Service history
World War II, 1944–1945
In April 1944, after completing shakedown exercises in Chesapeake Bay, LST-980 loaded equipment and got underway for England, where plans for the invasion of France had been stalled in debate over the need for shipping, a need and resultant disagreement so acute that Prime Minister Winston Churchill had quipped, "The destinies of two great empires...seem to be tied up in some God-damned things called LSTs."
Upon arriving in England, LST-980 underwent further amphibious training and by early June, stood ready for "D-Day." On 5 June the ships of "Operation Overlord" sortied from the English coast and on 6 June, the Allies landed on the Normandy beaches. Participating in the invasion, LST-980 was bracketed by bombs, one of which, a 125-pound (57 kg) dud, penetrated the hull and two bulkheads, killing one man and causing minor damage. After the establishment of the beachhead, the landing ship remained in the area providing shuttle service between the United Kingdom and France. Carrying men and equipment to France, she returned to England with prisoners of war, transporting upwards of 900 at one time.
LST-980 returned to the United States in February 1945 and was assigned to training activities along the east coast for the remainder of the war.
Post-war activities, 1945–1955
Following the war she remained at Little Creek, Virginia, and continued her training operations, extending them to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Those included participation in CAMID I, II, and III, joint Army-Navy operations to acquaint US Naval Academy cadets and midshipmen with amphibious warfare. On 30 April 1949, LST-980 departed Little Creek, for the Mediterranean and five months' duty with the 6th Fleet. Returning to her base on 4 October, she resumed east coast operations. With only three interruptions, two resupply missions to the Baffin Bay area in the summers of 1951 and 1952, and a two-month tour as support LST for Marines on Vieques Island, in 1954, she continued to provide amphibious training to Naval and Marine Corps personnel until July 1955.
Renamed Meeker County on 1 July 1955, she steamed to New York, in mid-July to begin inactivation. On 23 September, she arrived at Green Cove Springs, Florida, to complete the process. Decommissioning on 16 December 1955, she remained in the Florida Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet, until transferred to the Philadelphia Group in October 1961.
Vietnam War, 1966–1970
In 1965, an urgent need for amphibious types caused Meeker County to be reactivated. Modernized at Baltimore, she recommissioned on 23 September 1966, underwent intensive training at Little Creek, and on 20 January 1967, departed for her new home port, Guam. She arrived at Apra Harbor, Guam, on 7 April, and then sailed for South Vietnam, for a tour of duty as a unit of Landing Ship Squadron 3. Operating from Da Nang, she provided almost continuous support to combat operations in Vietnam into 1970.
Decommissioning and sale
Decommissioned in December 1970, at Bremerton, Washington, Meeker County was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 April 1975. Sold for scrapping by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS), on 1 December 1975, she was in turn sold to Max Rouse & Sons of Beverly Hills, California, and taken in hand by Marine Industries, Tacoma, Washington, for conversion to commercial use. Sold in 1976, to Landing System Technology Pte. Ltd. of Singapore (Lauritz Kloster, Norway) and renamed LST-3, the ship arrived at Piraeus, Greece, having been acquired by Maritime & Commercial Co. Argonaftis S.A., Panama (Greek flag) on 30 June 1978, and renamed Petrola 143. After nearly two decades she arrived in tow at Aliağa, Turkey, for demolition by Seltas A.S. on 7 August 1996.
USS Mahoning County (LST-914) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Like many of her class, she was not named and is properly referred to by her hull designation. She was later named after Mahoning County, Ohio, she was the only US Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Luzerne County (LST-902) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Marion County (LST-975) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Like many of her class, she was not named and is properly referred to by her hull designation. She was later named after counties in seventeen U.S. states, she was the only US Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS LST-31 was a United States Navy LST-1-class tank landing ship used exclusively in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II. Like many of her class, she was not originally named and is properly referred to by her hull designation. Later she was named for Addison County, Vermont. She was the only US Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Blanco County (LST-344) was an LST-1-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Blanco County, Texas, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Krishna (ARL-38) was one of 39 Achelous-class landing craft repair ships built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Krishna, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name, and only one of three ships to be named after a Hindu deity.
USS LST-453 was a United States Navy LST-1-class tank landing ship used in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II. She was converted at Brisbane, Australia, into an Achelous-class repair ship, shortly after commissioning, and used in the repairing of landing craft. She was later renamed for Remus, she was the only US Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Pitkin County (LST-1082) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after Pitkin County, Colorado, she was the only U.S. Naval Vessel to bear the name.
USS Maricopa County (LST-938) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Like many of her class, she was not named and is properly referred to by her hull designation. She was later named after Maricopa County, Arizona, she was the only US Naval vessel to bear the name.
The USS Hampden County (LST-803) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after Hampden County, Massachusetts, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Henry County (LST-824) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for counties in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia.
USS Hickman County (LST-825) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after counties in Kentucky and Tennessee, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Iredell County (LST-839) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after Iredell County, North Carolina, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS LST-888 was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Late in her career she was renamed Lee County (LST-888) – after counties in twelve Southern and Midwestern states, the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear that name – but saw no active service under that name.
USS Litchfield County (LST-901) was a LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after Litchfield County, Connecticut, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Madera County (LST-905) was a LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after Madera County, California, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Mahnomen County (LST-912) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Like many of her class, she was not named and is properly referred to by her hull designation. She was later named after Mahnomen County, Minnesota, and was the only US Navy vessel to bear the name.
USS Marinette County (LST-953) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Like many of her class, she was not named and is properly referred to by her hull designation. She was later named after Marinette County, Wisconsin, she was the only US Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Monmouth County (LST-1032) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after Monmouth County, New Jersey, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USS Wexford County (LST-1168), previously USS LST-1168, was a United States Navy landing ship tank (LST) in commission from 1953 to 1971, which saw service in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Pacific and served in the Vietnam War..
United States
1 × battle star (World War II)
Singapore
Greece
