USS ''Garrett County'' (LST-786) was an built for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Named after Garrett County, Maryland (), she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.

Service history

''LST-786'' was laid down on 21 May 1944 at

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

by the

Dravo Corporation Dravo Corporation was a shipbuilding company with shipyards in Pittsburgh and Wilmington, Delaware. It was founded by Frank and Ralph Dravo in Pittsburgh in 1891. The corporation went public in 1936 and in 1998 it was bought out by Carmeuse for $ ...

; launched on 22 July 1944; sponsored by Mrs. E. B. Keckler; and commissioned on 28 August 1944.

World War II, 1944–1946

During World War II, ''LST-786'' was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the assault and occupation of Iwo Jima from 12 to 28 February 1945, and the assault and occupation of

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

Gunto in May and June 1945. Following the war, she performed occupation duty in the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

and saw service in China until mid-December 1945. ''LST-786'' was decommissioned on 9 July 1946 at Astoria, Oregon and assigned to the Columbia River Group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet. On 1 July 1955 the ship was redesignated USS ''Garrett County'' (LST-786).

Vietnam War, 1966–1971

Recommissioned on 15 October 1966 at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. ''Garrett County'' saw extensive service during the Vietnam War, operating as part of

Operation Game Warden Operation Game Warden was a joint operation conducted by the United States Navy and South Vietnamese Navy in order to deny Viet Cong access to resources in the Mekong Delta. Game Warden and its counterpart Operation Market Time are considered to ...

, a brown-water navy effort to keep the rivers free of

Viet Cong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...

infiltration. Four LSTs were recommissioned to support river patrol operations with the intent of keeping three ships on-station at any one time supporting a River Division of 10

Patrol Boat, River Patrol Boat, Riverine, or PBR, is the United States Navy designation for a small rigid-hulled patrol boat used in the Vietnam War from March 1966 until 1975. They were deployed in a force that grew to 250 boats, the most common craft in the ...

, a Detachment of 2

UH-1 The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helic ...

Helicopter Gunships of HC-1, later HAL-3 Seawolves and a

SEAL Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...

Platoon. The ship not on-station was undergoing ship repairs in the Western Pacific. ''Garrett County'' reported on-station to CTF 116 on 12 March 1967 and operated as a Patrol Craft Tender (AGP) for the next 48 months on the rivers of the Mekong Delta.CWO3 John Trolinger, Instructor/Boat Captain/Patrol Leader The ship participated in the following campaigns: Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III (29 November 1967 to 29 January 1968); Tet Counteroffensive (30 January to 1 April 1968); Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV (2 April to 30 June 1968); Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V (1 July to 1 November 1968); Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI (2 November to 2 December 1968 and 23 January 1969); Tet/69 Counteroffensive (28 February to 8 June 1969); Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969 (9 June to 11 August 1969, 7 September 1969, and 31 December 1969 to 21 February 1970); and Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VII (1 September 1970, 5 to 30 November 1970, and 31 December 1970 to 2 February 1971). ''LST-786'' earned one

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

for World War II service, and two Presidential Unit Citation, two Navy Unit Commendation, and eight battle stars for the Vietnam War.

Republic of Vietnam and Philippine Navy

Decommissioned and transferred to South Vietnam for service in the

Republic of Vietnam Navy The Republic of Vietnam Navy (RVNN; ; ''HQVNCH'') was the naval branch of the South Vietnamese military, the official armed forces of the former Republic of Vietnam (or South Vietnam) from 1955 to 1975. The early fleet consisted of boats fro ...

on 23 April 1971, she was renamed RVNS ''Can Tho'' (HQ-801). The ship and her crew escaped to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

during the fall of the South Vietnamese government, after which custody was transferred to the

Republic of the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. She was renamed BRP ''Kalinga Apayao'' (LT-516) for service in the Philippine Navy. She was decommissioned in September 2010 and was reportedly scrapped at

Naval Base Cavite Naval Station Pascual Ledesma, also known as Cavite Naval Base or Cavite Navy Yard, is a military installation of the Philippine Navy in Cavite City. In the 1940s and '50s, it was called Philippine Navy Operating Base. The naval base is located at ...

in 2012.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garrett County (Lst-786) LST-542-class tank landing ships Ships built in Pittsburgh 1944 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 transferred from the United States Navy to the Philippine Navy Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Republic of Vietnam Navy Garrett County, Maryland Ships built by Dravo Corporation