USS Tuscaloosa (LST-1187), the ninth of the s, and the second ship of the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 to be named after the city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...

.

Tuscaloosa (LST-1187) was laid down on 23 November 1968 at San Diego, California

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

 by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Co.  She was launched on 6 September 1969 sponsored by Mrs. Thomas F. Connolly and commissioned on 24 October 1970 with Commander

Commander

Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...

 Harry W. Kinsley Jr. in command.

1970–1971

Tuscaloosa spent the remainder of the year alternating in underway and upkeep periods. On 4 January 1971 she began duty off the coast of California as a test ship evaluating sensors on .

She continued a rigorous training schedule out of San Diego, her home port, into the spring when she prepared for a deployment to the Western Pacific. The tank landing ship loaded a cargo of Quonset hut

Quonset hut

A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel having a semicircular cross section. The design was based on the Nissen hut developed by the British during World War I...

 components and a tank-deck load of LVT's (Landing Vehicle Tracked

Landing Vehicle Tracked

The Landing Vehicle Tracked was a class of amphibious vehicles introduced by the United States Navy, Marine Corps and Army during World War II. Originally intended solely as cargo carriers for ship to shore operations, they rapidly evolved into assault troop and fire support vehicles as well...

), tanks, and heavy construction vehicles and departed the West Coast on 18 May 1971.

Arriving at Okinawa on 1 June, Tuscaloosa unloaded and proceeded, via Subic Bay

Subic Bay

Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...

, Philippines, to Da Nang

Da Nang

Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...

, South Vietnam

South Vietnam

South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...

. After taking on a cargo of Marine Corps equipment she returned home to San Diego on 6 July and began an extensive post-shakedown availability which lasted into the fall. On 1 October Tuscaloosa got underway for a seven-month WestPac deployment in company with Amphibious Squadron 5; , , , and .

For the remainder of the year, the landing ship conducted exercises and operations in the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

 and off Okinawa. She operated with marines, took part in amphibious exercises and ended the year at Sasebo

Sasebo, Nagasaki

is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...

, Japan.

1972–1973

The Tuscaloosa got underway for the Ryukyus on 4 January 1972 but was delayed by a collision with a Japanese patrol craft. The next day, after an informal investigation ascertained that she had not suffered any damage, she resumed her voyage to Okinawa where she embarked marines and transported them to Yokosuka, Japan. Following repairs to her bow doors, the ship sailed for the Philippines and arrived at Subic Bay

Subic Bay

Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...

 on 16 February. There she loaded a cargo of generators and delivered them to Vung Tau

Vung Tàu

Vũng Tàu is a city in southern Vietnam. Its population in 2005 was 240,000. The city area is including 13 urban wards and one village. It is the capital of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, and is the crude oil extraction center of Vietnam. It is also known as one of the most beautiful cities of tourism...

, South Vietnam.

Tuscaloosa returned to Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 soon thereafter, transporting marines and equipment, before she headed back to the Philippines for amphibious exercises. Then, upon completion of these exercises, Tuscaloosa got underway in company with the Mobile and Denver, and proceeded via Okinawa to Vietnamese waters, arriving on "Yankee Station" in the Tonkin Gulf on 6 April. She remained on station until 3 May when she proceeded, via Da Nang

Da Nang

Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...

, to Subic Bay. Tuscaloosa subsequently returned to Vietnam and operated both at Da Nang and on "Yankee Station

Yankee Station

Yankee Station was a point in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam used by the U.S. Navy aircraft carriers of Task Force 77 to launch strikes in the Vietnam War. While its official designation was "Point Yankee," it was universally referred to as Yankee Station...

" until late May.

The LST next supported Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

 contingency operations by transporting Marine Corps

Marine corps

A marine is a member of a force that specializes in expeditionary operations such as amphibious assault and occupation. The marines traditionally have strong links with the country's navy...

 equipment and Navy construction battalion tools. She then returned to Subic Bay and pressed on to the United States at the end of her 10-month deployment.

Tuscaloosa engaged in local operations and amphibious exercises off the California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 coast into mid-1973 before she again deployed to WestPac on 29 August, her holds filled with Project Handclasp material for delivery to communities in the Philippines. Tuscaloosa later participated in Operation Pagasa II in conjunction with units of the Philippine Navy

Philippine Navy

The Philippine Navy is the naval arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines . Its official name in Filipino is Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, literally, "Sea Force of the Philippines"....

 and operated out of Subic Bay for the remainder of the year with calls at Hong Kong and Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...

, Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

 on her itinerary.

1974–1979

Commencing 1974 with exercises with Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

n naval units in Operation Fly Away, Tuscaloosa visited Keelung, Taiwan, in late January, before departing Okinawa on 11 February 1974 and returning via Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...

 to the west coast of the United States. The next major item on Tuscaloosa's agenda was a major overhaul by the Todd Pacific Shipyards

Todd Pacific Shipyards

Vigor Shipyards was founded in 1916 as the William H. Todd Corporation through the merger of Robins Dry Dock & Repair Company of Erie Basin, Brooklyn, New York, the Tietjen & Long Dry Dock Company of Hoboken, New Jersey, and the Seattle Construction and Dry Dock Company...

 at Seattle, Washington

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

, which began on 9 July.

On 3 August an 11-man rescue and assistance party from the ship assisted in rescuing USNS Lipan

USS Lipan (AT-85)

USS Lipan was a constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. Her purpose was to aid ships, usually by towing, on the high seas or in combat or post-combat areas, plus "other duties as assigned." She served in the Pacific Ocean and after successful support of World War II and the...

 which had collided with another vessel in the Strait of Juan de Fuca

Strait of Juan de Fuca

The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about long that is the Salish Sea outlet to the Pacific Ocean...

 and lay dead in the water in danger of sinking. Prompt salvage efforts over a three-day period enabled Lipan to return to port for repairs.

After Tuscaloosas own repairs and overhaul had been completed she rejoined the fleet on 12 December and operated along the California coast into the spring of 1975. She again deployed to WestPac on 1 April getting underway from San Diego in company with two Korean mine craft and for Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...

 and Okinawa.

While Tuscaloosa and her three consorts sailed westward, the situation in Southeast Asia deteriorated rapidly. Both the South Vietnamese and Cambodia

Cambodia

Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

n governments were tottering and their forces falling back under the onslaught of communist troops. Tuscaloosa arrived at Pearl Harbor on 6 April and proceeded on toward the Ryukyus on the same day. Arriving at Okinawa on the 18th, the LST's crew urgently offloaded her cargo and pressed on the next day for Subic Bay. After a full-power run, she arrived there on the 21st and embarked 280 stragglers who had been unable to return to their ships - , and - when the carriers pulled out hurriedly to participate in Operation Frequent Wind

Operation Frequent Wind

Operation Frequent Wind was the evacuation by helicopter of American civilians and 'at-risk' Vietnamese from Saigon, South Vietnam, on 29–30 April 1975 during the last days of the Vietnam War...

, the evacuation of Saigon.

Tuscaloosa now turned-to in order to support Operation New Life

Operation New Life

Operation New Life was the U.S. military evacuation of about 110,000 Southeast Asian refugees displaced by the Vietnam War out of South Vietnam....

 escorting 26 former South Vietnamese Navy ships to the Philippines. During the seven-day passage she provided over 200 pallets of food and medical supplies per day and earned the Meritorious Unit Commendation

Meritorious Unit Commendation

The Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions....

 while thus engaged. In addition, she sent salvage and repair parties to various ships to effect any repairs necessary to keep the less seaworthy Vietnamese ships afloat. Two craft were evacuated and sunk by gunfire from Tuscaloosa to eliminate possible hazards to navigation. In addition, four Vietnamese craft were temporarily taken over by the United States Navy and placed under the command of four officers from Tuscaloosa.

From Subic Bay, Tuscaloosa proceeded to Okinawa and, upon arrival there, was ordered to make best possible speed for the Gulf of Thailand

Gulf of Thailand

The Gulf of Thailand , also known in to Malays as Teluk Siam literally meant Gulf of Siam, is a shallow arm of the South China Sea.-Geography:...

. Four days later, when nearly at her destination, she was ordered to turn back. The evacuation of the area had been completed and her services were no longer needed. Thereafter the LST continued routine operations during this WestPac deployment before returning to the west coast of the United States on 17 November 1975.

She conducted another deployment to the Western Pacific during the period 29 March to 17 November 1977 and spent the period 3 February to 10 December 1978 in regular overhaul at San Diego.

History missing from 1979 until 1994

1980s

In December 1989, the Tuscaloosa with Marines from Alpha Company 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines

1st Battalion 3rd Marines

1st Battalion, 3rd Marines is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Nicknamed the "Lava Dogs", the battalion consists of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors and falls under the command of the 3rd Marine Regiment of the 3rd Marine...

 responded to the Coup attempt in the Philippines

1989 Philippine coup attempt

The most serious coup d'etat against the government of Philippine President Corazon Aquino was staged beginning December 1, 1989 by members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines belonging to the Reform the Armed Forces Movement and soldiers loyal to former President Ferdinand Marcos. Metro Manila...

.

Decommissioning

USS Tuscaloosa was decommissioned 18 February 1994. The Tuscaloosa is tied to a mooring ball in Middle Loch at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility

Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility

A Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility is a facility owned by the U.S. Navy as a holding facility for decommissioned naval vessels, pending determination of their final fate...

 in Pearl Harbor under the Amphibious Enhancement Plan. This vessel has been striken from the Naval Register. Its final fate is unknown. The plan will ensure adequate amphibious lift capability in a crisis. Along with the Tuscaloosa, LSTs , and will be retained as mobilization assets until FY09 according to the Amphibious Ships and Landing Craft Data Book published by the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Virginia

Quantico, Virginia

- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there are 561 people, 295 households, and 107 families living in the town. The population density is . There are 359 housing units at an average density of .-Racial composition:...

.

Awards

Awards earned during the Vietnam War: Meritorious Unit Commendation

Meritorious Unit Commendation

The Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions....

, Vietnam Campaign Medal

Vietnam Campaign Medal

The Vietnam Campaign Medal is a military recognition awarded by the Republic of Vietnam, , to any member of the United States, Australian, New Zealand and allied military forces serving six months or more in support of Republic of Vietnam military operations.Established in 1966, the decoration is...

 with 60's device and the Vietnam Service Medal

Vietnam Service Medal

The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award which was created in 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The distinctive design was the creation of sculptor Thomas Hudson Jones, a former employee of the Army Institute of Heraldry. The medal is issued to recognize military service during...

 with 4 Battle stars.