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USS Manitowoc (LST 1180)

USS MANITOWOC, the second United States Navy ship to bear the name of the city and county of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, was the second ship of the NEWPORT-class of tank landing ships. After more than 23 years of service, USS MANITOWOC was decommissioned in 1993 and sold to Taiwan about 4 years later where the ship was renamed CHUNGHO.

USS MANITOWOC was last homeported in Little Creek, Va.

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS MANITOWOC. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

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USS MANITOWOC Cruise Books:

• Mediterranean Cruise Book 1985-86

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Accidents aboard USS MANITOWOC:

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USS MANITOWOC History:

USS MANITOWOC was laid down at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 27, 1967, formally named MANITOWOC on March 21, 1967, and launched on January 4, 1969. Her sponsor was Mrs. Gaylord Nelson, wife of Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. MANITOWOC first got underway under her own power from January 5 through January 9, 1970, when machinery trials were conducted off Cape May, New Jersey. She was commissioned at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on January 24, 1970, with Commander George T. Dyer Jr. as her first commanding officer. Wisconsin Governor Warren P. Knowles was the principal speaker at the commissioning ceremony. A delegation from Manitowoc, Wisconsin, headed by Mayor John L. Krey also attended; the city presented the ship with a silver service, while Governor Knowles presented a Wisconsin state flag. Builder's trials followed off Cape May from February 18 through February 20, and the Atlantic Sub Board of the Board of Inspection and Survey inspected the new ship from March 23 through March 27.

After completing fitting out, MANITOWOC departed Philadelphia on April 17, 1970. She transited from the Atlantic to the Pacific by way of the Panama Canal and arrived at Long Beach, California, her initial homeport, on May 12. She had been assigned to the Pacific Fleet Amphibious Force and Amphibious Squadron Seven. Shakedown training was conducted at San Diego from June 8 through July 2. Final contractor trials with the Pacific Sub Board of the Board of Inspection and Survey followed from July 13 through July 17. Amphibious training was conducted from July 27 through July 31 and again from August 17 through August 21. The ship successfully practiced most of her intended amphibious evolutions, although operations requiring the stern anchor winch could not be completed because that equipment was temporarily inoperative.

Only months after commissioning, MANITOWOC received her first overseas assignment. She departed for the Western Pacific on September 8, 1970. The voyage was primarily a transportation mission rather than a sustained combat deployment. In Vietnamese waters she loaded Marines, Marine Corps vehicles and other equipment at Da Nang for transportation back to the continental United States. The operation nevertheless brought the newly commissioned ship into the Vietnam theater during her first year of service. MANITOWOC completed the Western Pacific voyage on October 25. From November 1 through the end of the year, she underwent her post-shakedown availability at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, where deficiencies discovered during the ship's first operational months could be corrected.

MANITOWOC returned to Vietnamese waters during 1971 as the United States accelerated the withdrawal of ground forces from South Vietnam. Official campaign records place her in the Vietnam combat area from March 27 through March 29 and again from June 19 through June 21. Her role was closely connected with the redeployment of Marine units and equipment. In March, the 1st Marine Division Embarkation Office coordinated the loading of withdrawing forces aboard several amphibious ships, including USS JUNEAU (LPD 10), USS CAYUGA (LST 1186), USS DENVER (LPD 9), USS DULUTH (LPD 6) and MANITOWOC.

A further Marine withdrawal movement followed in June 1971. MANITOWOC and USS PAUL REVERE (APA 248) provided shipping for Embarkation Unit XI during another increment of the Marine redeployment from South Vietnam. Elements of Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron 16 and Marine Air Base Squadron 16 were among the personnel embarked for movement from the theater. Thus, although later short histories often simply list 1971 as a Vietnam deployment, much of MANITOWOC's documented work that year concerned the continuing reduction of the American military presence in South Vietnam.

The strategic situation changed sharply during 1972. North Vietnam opened the large conventional offensive generally known as the Easter Offensive in March, threatening South Vietnamese positions across several fronts. American naval and air power returned to intensive combat operations, and amphibious forces of the Seventh Fleet were reorganized to support South Vietnamese Marine operations along the coast. MANITOWOC again deployed to Southeast Asia and spent prolonged periods in waters off South Vietnam. Official campaign records place MANITOWOC in qualifying Vietnam service from April 27 through May 31, June 9 through July 3, July 9 through August 26, August 31 through September 1, and September 29 through October 21, 1972. During this deployment, she became part of the substantial Seventh Fleet amphibious force operating offshore and supporting the South Vietnamese counteroffensive in the northern part of the country.

On May 23, 1972, the 7th Battalion of the Vietnamese Marine Corps moved to the Tan My naval facility and embarked aboard American amphibious shipping for a coastal assault. The ships involved included USS SCHENECTADY (LST 1185), USS CAYUGA, USS DULUTH and MANITOWOC. The following morning, the Vietnamese Marines went ashore in the area southeast of Quang Tri in an operation combining surface movement with helicopter assault. This was part of the broader effort to regain ground lost during the North Vietnamese offensive and represented a renewed use of American amphibious shipping in direct support of South Vietnamese combat units.

By July, MANITOWOC was assigned to Amphibious Ready Group Charlie with the 31st Marine Amphibious Unit. On July 13, the group's principal ships included USS OKINAWA (LPH 3), USS POINT DEFIANCE (LSD 31), USS ST. LOUIS (LKA 116) and MANITOWOC. Battalion Landing Team 1/4 and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 164 formed the principal embarked Marine elements. Although American ground combat forces were being withdrawn from Vietnam, the amphibious ready groups remained offshore as mobile reserves and to support South Vietnamese Marine operations.

On July 22, the amphibious force moved into position for another Vietnamese Marine assault associated with the counteroffensive around Quang Tri. USS OKINAWA, USS ST. LOUIS, MANITOWOC and USS POINT DEFIANCE formed the principal amphibious force, while USS DENVER provided additional aviation-deck capacity. Air attacks, artillery and naval gunfire struck the objective area before Vietnamese Marine forces were inserted by helicopter and surface means. MANITOWOC's function within the force was to carry heavy vehicles, landing-force equipment and troops that could be delivered by the ship's ramp and landing craft.

MANITOWOC remained with the amphibious forces off Vietnam through much of the remainder of the summer. On October 12, she was again officially listed with USS OKINAWA, USS POINT DEFIANCE and USS ST. LOUIS as the shipping supporting the 31st Marine Amphibious Unit, by then centered on Battalion Landing Team 2/9 and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 164. Her final recorded qualifying Vietnam service period ended on October 21, 1972. MANITOWOC ultimately received two campaign stars for her Vietnam War service.

After her Pacific service, MANITOWOC was transferred from the Pacific Fleet to the Atlantic Fleet and shifted her homeport from Long Beach to Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia. The transfer required another transit of the Panama Canal. By early 1973, the ship was firmly established at Little Creek, which remained her principal homeport for the rest of her United States Navy career. On March 11, 1973, while MANITOWOC was in port there, a brief fire occurred in a pump room. The fire was contained without injuries.

Later in 1973, MANITOWOC entered the Mediterranean as part of the Sixth Fleet amphibious force. Her deployment coincided with one of the most serious Middle Eastern crises of the decade. Egypt and Syria attacked Israeli positions on October 6, beginning the Yom Kippur War. As the fighting intensified and Soviet and American support for the opposing sides increased, United States forces in the Mediterranean were placed at a high state of readiness. MANITOWOC became one of the amphibious ships available during this period of heightened tension.

Joint and Marine Corps records show MANITOWOC carrying elements of the 32nd Marine Amphibious Unit during the crisis. By November 8, the temporarily assigned shipping for the landing force consisted of USS IWO JIMA (LPH 2), MANITOWOC, USS SUMTER (LST 1181) and USS PENSACOLA (LSD 38), pending the arrival of the normally assigned ships of Landing Force Sixth Fleet 3-73. The embarked force included infantry, artillery, amphibious tractor, tank, reconnaissance and helicopter elements. This arrangement reflected the increased demand placed on Sixth Fleet amphibious shipping as American forces remained ready for possible evacuation, reinforcement or other contingency missions arising from the Arab-Israeli conflict.

By late November, the immediate crisis had diminished. On November 29, MANITOWOC was among the ships carrying elements of the 4th Marine Amphibious Brigade back toward the United States. The group also included USS MOUNT WHITNEY (LCC 20), USS SUMTER and USS PENSACOLA and was expected back in the continental United States in early December.

During 1974, MANITOWOC continued operating with Atlantic Fleet amphibious forces from Little Creek. Her schedule included Caribbean readiness responsibilities and work with Marine forces from Camp Lejeune and Morehead City. By August 7, she was assigned to Caribbean Amphibious Ready Group 1-74 supporting the 38th Marine Amphibious Unit and Battalion Landing Team 3/2. The shipping listed for the force included USS FRANCIS MARION (LPA 249), USS AUSTIN (LPD 4), USS PENSACOLA and MANITOWOC. The landing force was on standby at Camp Lejeune and was scheduled to begin another operating period later in August. Such Caribbean rotations provided amphibious training while also maintaining forces available for contingencies in the Caribbean basin and Central America.

MANITOWOC spent 1975 primarily within the Atlantic Fleet amphibious readiness and maintenance cycle. Operations from Little Creek and the Morehead City-Camp Lejeune area continued to prepare the ship for the increasingly large NATO and joint exercises in which Atlantic Fleet amphibious forces were being used. By the middle of the decade, the emphasis of MANITOWOC's service had moved away from Southeast Asian combat operations toward reinforcement of NATO's Atlantic and European flanks, Mediterranean contingency response and recurring Caribbean training.

The ship's operating tempo increased substantially in 1976. From March 2 through April 18, she participated in Agile Jouster 76 at Vieques, Puerto Rico, a large supporting-arms coordination exercise involving Navy and Marine Corps forces. Amphibious shipping associated with the exercise included USS CORONADO (LPD 11), USS PONCE (LPD 15), USS SPARTANBURG COUNTY (LST 1192) and MANITOWOC. Vieques provided beaches, ranges and maneuver areas where surface landings, naval gunfire, aviation and Marine ground operations could be coordinated.

MANITOWOC next took part in Solid Shield 76, the major joint exercise conducted along the southeastern coast of the United States. The large naval force included USS MOUNT WHITNEY, USS IWO JIMA, USS AUSTIN, USS NASHVILLE (LPD 13), USS EL PASO (LKA 117), USS HERMITAGE (LSD 34), MANITOWOC, USS BOULDER (LST 1190), USS SPARTANBURG COUNTY, USS LA MOURE COUNTY (LST 1194) and USS HARLAN COUNTY (LST 1196), together with numerous combatants and supporting ships. Solid Shield tested command arrangements, amphibious assault procedures and the ability of the participating services to operate as a joint force.

The principal overseas commitment of 1976 came during NATO Exercise Teamwork 76. MANITOWOC deployed to the North Atlantic with a large Amphibious Group Two force. Participating amphibious ships included USS MOUNT WHITNEY, USS CHARLESTON (LKA 113), USS GUADALCANAL (LPH 7), USS RALEIGH (LPD 1), USS AUSTIN, USS NASHVILLE, USS HERMITAGE, MANITOWOC, USS SUMTER, USS FAIRFAX COUNTY (LST 1193), USS LA MOURE COUNTY and USS BARNSTABLE COUNTY (LST 1197). Marine units began embarking at Morehead City at the beginning of September.

By September 15, major elements of the force had assembled around Scapa Flow in northern Scotland, while other components were operating from Norwegian and northern European locations. Teamwork 76 tested NATO's ability to reinforce its northern flank in wartime. An amphibious assault was scheduled for September 20, after which participating American Marine units continued into follow-on training in Denmark and West Germany. For MANITOWOC, the deployment demonstrated the value of the NEWPORT-class's higher speed in keeping station with a large modern amphibious force during prolonged North Atlantic operations.

MANITOWOC returned to Mediterranean duty during 1977. She served in Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group 1-77 with the 32nd Marine Amphibious Unit, whose ground combat element was Battalion Landing Team 2/6. The amphibious ships included USS INCHON (LPH 12), USS NASHVILLE, USS HERMITAGE, USS PENSACOLA and MANITOWOC. On June 1, MANITOWOC was in Naples, Italy, with a scheduled departure on June 4 while other ships of the group were distributed among Mediterranean ports and training areas.

By June 29, the ships were again dispersed among Italian ports before the next major amphibious phase. MANITOWOC was at San Remo, with her departure scheduled for July 5. USS INCHON was at Genoa, USS NASHVILLE at Livorno, USS HERMITAGE at Alassio and USS PENSACOLA at Civitavecchia. The group was scheduled to conduct Phiblex 7-77 at Capo Teulada, Sardinia, from July 6 through July 12. The exercise combined helicopter and surface assaults with the movement ashore of tanks, amphibious vehicles and artillery carried by the landing force.

Northern European operations again became the focus in 1978. MANITOWOC took part in Northern Wedding 78 and the associated NATO exercise series designed to demonstrate the ability of allied naval and Marine forces to reinforce northern Europe during a crisis with the Warsaw Pact. Northern Wedding began on September 4. The scenario included large-scale sea-control, air and amphibious operations extending from the eastern Atlantic into the North Sea and northern European waters.

The first major amphibious phase involved the Shetland Islands. A combined rehearsal took place on September 10 and the main assault followed on September 12. American Marine forces then shifted toward the Jutland Peninsula, where another amphibious assault was conducted as part of the transition into Bold Guard 78 and subsequent operations in Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany. MANITOWOC was one of a substantial group of American amphibious ships supporting the exercises, together with units including USS MOUNT WHITNEY, USS FRANCIS MARION, USS RALEIGH, USS AUSTIN, USS SHREVEPORT (LPD 12), USS GUADALCANAL, USS PLYMOUTH ROCK (LSD 29), USS ANCHORAGE (LSD 36), USS SUMTER, USS SPARTANBURG COUNTY, USS LA MOURE COUNTY and USS HARLAN COUNTY. The deployment exposed the ship and crew to demanding North Atlantic weather while exercising the reinforcement plans central to NATO's Cold War strategy.

An extended maintenance and overhaul period occupied much of late 1979 and early 1980. After returning to operational status, MANITOWOC made a particularly visible public appearance at Boston during Operation Sail 1980. The gathering of tall ships and naval vessels ran from May 30 through June 6. MANITOWOC was one of ten United States Navy ships associated with the event and was designated the reviewing ship. Other participating Navy vessels included USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV 67), USS BARRY (DD 933), USS EDSON (DD 946), USS FARRAGUT (DDG 37), USS GARCIA (FF 1040), USS JOHN HANCOCK (DD 981), USS RICHMOND K. TURNER (CG 20), USS SAMPSON (DDG 10) and USS BARNEY (DDG 6).

Following the Boston event, MANITOWOC resumed preparations for overseas amphibious duty. During the closing weeks of 1980, she trained as part of Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group 1-81. The group included USS IWO JIMA, USS TRENTON (LPD 14), USS HERMITAGE, USS SPARTANBURG COUNTY and MANITOWOC. Intership and task-group training during December integrated the ships with the Marines who would deploy with them to the Sixth Fleet.

MANITOWOC entered the Mediterranean with the group early in 1981. The embarked 32nd Marine Amphibious Unit was centered on Battalion Landing Team 2/8 and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 261. During the deployment the force conducted amphibious training with allied forces and maintained contingency readiness during a period of continuing instability in the eastern Mediterranean and Lebanon.

MANITOWOC was at Barcelona, Spain, on March 1, 1981, together with USS SPARTANBURG COUNTY. By late April, the amphibious force had split for port visits in Israel and Egypt. USS IWO JIMA and USS HERMITAGE were at Haifa, while MANITOWOC and USS TRENTON were at Alexandria. MANITOWOC and USS TRENTON began a five-day Alexandria visit on April 27. USS JACK (SSN 605) was also in Alexandria during the visit. The submarine and USS TRENTON sustained minor damage when heavy swell caused USS JACK to surge against the amphibious transport dock; MANITOWOC was not reported damaged.

Plans for elements of the amphibious group to continue through the Suez Canal toward the Red Sea and Indian Ocean were altered as the force remained available for possible noncombatant evacuation operations connected with instability in Lebanon. The ships therefore continued their Mediterranean readiness mission. MANITOWOC eventually returned to Little Creek after the deployment and spent the remainder of 1981 in the familiar cycle of upkeep, local operations and preparation for the next Sixth Fleet assignment.

On May 24, 1982, MANITOWOC began another major Mediterranean deployment, joining Amphibious Squadron Four and Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group 2-82. The principal ships were USS GUAM (LPH 9), USS NASHVILLE, USS HERMITAGE, MANITOWOC and USS SAGINAW (LST 1188). The 32nd Marine Amphibious Unit was embarked, centered on Battalion Landing Team 2/8, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 261 and its logistics support element. The formal deployment period for the group was recorded as May 25 through November 24, while MANITOWOC's own cruise extended from May 24 through November 25.

MANITOWOC was at Rota, Spain, from June 6 through June 16 and visited Lisbon, Portugal, from June 18 through June 20. Events in Lebanon quickly transformed what had begun as a normal Sixth Fleet deployment. Israel had invaded Lebanon on June 6, bringing Israeli forces into direct conflict with the Palestine Liberation Organization and Syrian forces. Beirut became a central focus of the fighting, and the American amphibious force moved toward the eastern Mediterranean for evacuation and peacekeeping contingencies.

On June 24 and June 25, the amphibious ready group supported the evacuation of approximately 580 American and other civilians from Lebanon to Cyprus. MANITOWOC was part of the deployed force supporting the operation. The evacuation was followed by a period of continued readiness as diplomatic efforts attempted to arrange the withdrawal of Palestine Liberation Organization forces from Beirut. In early July, MANITOWOC, USS HERMITAGE and USS SAGINAW temporarily separated from the main group for a port period at Taranto, Italy, before being ordered back toward the eastern Mediterranean as the crisis continued.

The amphibious group subsequently operated farther east and south. MANITOWOC's deployment included operations at Berbera, Somalia, during late July and a visit to Mombasa, Kenya, from August 7 through August 11. The movement into the western Indian Ocean reflected the broad geographic responsibilities of the amphibious force during a period when the United States maintained increased naval attention around the Red Sea, Horn of Africa and Indian Ocean.

On August 16, the Sixth Fleet ordered the amphibious group back toward Lebanon in preparation for the first deployment of American Marines as part of the multinational force overseeing the withdrawal of Palestinian forces from Beirut. The initial Marine peacekeeping contingent went ashore on August 25. The operation remained permissive, and heavy equipment such as tanks and artillery was largely kept aboard amphibious shipping. By September 10, the Palestine Liberation Organization evacuation had been completed and the American Marines withdrew, apparently bringing the mission to an end.

The situation changed dramatically within days. Lebanese President-elect Bashir Gemayel was assassinated on September 14, and the subsequent killings in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps produced another political and security crisis. The multinational force was ordered back to Beirut. MANITOWOC had been at Taormina, Sicily, when the amphibious ships began moving toward Lebanon again on September 22.

On September 29, 1982, MANITOWOC played a direct role in the renewed landing. At 11:58 a.m. local time she tied up in Beirut harbor. Marines of Battalion Landing Team 2/8, including Company F, went ashore directly from the ship with vehicles and equipment. The landing marked the beginning of the second and much longer American multinational-force commitment in Lebanon. By the end of September, the Marines had established positions around Beirut International Airport and along key approaches to the city.

MANITOWOC remained associated with the Lebanon operation into the autumn. She was documented off the Lebanese coast on December 1 after the formal deployment of her amphibious group had ended. Her service during the 1982 crisis encompassed the June civilian evacuation, the first multinational-force deployment in August and September, and the second landing beginning on September 29. The Lebanon commitment continued into 1983 through rotating Marine amphibious units and amphibious ready groups. MANITOWOC returned to Atlantic Fleet operations and participated in further readiness training, including amphibious exercises from the Virginia and North Carolina coast. She remained closely associated with units preparing to relieve forces in Lebanon.

In October 1983, MANITOWOC was assigned to Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group 1-84 under Amphibious Squadron Four. The group consisted of USS GUAM, USS TRENTON, USS FORT SNELLING (LSD 30), MANITOWOC and USS BARNSTABLE COUNTY. The 22nd Marine Amphibious Unit, centered on Battalion Landing Team 2/8 and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 261, began loading at Morehead City on October 18. The ships departed for the Mediterranean on October 19.

The deployment changed almost immediately. On October 21, the amphibious group was diverted south toward Grenada after a political crisis on the Caribbean island culminated in the overthrow and killing of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. Concern over violence on the island, the safety of American citizens and the establishment of a new military government led the United States to launch Operation Urgent Fury.

MANITOWOC arrived as part of Task Force 124 for the landings on October 25, 1983. The ship carried Company G of Battalion Landing Team 2/8, together with a Marine motor-transport platoon and an assault amphibian platoon. These forces contributed to Marine surface assault operations on Grenada. MANITOWOC's ability to land amphibious vehicles and heavy equipment made her useful as operations expanded beyond helicopter assaults from USS GUAM.

The amphibious force remained in the Grenada area through the first days of November. By November 4, the ships had begun leaving for their originally scheduled Mediterranean deployment. The ships then continued east toward Lebanon, where conditions had deteriorated considerably. On October 23, while MANITOWOC and the other ships of the incoming group were still involved with the Grenada contingency, a truck bomb destroyed the Marine barracks at Beirut International Airport, killing 241 American service members. Amphibious Ready Group 1-84 consequently entered the eastern Mediterranean under circumstances very different from those anticipated when it left the United States.

By mid-November, USS GUAM, USS TRENTON, USS FORT SNELLING, MANITOWOC and USS BARNSTABLE COUNTY had reached the Beirut area. The 22nd Marine Amphibious Unit formally assumed multinational-force duties ashore on November 29. MANITOWOC remained offshore as part of the naval support and evacuation structure available to the Marines ashore.

The security situation continued to deteriorate during the winter of 1983-84. Fighting between Lebanese factions intensified and American positions increasingly came under fire. In February 1984, the United States decided to withdraw its Marines from their exposed positions at Beirut International Airport and move them back aboard the amphibious force. Before the withdrawal was completed, a substantial evacuation of civilians took place. On February 10 and February 11, nearly 1,000 American and foreign civilians were moved from the Juniyah area to Sixth Fleet amphibious ships. Most were subsequently flown by helicopter to Cyprus, while others were transported by USS FORT SNELLING. At least one helicopter carrying evacuees from the American Embassy landed aboard MANITOWOC during this operation.

The Marine withdrawal from Beirut was carried out in phases from February 18 through February 26. During the final stages, landing craft and amphibious vehicles shuttled personnel and equipment from the shore to the waiting ships. Excess supplies and equipment that could not immediately be placed aboard commercial sealift shipping were loaded aboard MANITOWOC and USS BARNSTABLE COUNTY. The two LSTs later carried this material to Haifa, Israel, where it could be transferred for onward movement.

The last American Marines left their Beirut positions on February 26, 1984. The 22nd Marine Amphibious Unit then remained afloat while the Sixth Fleet retained forces off Lebanon. After the prolonged deployment, the Marines returned to Morehead City on May 1 and the ships of Amphibious Squadron Four reached Little Creek and Norfolk on May 2.

Following her return, MANITOWOC entered an extended overhaul and maintenance period. The Navy awarded Detyens Shipyard at Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, a contract valued at approximately $4 million for a regularly scheduled overhaul of the ship. The work occupied a substantial part of the 1984-85 period and restored machinery, structural and amphibious systems after the unusually demanding sequence of Grenada and Lebanon operations.

By 1985, MANITOWOC was again working toward full deployment readiness. On October 7, she was underway in Chesapeake Bay during preparations for her next Mediterranean cruise. On November 21, she departed her homeport as a member of Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group 1-86. The group was built around USS GUADALCANAL, USS PONCE, USS EL PASO, USS HERMITAGE and MANITOWOC. The 26th Marine Amphibious Unit was embarked, including Battalion Landing Team 3/4, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 263 and Marine Amphibious Unit Service Support Group 24.

The ships entered Sixth Fleet operational control on December 4, 1985. The deployment came during continuing Cold War competition in the Mediterranean and amid renewed regional tensions involving Libya and other parts of the Middle East. The amphibious force conducted its standard combination of readiness operations, allied exercises and port visits while remaining available for contingencies. MANITOWOC was operating near Rapallo, Italy, on February 13, 1986, and was again documented there on March 16. During March, she participated in Exercise Sardinia 86 in the Gulf of Teulada. The exercise combined American and allied amphibious forces in an assault-training scenario using the extensive landing areas on southern Sardinia. MANITOWOC's heavy-lift role supported the surface component of the exercise while USS GUADALCANAL provided the principal aviation platform.

The amphibious group later participated in Distant Hammer, the major NATO Mediterranean exercise conducted from May 1 through May 16. Distant Hammer tested the application of naval and amphibious forces in NATO's southern region and involved the amphibious ready group alongside carrier and allied naval forces. MANITOWOC remained under Sixth Fleet operational control until May 23. The ships then crossed the Atlantic and returned to their homeports on June 4, 1986.

During the remainder of 1986, MANITOWOC underwent upkeep and resumed Atlantic Fleet training in preparation for another major Mediterranean commitment. Her navigational-light configuration also produced an unusual administrative detail that year: because of the physical arrangement of the NEWPORT-class superstructure, the Navy obtained a regulatory finding that MANITOWOC could not achieve the complete horizontal separation between masthead lights prescribed for conventionally configured vessels without interfering with the ship's special construction. The exemption became effective on August 6.

MANITOWOC began her next Mediterranean deployment in late September 1987. She operated with USS NASSAU (LHA 4) and USS SHREVEPORT as Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group 4-87, carrying the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. The group deployed in conjunction with a regularly scheduled aircraft-carrier battle group, integrating the amphibious force with broader Sixth Fleet operations. The deployment included several amphibious assaults and multinational exercises. One of the most important was African Eagle 87 off Morocco, which involved the Marine landing force, United States Air Force elements and Royal Moroccan forces. The exercise tested the ability to conduct amphibious operations with regional partners along the North African coast.

Another major event came near the end of the deployment. Exercise Galera 88 was conducted from March 5 through March 11, 1988, south of Lisbon, Portugal. MANITOWOC, USS NASSAU and USS SHREVEPORT operated with the Portuguese Corpo de Fuzileiros. During the principal tactical phase beginning on March 7, Battalion Landing Team 2/6 went ashore in rubber boats and amphibious assault vehicles. Portuguese Marines later repeated the assault using American Navy and Marine Corps landing assets, after which Portuguese personnel and equipment were backloaded aboard the three American amphibious ships. The exercise concluded a six-month Mediterranean period for the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, which returned to Camp Lejeune on March 27. MANITOWOC returned to Atlantic Fleet operations at approximately the same time.

The remainder of 1988 was spent primarily in home-waters operations, maintenance and preparations for subsequent tasking. MANITOWOC was documented underway in Chesapeake Bay on December 1. By this stage of her career, the ship had been in commission for almost nineteen years, but the NEWPORT-class combination of comparatively high speed and direct heavy-equipment lift continued to make her useful for expeditionary and multinational training missions.

A very different deployment followed in 1989. MANITOWOC participated in Unitas XXX, the annual series of combined United States-South American naval exercises. Instead of remaining within the North Atlantic and Mediterranean, she operated around the coasts of Central and South America with a United States force that included USS BRISCOE (DD 977), USS RICHARD E. BYRD (DDG 23), USS JESSE L. BROWN (FF 1089) and USS TINOSA (SSN 606). The deployment involved training with a succession of Latin American navies as the American force moved between national exercise phases.

Unitas exercises traditionally included surface warfare, antisubmarine warfare, amphibious activity, communications exercises and professional exchanges with participating South American fleets. MANITOWOC provided the expeditionary and amphibious element and transported Marine personnel and equipment needed for training ashore. On November 13, 1989, she was alongside at Naval Station Rodman in Panama with USS BRISCOE, USS RICHARD E. BYRD and USS JESSE L. BROWN, together with the Colombian frigates INDEPENDIENTE and ANTIOQUIA.

Maintenance and preparations occupied the first portion of 1990, but the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2 fundamentally altered the Atlantic Fleet deployment schedule. The United States immediately began Operation Desert Shield, moving large air, ground and naval forces into Southwest Asia to prevent further Iraqi expansion and to prepare for the possible liberation of Kuwait. MANITOWOC was assigned to the large amphibious force deploying from the Atlantic Fleet with the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade. The amphibious ships crossed the Atlantic in several transit groups. MANITOWOC sailed in the third group with USS IWO JIMA, USS GUAM and USS LA MOURE COUNTY. On September 8, 1990, the four ships transited the Suez Canal and entered the Red Sea on their way toward Southwest Asia.

The deployment placed MANITOWOC within one of the largest concentrations of American amphibious shipping assembled since the Vietnam War. The Atlantic Fleet force ultimately joined Pacific Fleet amphibious units to provide Marine landing forces in and around the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Their presence forced Iraqi planners to account for the possibility of a major amphibious landing along the Kuwaiti coast even though the principal coalition ground offensive would ultimately come from the west.

During the autumn of 1990, the amphibious force conducted extensive rehearsals. Exercises included Camel Sand off Oman and the Sea Soldier series, during which embarked Marines practiced surface and helicopter assaults under desert conditions. MANITOWOC carried vehicles, supplies and other heavy equipment for the landing force and remained part of the amphibious capability maintained in the region.

Operation Desert Storm began on January 17, 1991. During the subsequent air and ground war, MANITOWOC remained with the amphibious forces in Southwest Asian waters. The ships continued rehearsals and maintained the capability for an amphibious assault while coalition planners kept several operational options open. The coalition ground attack began on February 24 and achieved its principal objectives within approximately one hundred hours.

MANITOWOC remained active in the region after the ceasefire. On March 19, a Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier operating from USS NASSAU crashed into the Red Sea during night training. The pilot ejected safely and was recovered by a small boat from MANITOWOC. The incident occurred as American naval forces were beginning their return from the theater.

On March 24, 1991, MANITOWOC transited the Suez Canal westbound with the large Atlantic Fleet amphibious force returning to the United States. Other ships in the movement included USS NASSAU, USS IWO JIMA, USS GUAM, USS SHREVEPORT, USS TRENTON, USS RALEIGH, USS SAGINAW, USS LA MOURE COUNTY, USS SPARTANBURG COUNTY, USS PORTLAND (LSD 37), USS PENSACOLA and USS GUNSTON HALL (LSD 44). The hospital ship USNS COMFORT (T-AH 20) accompanied the returning force through the canal.

MANITOWOC arrived back at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek on April 17, 1991. Her crew manned the rails as the ship came alongside following more than seven months associated with Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The deployment represented the largest combat-related operation of the final years of her United States Navy career and came almost two decades after her Vietnam service.

After post-deployment upkeep, MANITOWOC resumed training with Atlantic Fleet amphibious forces. Despite her age, she was retained for another intensive year of multinational operations in 1992. The first major commitment was Teamwork 92, another NATO reinforcement exercise in the North Atlantic and northern European region. MANITOWOC deployed with elements of the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade and an amphibious force that included USS NASSAU, USS GUADALCANAL and USS PENSACOLA, among other ships.

By April 1, 1992, MANITOWOC was at Edinburgh, Scotland, where she remained through April 2 while other American amphibious ships were distributed among British and continental European ports. Teamwork again exercised established reinforcement procedures for northern Europe, although it took place only months after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The participating Atlantic Fleet amphibious units returned to the United States on April 17.

MANITOWOC soon departed on what became the final major extended cruise of her United States Navy career. She joined Unitas XXXIII, a multinational exercise series sponsored by United States Atlantic Command and conducted in Caribbean, southeastern Pacific and southwestern Atlantic waters during 1992. The United States Navy force included MANITOWOC, USS PORTLAND, USS HARRY E. YARNELL (CG 17), USS SAN JACINTO (CG 56), USS CUSHING (DD 985) and USS WHALE (SSN 638), together with aviation and specialized support elements. A special-purpose Marine air-ground task force was embarked for the exercise series. MANITOWOC served as the principal amphibious support ship during the later phases of Unitas XXXIII, carrying Marines, amphibious assault vehicles and associated equipment.

In early August, the embarked Marine force was at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, transferring personnel and equipment aboard MANITOWOC. The ship subsequently continued around South America as successive national phases of the exercise were conducted. By September 1, MANITOWOC and her embarked Marines were operating in the Chilean inland waterways. The exercise series combined tactical operations at sea with amphibious training and professional exchanges with South American naval and Marine forces.

The later portions of the cruise brought MANITOWOC toward Colombia and Panama. On October 16, she arrived at Malaga, Colombia, with USS CUSHING and the Coast Guard cutter THETIS. MANITOWOC and USS CUSHING departed the following day. On October 21, MANITOWOC refueled at Naval Station Rodman before continuing through the Panama area. By October 23, she was at Cartagena, Colombia. From October 24 through October 27 she conducted amphibious operations in the vicinity of Covenas with Colombian forces. The cruise was commemorated aboard MANITOWOC under the title "WATC-92: The Final Journey, USS Manitowoc, Unitas XXXIII".

MANITOWOC returned to Little Creek late in 1992 and entered the final phase of her United States Navy career. By March 31, 1993, she was still listed among the active Atlantic Fleet amphibious ships at Little Creek, but the Navy was rapidly reducing the older LST force. The development of newer amphibious ships, air-cushion landing craft and other over-the-horizon landing methods had increasingly reduced the requirement for tank landing ships that had to operate close to shore.

After more than twenty-three years in commission, USS MANITOWOC was decommissioned on June 30, 1993. The date was her official last day in commission. MANITOWOC was not immediately disposed of after decommissioning. She remained in United States custody while arrangements were made for transfer to the Republic of China. The ship was leased to Taiwan in 1996 and entered Republic of China Navy service on May 8, 1997, as CHUNG HO (LST 232). United States title to the former MANITOWOC was formally transferred to Taiwan under the Security Assistance Program on September 29, 2000. She was subsequently removed from the United States Naval Vessel Register on July 23, 2002.

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