USS ''Orleans Parish'' (LST-1069) was an in the United States Navy during World War II. Unlike many of her class, which received only numbers and were disposed of after World War II, she survived long enough to be named. On 1 July 1955, all LSTs still in commission were named for US counties or parishes; ''LST-1069'' was given the name ''Orleans Parish'', after

Orleans Parish, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard of Hingham, Massachusetts; launched on 7 March 1945, sponsored by Mrs. James Whitfield; and commissioned on 31 March 1945.

Service history

World War II, 1946–1946

This new landing ship steamed to Chesapeake Bay for shakedown prior to her departure for the Pacific war zone. Before the end of June LCT sections, transported from New York to the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

, had been off-loaded and Army troops destined for Leyte, Philippines embarked. Sailing via the Marshall and

Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...

, ''LST-1069'' completed this mission and remained in the Philippines until after the Japanese surrender. With LST Group 37 she proceeded to Shanghai thus becoming one of the first American ships to steam up the Yangtze River since the late 1930s. Here naval personnel were discharged in mid-September to set up an advanced operational base. In October and November Chinese troops were transferred to

Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territorie ...

for occupation duty from Ningpoo, China and Haiphong, French Indochina respectively. Four round trips between Qingdao, China and

Sasebo, Japan is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is also the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. On 1 June 2019, the city had an estimated population of 247,739 and a population density of 581 persons p ...

returned a number of Japanese civilians and soldiers to their home soil by 18 February 1946. After an additional voyage deposited a group of Korean repatriates at

Pusan, Korea Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

''LST-1069'' began to work her way toward the United States. In the Bonin Islands 110 Marines along with some 18 Japanese war criminals and suspects awaited transportation to Guam. A round trip to Saipan followed and then on to Pearl Harbor, where was taken in tow and delivered on 29 May at San Francisco. Upon resuming her journey she transited the Panama Canal on 5 July, visited Norfolk, unloaded her ammunition in New Jersey and decommissioned at

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

, New York on 6 August 1946. The ship remained in the

3rd Naval District The naval district was a U.S. Navy military and administrative command ashore. Apart from Naval District Washington, the Districts were disestablished and renamed Navy Regions about 1999, and are now under Commander, Naval Installations Command ...

serving the Naval Reserve Training Program until transferred to the Reserve Fleet, Green Cove Springs, Florida in September 1949.

Mine squadron flagship, 1952–1958

The outbreak of Communist aggression in Korea ended her retirement two years later. Recommissioning on 11 January 1952 preceded conversion as a mine squadron

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

and logistic support vessel. Helicopter landing, fueling, and repair facilities also permitted her to embark and control helicopters as demonstrated during 1955 LANTMINEX. Also during 1955, on 1 July, ''LST–1069'' was named USS ''Orleans Parish'' (LST-1069), and in December, she made her first Atlantic crossing to take part in an Atlantic Fleet mine evaluation project at

Port Lyautey Kenitra ( ar, القُنَيْطَرَة, , , ; ber, ⵇⵏⵉⵟⵔⴰ, Qniṭra; french: Kénitra) is a city in north western Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey from 1932 to 1956. It is a port on the Sebou river, has a population in 201 ...

French Morocco The French protectorate in Morocco (french: Protectorat français au Maroc; ar, الحماية الفرنسية في المغرب), also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco between 1912 to 1956. The prote ...

. Her duties as flagship for MinRon 8 were interrupted from 16 December 1957 to 19 December 1958, while the ship was out of commission in reserve at

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

Mine countermeasures support ship, 1959–1966

With additional communications equipment installed and other modifications she rejoined the fleet as the mine countermeasures support ship, USS ''Orleans Parish'' (MSC–6). Besides resuming participation in the annual Springboard, MinEx, and PhibEx exercises, on 20 November 1959 she departed Charleston escorting across the Atlantic several recently acquired Norwegian and Spanish minesweepers. After visiting

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, Portugal she returned to her homeport on 4 January 1960. That summer she conducted her first

ROTC The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

Midshipmen indoctrination cruise. During February 1963 she paid her first visit to her namesake city at the height of the

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...

festival.

Military Sea Transportation Service, 1966–1970

''Orleans Parish''s area of operation and assignment changed greatly when she decommissioned on 20 May 1966, and was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS). Again designated USS ''Orleans Parish'' (LST–1069) and altered to serve as a cargo ship, she soon received a civilian crew and 12 September sailed for the Panama Canal and the Pacific. Her first voyage brought her to Guam; Subic Bay, Philippines; Vũng Tàu,

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

; and Yokohama, Japan. She continued to sail in 1970 under the MSTS Far Eastern Command.

Decommissioning and sale

Subsequently, placed out of service, she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 30 June 1975. The ship was sold to the Republic of the Philippines on 1 September 1976 to serve as BRP ''Cotabato Del Norte'' (LT-511).

References

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