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USS San Bernardino (LST 1189)

USS SAN BERNARDINO was the eleventh NEWPORT - class Tank Landing Ship and the third ship in the Navy to bear the name. Decommissioned on September 30, 1995, the SAN BERNARDINO was transfered to Chile on June 23, 1999. There she was recommissioned as VALDIVIA.

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Crew List:

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

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About the Ship's Coat of Arms:

The insignia of USS SAN BERNARDINO contains symbols that accentuate the nature of her mission, the ship's most dramatic design feature, and the heritage of the city and county for which she is named.

The arrowhead represents the historical landmark emblazoned in the San Bernardino Mountains and which is also the emblem for the city and county of San Bernardino, California.

The anchor depicts the Danforth stern anchor which is used by all LST's in beaching operations.

The bow-on view of the LST represents Amphibious Warfare beaching operations. It also calls attention to the up-and-down bow ramp feature of this class ship.

The Marine emblem is included to represent the role of the Marine Corps as part of the team in Amphibious operations.

The two stars honor the two previous ships to bear the name SAN BERNARDINO (PG 59 and LST 1110).

The motto "ANYTHING, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE" has been adopted to indicate the capability of this class LST to transport men and equipment on any assigned mission to or from any place.

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USS SAN BERNARDINO History:

USS SAN BERNARDINO was built by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company at San Diego, California. The construction contract was awarded on July 15, 1966. SAN BERNARDINO was laid down at San Diego on July 12, 1969, and launched on March 28, 1970. Mrs. Walter H. Baumberger, wife of Vice Admiral Walter H. Baumberger, served as sponsor. The launching ceremony was attended by a number of senior naval officers and other officials. After fitting out and trials, SAN BERNARDINO was commissioned at Long Beach Naval Shipyard on March 27, 1971, with Commander Francis L. Roach in command. She was assigned to Amphibious Squadron 3, Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet, with San Diego as her homeport.

SAN BERNARDINO departed Long Beach on April 7, 1971, and arrived at San Diego the following day. The remainder of the year was devoted largely to shakedown, qualification work and amphibious training along the California coast. These operations allowed the crew to develop proficiency with the specialized bow-ramp and causeway equipment of the NEWPORT-class and to prepare the new ship for regular Pacific Fleet operations.

Her first substantial voyage began early in 1972 when SAN BERNARDINO escorted four Indonesian coastal minesweepers from the United States to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. She subsequently returned to the mainland by way of Acapulco, Mexico, arriving at San Diego on February 9, 1972. Operations along the California coast continued until April 3, when she departed for Pearl Harbor to participate in an amphibious exercise in Hawaiian waters. The exercise ended on April 14. After three additional days at Pearl Harbor, SAN BERNARDINO sailed for Long Beach on April 17, arrived there on April 22 and disembarked the Marines she had carried during the exercise before returning to San Diego.

On June 7, 1972, SAN BERNARDINO left San Diego for an extended voyage to South and Central America. During the cruise, she visited Valparaiso, Chile, Callao, Peru, and Rodman in the Panama Canal Zone. She returned to San Diego on July 17. Refresher training followed in late July and early August, and another amphibious exercise occupied part of August. These activities prepared the ship for her first deployment to the Western Pacific and the operating area associated with the Vietnam War.

SAN BERNARDINO departed San Diego on September 21, 1972, and reached Subic Bay in the Philippines on October 19. On October 23 and 24, she participated in Exercise Zamex 9-72. She sailed from Subic Bay on October 27 and joined the Seventh Fleet Amphibious Ready Group in the Gulf of Tonkin the following day. Although the process of withdrawing American ground forces from South Vietnam was well advanced, amphibious forces remained available offshore for contingency operations and support of remaining U.S. forces. SAN BERNARDINO remained with the group until November 14, when she was detached and proceeded to Keelung, Taiwan.

After another period at Subic Bay, SAN BERNARDINO returned to the Gulf of Tonkin and rejoined the Amphibious Ready Group on December 15. On December 17, she was detached to assist USS ASHEVILLE (PG 84) and USS TACOMA (PG 92) in their movement to Subic Bay. SAN BERNARDINO reached Subic Bay with the patrol gunboats on December 19 and departed again the same day for Hong Kong. She subsequently returned to Subic Bay on December 29 and remained there through the end of the year.

SAN BERNARDINO continued operating with the Seventh Fleet during the opening months of 1973. Her officially credited Vietnam service periods were December 14 through December 17, 1972, January 8 through January 21, 1973, and February 5 through February 15, 1973. These operations coincided with the final phase of direct American military involvement surrounding the Paris Peace Accords, which were signed on January 27, 1973. Although the agreement formally ended direct U.S. combat involvement, American naval forces remained in the region during the subsequent transition. SAN BERNARDINO ultimately received one battle star for her Vietnam service.

Her first Western Pacific deployment ended in April 1973. SAN BERNARDINO sailed eastward during the middle of the month and arrived at San Diego on April 29. She spent the remainder of 1973 operating from the West Coast, alternating between periods in port and training along the California coast.

SAN BERNARDINO remained at San Diego during the first five months of 1974 before beginning another Western Pacific deployment in late May and early June. Her outward route included Pearl Harbor, Suva in Fiji and Brisbane, Australia. The broader Amphibious Squadron 3 deployment involved ships including USS CLEVELAND (LPD 7), USS OGDEN (LPD 5), USS TULARE (LKA 112), USS RACINE (LST 1191), USS MONTICELLO (LSD 35) and USS FRESNO (LST 1182). By the end of June, SAN BERNARDINO was proceeding from the Australian area toward Subic Bay. The deployment continued the post-Vietnam pattern of maintaining amphibious forces throughout the Western Pacific for Marine training, regional exercises and contingency readiness.

SAN BERNARDINO returned to the Western Pacific again during 1976 and 1977. During this period, she supported the recurring rotation of Marine amphibious forces through Australia, Okinawa, Japan, the Philippines and other operating areas. By late 1976, the larger amphibious organization operating with the 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade included USS OKINAWA (LPH 3), USS VANCOUVER (LPD 2), MONTICELLO and other amphibious ships. The force participated in the recurring series of training movements through the southwest and western Pacific that characterized Seventh Fleet amphibious operations during the period following the Vietnam War.

Another Western Pacific deployment followed in 1978. SAN BERNARDINO operated within an Amphibious Squadron 3 organization that included CLEVELAND, OGDEN, USS POINT DEFIANCE (LSD 31), USS PEORIA (LST 1183) and USS FREDERICK (LST 1184). The deployment again involved the movement and training of Marine forces across the central and western Pacific and reflected the continuing requirement for an amphibious force capable of operating between Hawaii, Japan, Okinawa and the Philippines.

By 1979, SAN BERNARDINO had returned to Southern California. On August 1, she was documented during an amphibious landing exercise at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado while preparing to lower her long bow ramp onto a causeway.

On September 24, 1979, SAN BERNARDINO again departed San Diego as part of a combined American-Canadian training force participating in Fleet Exercise 2-79, also known as Kernel Potlatch II. Ships associated with the exercise included CLEVELAND, USS ANCHORAGE (LSD 36), USS MOBILE (LKA 115), USS ROANOKE (AOR 7) and USS KILAUEA (AE 26). The exercise provided combined fleet and amphibious training in the northeastern Pacific. The force subsequently visited Victoria, British Columbia, on October 6 and 7 before returning toward Southern California.

SAN BERNARDINO's next major deployment took place against a substantially changed geopolitical background. The seizure of the United States Embassy in Tehran and the taking of American hostages in November 1979, followed by the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in December, prompted a major increase in the American naval presence in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. On January 4, 1980, an Amphibious Squadron 3 force departed San Diego with CLEVELAND as flagship. The group included MOBILE, ANCHORAGE, USS ALAMO (LSD 33) and SAN BERNARDINO.

The ships arrived at Pearl Harbor on January 11. On January 14, CLEVELAND, MOBILE, ALAMO and SAN BERNARDINO went to sea for amphibious training in Hawaiian waters, including rehearsals of amphibious assault and naval gunfire support procedures. They returned to Pearl Harbor on January 18. On January 20, CLEVELAND, MOBILE and SAN BERNARDINO departed westward, subsequently passing through the central Pacific on their way toward the Western Pacific. By February, SAN BERNARDINO had reached the Philippines. On February 18, 1980, she was at Subic Bay, where tanks and other Marine Corps vehicles were being handled aboard the ship in preparation for forthcoming operations. The equipment was intended for training by the 31st Marine Amphibious Unit as the amphibious force prepared to move into the Indian Ocean.

The Department of Defense had announced that an amphibious force carrying approximately 1,800 Marines would reinforce the American presence in the Indian Ocean. The principal amphibious ships associated with this phase included OKINAWA, SAN BERNARDINO, ALAMO and MOBILE. Their deployment formed part of the broader U.S. military response to instability in Iran, the continuing hostage crisis and the changed strategic situation created by the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan.

During the spring of 1980, SAN BERNARDINO operated in the Indian Ocean as part of this reinforced American naval presence. The ship's service during these operations later qualified her for the Navy Expeditionary Medal. The deployment also extended to East Africa. In May, OKINAWA and SAN BERNARDINO visited Mombasa, Kenya. The visit formed part of developing military contacts between the United States and Kenya and included displays and meetings involving Kenyan defense officials.

After completing her Indian Ocean operations, SAN BERNARDINO began the long return passage toward the United States. By June 14, she had reunited at Yokosuka with CLEVELAND, MOBILE, ANCHORAGE and ALAMO. The returning ships subsequently proceeded eastward across the Pacific, reached Pearl Harbor on June 24 and departed again on June 26. The deployment concluded when the force returned to San Diego on July 3, 1980.

SAN BERNARDINO continued Pacific Fleet service during the early 1980s. In the spring of 1982, she supported Marine amphibious forces operating in the Western Pacific. Later that year, she participated in a markedly different type of operation when American and Canadian naval forces assembled for cold-weather training in the Aleutian Islands. Exercise Kernel Potlatch was conducted around Amchitka Island from November 27 through December 1, 1982. The amphibious force included USS PELELIU (LHA 5), CLEVELAND, SAN BERNARDINO and USS BRISTOL COUNTY (LST 1198). The exercise tested amphibious and logistical operations under the difficult weather and sea conditions characteristic of the Aleutians.

A further major deployment began on September 12, 1983, when Amphibious Squadron 7 departed San Diego for the Western Pacific. The squadron included PELELIU, CLEVELAND, ANCHORAGE, USS FORT FISHER (LSD 40), USS ST. LOUIS (LKA 116), PEORIA and SAN BERNARDINO. Elements of the 31st Marine Amphibious Unit were distributed among the ships. After embarking Marine forces in Hawaii, the group departed Hawaiian waters westbound on October 3.

From November 4 through November 8, 1983, PELELIU, FORT FISHER and SAN BERNARDINO participated in Exercise Valiant Usher in Australia. The bilateral exercise provided U.S. and Australian forces with combined amphibious training and placed SAN BERNARDINO in the southwest Pacific before the force continued its Western Pacific schedule. During January 1984, SAN BERNARDINO participated in another Valiant Usher exercise off Pohang, South Korea. The exercise period extended from January 5 through January 11 and involved PELELIU, CLEVELAND, FORT FISHER and SAN BERNARDINO with their embarked Marine forces. The ships practiced amphibious operations in the cold-weather environment of the Korean Peninsula, an area where American and South Korean forces regularly exercised their ability to reinforce and support the defense of South Korea.

Following the Korean exercise, the amphibious force entered Sasebo, Japan, for upkeep beginning on January 12. Subsequent movements included the recovery of Marine forces from Korean training areas and a return toward the Philippines. SAN BERNARDINO eventually began her eastward return across the Pacific, and the Amphibious Squadron 7 ships reached their homeports on March 7, 1984, ending a deployment of almost six months.

SAN BERNARDINO subsequently underwent a major material-maintenance period. An overhaul valued at approximately $12.2 million was performed by RMI in San Diego and completed in June 1985. The project was one of the company's largest Navy overhaul contracts of the period and prepared the ship for a significant change in the way she would be employed during the remainder of her U.S. Navy career.

The Navy had decided to assign SAN BERNARDINO permanently to Japan rather than continue operating her exclusively through deployments from California. Her change of homeport formed part of the Navy's effort to maintain a larger immediately available force in the Western Pacific. On April 1, 1986, SAN BERNARDINO officially changed homeport from San Diego to Sasebo, Japan. From Sasebo, SAN BERNARDINO became a regular component of the Seventh Fleet's forward-deployed amphibious force. Her location allowed her to support Marine Corps movements from Okinawa and to participate in exercises and contingency operations throughout Northeast and Southeast Asia without first making the long trans-Pacific deployment from the West Coast. The ship increasingly operated between Sasebo, Okinawa, South Korea, the Philippines and Southeast Asian training areas.

The unusual physical configuration of the NEWPORT-class was formally reflected in a Department of the Navy navigation regulation issued in 1986. Because SAN BERNARDINO's long bow derricks and specialized design prevented complete compliance with the normal prescribed spacing of certain navigation lights without interfering with the ship's military function, the Navy formally documented the arrangement as the closest possible compliance with international collision-prevention requirements.

The tempo of regional operations continued during 1987 and 1988. On March 12, 1988, SAN BERNARDINO departed Sasebo with USS DUBUQUE (LPD 8) for Okinawa in preparation for Team Spirit 88. The ships reached the Buckner Bay area, where Marine personnel, vehicles and equipment were loaded beginning on March 14. Team Spirit was one of the largest recurring combined U.S.-South Korean exercises and practiced the reinforcement and defense of the Korean Peninsula. Marine Corps reporting later in 1988 placed SAN BERNARDINO within the Seventh Fleet amphibious organization together with ST. LOUIS and other forward-deployed ships. These recurring assignments involved transporting Marine units between Okinawa and regional exercise areas as well as maintaining contingency readiness throughout the Western Pacific.

During 1989, SAN BERNARDINO participated in combined training with Thailand. On September 1, she was documented preparing to offload troops and vehicles during Exercise Thalay Thai '89. The exercise involved American and Thai forces and included amphibious procedures for moving personnel, vehicles and equipment from ship to shore. Such bilateral exercises had become an important part of the mission of the forward-deployed amphibious force during the final years of the Cold War.

A substantially more serious contingency arose in August 1990. Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, and the United States began deploying forces to Saudi Arabia under Operation Desert Shield. Because SAN BERNARDINO was already based in Japan, she was among the amphibious ships available to move personnel and equipment toward Southwest Asia without waiting for a force to arrive from the continental United States. SAN BERNARDINO formed Amphibious Ready Group Bravo with DUBUQUE and USS SCHENECTADY (LST 1185). The ships carried Marine Air-Ground Task Force 6-90, including elements associated with Regimental Landing Team 4 and combat service support forces. The force was assembled at a time when American commanders still considered the possibility that Iraqi forces might continue south from occupied Kuwait into Saudi Arabia.

The group moved through Okinawa and the Philippines while preparing for the Southwest Asian deployment. On August 24, 1990, DUBUQUE was underway with SAN BERNARDINO and SCHENECTADY toward Subic Bay. During the Philippine phase, the ships completed loading and preparations for operations in the Middle East. SAN BERNARDINO carried amphibious equipment, including material that would have been useful if an over-the-beach landing became necessary. The three ships departed the Subic Bay area on August 27. During their passage toward the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, their crews and embarked Marines continued training for the possibility of amphibious and chemical-warfare operations. The group passed through the Singapore area on August 31 and proceeded westward across the Indian Ocean.

On September 8, operational control of the group passed to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Rather than carrying out an amphibious landing, the ships were ordered into the Persian Gulf and toward the Saudi port of Al Jubayl. On September 13, DUBUQUE, SCHENECTADY and SAN BERNARDINO reached Al Jubayl and disembarked their Marines. The landing force subsequently moved inland and was employed primarily for security and support requirements associated with the rapidly expanding Marine presence in Saudi Arabia.

After their embarked Marines had moved ashore, the three amphibious ships remained useful as sea-based logistics platforms. Their cargo capacity allowed them to move supplies and equipment while the coalition was constructing a large support infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. This employment differed from the opposed amphibious assault for which SAN BERNARDINO had originally been designed but made effective use of the ship's vehicle and cargo spaces.

The ships of Amphibious Ready Group Bravo remained in the theater during the initial months of Operation Desert Shield and departed the Persian Gulf in November 1990. Her Southwest Asian service qualified the ship for the Southwest Asia Service Medal.

Following the Middle Eastern deployment, SAN BERNARDINO resumed her forward-deployed duties from Sasebo. In 1991, she continued regional Seventh Fleet operations, including activity in Japanese waters. A visit to Kagoshima during 1991 was later noted in U.S. Pacific Command documentation concerning American naval visits to the city. On February 16, 1992, SAN BERNARDINO was at Hong Kong, providing a precisely documented port call during this phase of her career. The ship continued operating as part of the Seventh Fleet amphibious organization throughout the year. Her duties remained centered on transportation of Marine personnel and equipment, support of regional exercises, and movement between Japanese, Korean and Southeast Asian operating areas.

During the summer of 1992, SAN BERNARDINO was involved in the support and transport cycle associated with exercises in Southeast Asia. By the end of August, she was carrying equipment being returned from Exercises Penyu Trident and Valiant Mark. Plans called for her to participate in Exercise Valiant Usher 92-10 near Okinawa, but severe weather disrupted the required unloading and reloading schedule. Tropical Storm Polly had already affected the region, while Typhoon Omar was approaching Okinawa with very high winds. SAN BERNARDINO could not complete the required cargo operations in time for the exercise, and the planned Valiant Usher event was cancelled.

At the end of August and beginning of September, SAN BERNARDINO also transferred Marines and equipment in connection with DUBUQUE's operations. From August 31 through September 2, DUBUQUE was at Sasebo and embarked Marines and equipment from SAN BERNARDINO. On September 3, the two ships departed together for Buckner Bay, Okinawa, arriving in the operating area several days later. During September, the commanding officers of SAN BERNARDINO, DUBUQUE and ST. LOUIS also participated in meetings at Sasebo concerning the operations of the forward-deployed amphibious force.

SAN BERNARDINO remained homeported at Sasebo in 1993. Early that year, she became involved in preparations for Exercise Team Spirit 93. On February 28, USS BLUE RIDGE (LCC 19) sailed from the Okinawa area in company with USS BELLEAU WOOD (LHA 3), DUBUQUE, SAN BERNARDINO and USS GERMANTOWN (LSD 42) toward the Korean Peninsula. The ships supported the large combined U.S.-South Korean training program centered on the reinforcement and defense of South Korea.

SAN BERNARDINO continued operating with DUBUQUE during 1994. On January 7, the two ships departed the Sasebo area together for Yokosuka. They entered Tokyo Bay on January 9, after which DUBUQUE began an extended training availability at Yokosuka. SAN BERNARDINO subsequently returned to the normal cycle of operations from Sasebo. The two ships operated together again the following month. On February 7, 1994, DUBUQUE departed Sasebo with SAN BERNARDINO for Okinawa. They reached the Buckner Bay area on February 9, where Marine personnel and equipment were assembled for further amphibious operations and training. By this stage, SAN BERNARDINO was one of the oldest amphibious ships in the forward-deployed force, and plans for her eventual retirement and replacement were already taking shape. The Navy's newer dock landing ships and amphibious assault ships increasingly assumed missions that had once depended on conventional tank landing ships. USS FORT McHENRY (LSD 43) was selected to become part of the forward-deployed force at Sasebo as SAN BERNARDINO approached retirement.

Before leaving U.S. service, SAN BERNARDINO participated in a particularly visible event connected with the history of American amphibious warfare. On March 14, 1995, she approached the landing beaches of Iwo Jima during ceremonies commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima. With Mount Suribachi overlooking the beaches, SAN BERNARDINO demonstrated the direct beaching capability of a tank landing ship for veterans and other participants attending the memorial events. Unlike the larger amphibious ships operating offshore, SAN BERNARDINO was able to approach the beach directly and use the bow-ramp arrangement around which the NEWPORT-class design had been built.

The commemorative operation also demonstrated the limitations of direct beaching under unfavorable environmental conditions. During a subsequent backload phase, cross-beach winds and currents prevented SAN BERNARDINO from safely repeating the beaching evolution. GERMANTOWN therefore used landing craft air cushion vehicles to assist in recovering more than 200 Marine vehicles. The episode contrasted the traditional beaching method represented by SAN BERNARDINO with the increasingly important over-the-horizon amphibious techniques used by newer ships and landing craft.

By this time, arrangements were well advanced for SAN BERNARDINO to leave the United States Navy and enter Chilean service. Legislation enacted on October 19, 1994, had authorized her transfer to Chile under security-assistance arrangements. Preparations for the transfer continued through 1995 while SAN BERNARDINO completed her remaining duties in the Western Pacific and the turnover associated with her retirement.

USS SAN BERNARDINO was decommissioned on September 30, 1995, after 24 and a half years of commissioned service with the United States Navy. On the same date, she was transferred for operation by the Chilean Navy and entered Chilean service as VALDIVIA (LST 93).

VALDIVIA was formally decommissioned from the Chilean Navy at Talcahuano on January 14, 2011. The decommissioning ceremony was held on the ship's flight deck and was attended by senior naval officers, former commanding officers and members of her final crew. Her departure from service ended more than fifteen years under the Chilean flag in addition to the 24 and a half years she had served with the United States Navy.

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