1160'' became an active unit of the United States Atlantic Fleet

Amphibious Force Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...

. Between the spring of 1954 and the summer of 1955, she completed seven training exercises to sharpen her skill as an

amphibious warfare Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conducte ...

ship. Those drills frequently took her south to the West Indies, most often to

Vieques Island Vieques (; ), officially Isla de Vieques, is an island and municipality of Puerto Rico, in the northeastern Caribbean, part of an island grouping sometimes known as the Spanish Virgin Islands. Vieques is part of the Commonwealth of Puerto Ric ...

near Puerto Rico, where embarked United States Marines practiced

amphibious landing Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conducted ...

s. On 1 July 1955, ''LST-1160'' was named USS ''Traverse County'' (LST-1160). Not long thereafter, she was awarded the Battle Efficiency "E" as the outstanding ship of Landing Ship Tank Flotilla 4. Late in 1955, ''Traverse County'' entered the

Philadelphia Naval Shipyard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...

at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for a four-month overhaul. She exited the

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in April 1956 and, following a month of refresher training, resumed operations out of Little Creek. The remainder of 1956 saw her periodically embarking Marines at Morehead City, North Carolina, and putting them ashore at Little Creek and at nearby Camp Pendleton. At the beginning of 1957, ''Traverse County'' completed preparations for her first deployment with the United States Sixth Fleet. From 1957 through 1968, ''Traverse County'' performed eight tours of duty in the Mediterranean. Most often, her operations with the Sixth Fleet included visits to ports in Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Turkey, and along the North African coast. She often conducted training exercises with units of friendly foreign navies. However, during her 1958 deployment, a crisis erupted in Lebanon at the far eastern end of the Mediterranean, and in July 1958 ''Traverse County'' joined other Sixth Fleet units and Amphibious Squadron 6 landing ships tank in landing Marines at Beirut to help stabilize the situation. The remainder of her Mediterranean assignments proved to be more routine in nature. When not attached to the Sixth Fleet, ''Traverse County'' operated out of Little Creek in Virginia. Her western Atlantic duties frequently took her to the West Indies and the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

where, in addition to the usual amphibious exercises, she performed supply missions to various

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bases in the area under the auspices of the

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

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, Atlantic Fleet. Such was her assignment in the fall of 1962 when American surveillance of Cuba uncovered the siting of offensive ballistic missiles on that island by the Soviet Union. When the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...

occurred, President John F. Kennedy invoked a successful blockade, or quarantine, of Cuba to secure the removal of the missiles. During that operation, ''Traverse County'' provided support as a combat-ready unit. However, the Soviet Union withdrew the missiles and the tension abated, enabling ''Traverse County'' to resume her normal routine early in 1963. She returned to supplying Caribbean bases and conducting amphibious exercises at Little Creek, at Onslow Beach, North Carolina, and at Vieques Island near Puerto Rico. The Cuban Missile Crisis proved to be ''Traverse County''s last internationally significant operation. After 1962, she resumed her routine, alternating Mediterranean deployments with United States East Coast operations. She completed her eighth and last Sixth Fleet assignment in December 1968. During 1969, she conducted another series of amphibious exercises at her old haunts, Little Creek, Onslow Beach, and Vieques Island. Similar operations carried her into 1970.

Latin American operations

On 7 March 1970 she headed for the Panama Canal and a tour of special duty. After transporting the 8th Marine Engineering Battalion from Morehead City, North Carolina, to Vieques Island, she arrived at Colon,

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

, on 12 March 1970. She transited the Panama Canal and embarked scientists and equipment of the Smithsonian Institution for research operations in the vicinity of the Secas Islands of Panama. That duty lasted until 3 April 1970 when she returned to

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in the Canal Zone. Between the 3 April 1970 and 24 April 1970, ''Traverse County'' transported United States Army Reserve troops and their equipment between Rio Hato and Rodman Naval Station and carried

Operation Handclasp Operation Handclasp was a 1958 joint Air Force-Navy operation conducted with the U.S. Navy's U.S. 7th Fleet to demonstrate military weapons for Asian political and military leaders. Example of use DANFS contains numerous references to this opera ...

supplies to Guayaquil, Ecuador. On 27 April 1970, she reembarked the Smithsonian scientists for another week of research operations. Upon her return to Rodman Naval Station early in May 1970, she entered the

Panama Canal Company The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

's Mount Hope Shipyard for repairs. She exited the shipyard on 11 June 1970, retransited the canal, and joined the Caribbean Amphibious Ready Group for a day before returning to Rodman Naval Station for further orders. Late in June 1970, she transported more Army reservists between Rio Hato and Rodman Naval Station.

Decommissioning

On 7 July 1970, ''Traverse County'' headed back to the United States for inactivation. She reached Little Creek on 15 July 1970. Later that autumn, ''Traverse County'' was decommissioned. Sometime thereafter, she was moved to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet berthing area at Orange, Texas.

Military Sealift Command service

''Traverse County'' was reactivated on 7 June 1973 to serve as a

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...

in a non-commissioned status with a

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crew with the

, being designated the

United States Naval Ship United States Naval Ship (USNS) is the prefix designation given to non- commissioned ships that are property of the United States Navy (USN). Definition United States Naval Ships are unarmed auxiliary support vessels owned by the U.S. Navy ...

USNS ''Traverse County'' (T-LST-1160). This service continued until she was stricken from the Navy List on 1 November 1973. At that time, she was transferred to the Maritime Administration for layup in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at

Suisun Bay Suisun Bay ( ; Wintun for "where the west wind blows") is a shallow tidal estuary (a northeastern extension of the San Francisco Bay) in Northern California. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River, forming the ent ...

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Transfer to Peru

On 7 August 1984, ''Traverse County'' and three of her sister ships -- USS ''Waldo County'' (LST-1163), USS ''Walworth County'' (LST-1164), and USS ''Washoe County'' (LST-1165)—were leased to Peru, and ''Traverse County'' was commissioned into service in the

Peruvian Navy The Peruvian Navy ( es, link=no, Marina de Guerra del Perú, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to from the Peruvian littoral. Addit ...

as BAP ''Eten'' (DT-144) on 4 March 1985. Peru renewed the lease on all four ships in August 1989 and August 1994,''Jane's All the World's Fighting Ships, 2001-2002'', p. 521. and the United States sold all four outright to Peru under the

Security Assistance Program The United States Department of Defense's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program facilitates sales of U.S. arms, defense equipment, defense services, and military training to foreign governments. The purchaser does not deal directly with the defense ...

on 26 April 1999; all four were struck from the U.S.

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on the day of the sale.

Notes

References

* *Saunders, Stephen, Commodore, RN. ''Jane's All the World's Fighting Ships, 2001-2002''. Alexandria, Virginia: Jane's Information Group, 2001. .

External links

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive: USNS Traverse County (T-LST-1160) ex USS Traverse County (LST-1160) (1955 - 1971) USS LST-1160 (1953 - 1955)