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USS Vancouver (LPD 2)

Named after the city of Vancouver, Washington, whose name in turn honors the British naval officer and explorer Captain George Vancouver, USS VANCOUVER was the second RALEIGH - class amphibious transport dock. USS VANCOUVER was decommissioned at Naval Station San Diego on March 27, 1992. She was subsequently placed in inactive status and later transferred to the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Pearl Harbor. VANCOUVER was removed from the Naval Vessel Register on April 8, 1997. On September 10, 2001, the inactive ship entered the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in California while still under Navy ownership. Title was transferred to the Maritime Administration on November 29, 2001. VANCOUVER remained laid up at Suisun Bay for more than another decade. Historic-preservation review was completed on June 11, 2012, clearing the vessel for disposal. On February 21, 2013, VANCOUVER was withdrawn from the reserve fleet under a domestic sale contract with International Shipbreaking. She was subsequently moved to Brownsville, Texas, for recycling and dismantling.

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Crew List:

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

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USS VANCOUVER History:

USS VANCOUVER was laid at the New York Naval Shipyard in Brooklyn, New York, on November 19, 1960. She was launched on September 15, 1962, sponsored by Mrs. Stuart Symington, and commissioned on May 11, 1963, with Captain Thomas C. Harbert Jr. in command. Following commissioning, VANCOUVER completed builder's trials and initial training before departing Norfolk, Virginia, on August 14, 1963, for the Pacific. She transited the Panama Canal on August 20. During the voyage she diverted to Acapulco, Mexico, while assisting a disabled fishing vessel, then continued north and arrived at San Diego, California, on August 31.

San Diego became her home port. Late in September and early in October, VANCOUVER sailed north to visit her namesake city of Vancouver, Washington. After returning to San Diego, she spent approximately seven weeks conducting training, initially concentrating on individual shiphandling and operating procedures and later on amphibious warfare exercises. From December 16 through December 18, she operated off the West Coast during a visit by Secretary of the Navy Paul H. Nitze. Senior Navy and Marine Corps officers were shown demonstrations of the ship's amphibious capabilities, including the combined use of helicopters and landing craft that characterized the new LPD design.

In February 1964, VANCOUVER moved from San Diego to Long Beach and entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for her post-shakedown availability. The work was completed on May 21, after which she conducted final acceptance trials in early June and returned to San Diego. Late that month, she sailed north to Vancouver, British Columbia, for a maritime festival. On her southbound voyage, she visited San Francisco over the Independence Day weekend and returned to San Diego on July 7. During the following months, VANCOUVER participated in a series of amphibious warfare exercises and prepared for her first deployment to the Western Pacific. This occurred as American military involvement in Southeast Asia was expanding rapidly following the Gulf of Tonkin incidents of August 1964.

VANCOUVER departed San Diego on November 16, 1964, embarked Marines at Port Hueneme, California, and continued across the Pacific on November 17. She reached Buckner Bay, Okinawa, on December 6 and disembarked the Marines she had transported from the United States. On December 21, she embarked another Marine battalion and carried it to Subic Bay in the Philippines. There, she exchanged that force for another Marine contingent, which she transported back to Okinawa in January 1965. By February, she was operating within the rapidly expanding American amphibious structure in the Western Pacific and embarked elements of the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade.

On March 8, 1965, VANCOUVER, together with USS HENRICO (APA 45) and USS UNION (AKA 106), landed Marines at Da Nang, South Vietnam. The landing brought the first major United States Marine ground combat units ashore in South Vietnam. Their immediate mission was to protect the perimeter of the important air base at Da Nang, freeing South Vietnamese forces for operations elsewhere. The deployment took place while the United States was moving from an advisory role toward direct large-scale participation in the Vietnam War. During the remaining months of her first Western Pacific deployment, VANCOUVER returned to South Vietnam twice on resupply missions. She concluded the deployment in June and returned to the United States.

Her stay on the West Coast was brief. Less than two months after returning, VANCOUVER was ordered to carry additional troops to Southeast Asia. She departed the West Coast on August 5, 1965, on a special troop lift and did not return until October 5. Afterward she resumed upkeep and amphibious training from San Diego and other California operating areas.

During the first week of July 1966, VANCOUVER embarked tracked landing vehicles and Battalion Landing Team 1/26, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, in preparation for another Seventh Fleet deployment. She departed San Diego on July 9, stopped at Pearl Harbor from July 14 through July 16, and arrived at Subic Bay on July 28. There, she became part of the newly organized Seventh Fleet Amphibious Ready Group, Task Group 76.5. The concept paired a Special Landing Force of Marines with amphibious ships maintained at high readiness, allowing them to respond rapidly to combat requirements along the South Vietnamese coast.

After amphibious training in the Philippines, the group completed its preparations on August 12 and sailed for South Vietnam. From August 16 through August 29, VANCOUVER took part in Operation Deckhouse III, her first sustained amphibious combat operation. The operation consisted of two principal phases in an area approximately 60 miles east of Saigon. During the first phase, from August 16 through August 20, Battalion Landing Team 1/26 went ashore by both landing craft and helicopter. The Marines encountered relatively limited opposition and subsequently attacked fortified Viet Cong positions. During the second phase, beginning on August 22, the Marine landing force was placed under the operational control of commanders ashore and participated in Operation Toledo, a search operation intended to locate Viet Cong forces, weapons and supply caches. Deckhouse III ended on August 29, after which VANCOUVER returned to Subic Bay for approximately ten days of upkeep.

VANCOUVER departed the Philippines again on September 12 and began Operation Deckhouse IV on September 15 near the mouth of the Cua Viet River in Quang Tri Province, immediately south of the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Vietnam. The amphibious landing formed the seaward component of the wider Operation Prairie, being conducted against North Vietnamese Army forces and infiltration routes in the region surrounding the Demilitarized Zone. The Marines encountered substantially heavier resistance than during Deckhouse III. After ten days ashore, the Special Landing Force reembarked on September 25. VANCOUVER then disembarked her portion of Battalion Landing Team 1/26 at Da Nang and proceeded to Okinawa.

At Okinawa she embarked Battalion Landing Team 3/3 and returned to Vietnamese waters on October 6. For the following twenty-two days, she remained with the contingency force operating off the Demilitarized Zone. On October 28, she disembarked Battalion Landing Team 3/3, and two days later embarked Battalion Landing Team 3/26 for transportation to the Philippines. VANCOUVER left Da Nang on November 1 and subsequently reached Subic Bay. During December, she took part in Exercise Mudpuppy II at Mindoro in the Philippines and then underwent upkeep at Subic Bay.

On December 28, 1966, Marines of 1st Battalion, 9th Marines began embarking aboard VANCOUVER in preparation for another operation. On December 30, she sailed again for South Vietnamese waters, reaching the Vung Tau area on December 31. There, she prepared for Operation Deckhouse V. The operation began on January 4, 1967, and differed from many earlier Special Landing Force operations because it was conducted in the Mekong Delta region and involved both American and South Vietnamese Marines. VANCOUVER embarked more than 500 South Vietnamese Marines at Vung Tau. Poor weather delayed the main landing, but on January 6, the combined force began moving ashore by landing craft and helicopter. The operation brought VANCOUVER into a riverine environment quite different from the open beaches and coastal waters in which she normally operated. Her landing craft moved through the Co Chien River system while the ship supported the forces ashore. The Marines reembarked on January 15, and the South Vietnamese Marines were returned to Vung Tau on January 16.

VANCOUVER reached Subic Bay on January 19 but remained only briefly before proceeding to Okinawa. There, she exchanged Battalion Landing Team 1/9 for Battalion Landing Team 1/4 late in January. Following a visit to Keelung, Taiwan, she returned to the Philippines early in February and participated in Exercise Mudpuppy III with Battalion Landing Team 1/4. After another short period at Subic Bay she departed on February 12 and resumed Amphibious Ready Group operations two days later. On February 16, she began participation in Operation Deckhouse VI, another two-phase amphibious operation conducted in support of larger ground operations in South Vietnam.

Following Deckhouse VI, VANCOUVER visited Subic Bay, Hong Kong, Okinawa and Yokosuka, Japan. She departed Yokosuka on March 24 for the United States, stopped for three days at Pearl Harbor near the end of March, and arrived at San Diego on April 8, 1967. The ship then remained in port for an extended period before resuming West Coast operations in July. During that month, she again sailed north to Vancouver, British Columbia, where she participated in a fleet gathering associated with Canada's centennial celebrations. Returning south, she resumed individual training and amphibious refresher exercises through the remainder of 1967 and into January 1968.

VANCOUVER departed San Diego on February 1, 1968, for another Seventh Fleet deployment. She stopped at Pearl Harbor from February 8 through February 10. Originally heading toward Okinawa, she was diverted on February 12 as the Tet Offensive created urgent requirements for additional American forces in South Vietnam. She arrived at Da Nang on February 23 and disembarked the Marines she was carrying. On February 24, she sailed for Subic Bay, arriving there on February 26, and the following day came under the operational control of Task Group 76.5 as part of the Seventh Fleet Amphibious Ready Group.

VANCOUVER departed Subic Bay on February 29 and returned to the area of the Cua Viet River, where she began supporting Special Landing Force Marines who had been operating ashore since late January. On March 10, she entered Da Nang, where for the following two weeks her responsibilities included repairs to landing craft. During April, she operated off the Demilitarized Zone while providing support to Battalion Landing Team 3/1. On April 10, she departed for the Philippines and reached Subic Bay on April 15. On April 26, VANCOUVER again left Subic Bay for Vietnam. Returning to the Cua Viet area, she provided logistical support to elements of Battalion Landing Team 3/1 occupying positions near Dong Ha. This assignment continued until June 3, when the Special Landing Force reembarked. Three days later, on June 6, VANCOUVER began Operation Swift Sabre. The Marine force went ashore in two groups, one moving inland from the coast in landing craft and the other being inserted farther inland by helicopter. The two elements then advanced through Elephant Valley in Thua Thien Province. The operation was intended to disrupt hostile forces using the area as a base for attacks against installations around Da Nang.

After approximately one week of support to the Marines ashore, Battalion Landing Team 3/1 passed to shore-based operational control. VANCOUVER received Battalion Landing Team 2/7 as her replacement Special Landing Force on June 14 and June 15. She sailed for the Philippines on June 15 and reached Subic Bay on June 18 for ten days of upkeep. From June 30 through July 3, she participated in Exercise Hilltop XX before sailing once more for Vietnam on July 6.

VANCOUVER's next major combat operation was Operation Eager Yankee. In the predawn hours of July 9, 1968, USS BENNER (DD 807) and USS O'BRIEN (DD 725) conducted the naval gunfire preparation for the assault area. VANCOUVER served as primary control ship for the waterborne phase of the landing. Elements of Battalion Landing Team 2/7 went ashore in tracked amphibious vehicles approximately ten miles east of Phu Bai and established defensive positions while landing zones were cleared for the helicopter-borne portion of the assault. VANCOUVER remained offshore and provided logistical support as the Marines moved inland.

After approximately a week without significant enemy contact, the landing force joined shore-based troops in Operation Houston IV. VANCOUVER continued supporting them until that operation ended on July 22, when the Marines reembarked. Their stay aboard was brief. Operation Swift Play began the following day. In this operation the assault element was inserted entirely by helicopter approximately ten miles southwest of Hoi An in Quang Nam Province. The Marines did not encounter significant resistance during the initial assault and subsequently passed to the control of commanders ashore while VANCOUVER continued supporting the force from the sea.

VANCOUVER remained in the operating area until August 19, when she left for Subic Bay without an embarked Marine landing force. She arrived on August 21 and spent six days turning over her responsibilities to USS OGDEN (LPD 5). On August 27, she sailed for Hong Kong, arriving on August 29 for five days of liberty. She then departed for Okinawa, but a typhoon forced a diversion through the San Bernardino Strait and Subic Bay. VANCOUVER finally reached Okinawa on September 9. On September 10 she departed for Yokosuka, arriving on September 12 for five days of upkeep, and on September 17 began the passage home. She returned to San Diego on September 28, 1968.

After a post-deployment stand-down lasting about a month, VANCOUVER returned to local West Coast operations. In early February 1969, she began the first phase of a regular overhaul in San Francisco. That work was completed in mid-April. Following a brief return to San Diego, she entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for drydocking. The overhaul was completed near the end of May, and VANCOUVER returned to San Diego on May 28. Two months of inspections and refresher training followed.

On August 1, 1969, VANCOUVER departed San Diego for the Western Pacific carrying vehicles and cargo. She visited Pearl Harbor from August 8 through August 11 and reached Okinawa on August 21. After unloading cargo at Buckner Bay she sailed for South Vietnam on August 24. She reached Tau My on August 27, unloaded cargo there and at Da Nang, and departed Vietnamese waters the same day. VANCOUVER arrived at Subic Bay on August 29 and began relieving USS PAUL REVERE (LPA 248) as a unit of Amphibious Ready Group Bravo, Task Group 76.5.

On September 6, VANCOUVER departed Subic Bay with the task group for her first line period of the deployment. She reached waters off Da Nang two days later and entered the harbor on September 10 to unload cargo. On September 12, she participated in Operation Defiant Stand. Rather than conducting the principal landing, VANCOUVER and the other ships of her group staged an amphibious demonstration approximately ten miles south of the actual assault beaches. The feint was intended to draw attention away from Amphibious Ready Group Alpha, which carried out the principal landing. After completing the demonstration, VANCOUVER resumed offshore operations.

By October 1969, United States policy in Vietnam was increasingly focused on reducing the number of American ground forces. This changed the role of the amphibious force. On October 20, VANCOUVER moved from Da Nang to Cua Viet and began embarking elements of Battalion Landing Team 1/4 as part of Operation Keystone Cardinal, one phase of the withdrawal of American units from South Vietnam. The embarkation was completed on October 22, and she sailed for Okinawa on October 23. The Marines were disembarked there on October 25 and October 26.

After remaining at Okinawa through November 2, VANCOUVER embarked Battalion Landing Team 1/9 and proceeded to Subic Bay, where the Marines went ashore on November 4. A short repair period followed. She reembarked Battalion Landing Team 1/9 on November 12, conducted an amphibious exercise on November 13 and departed for Vietnamese waters on November 14. Unlike earlier combat line periods, the Amphibious Ready Group now operated well offshore and outside South Vietnamese territorial waters, reflecting the changing American force posture and reduction of direct Marine amphibious operations. VANCOUVER remained in this operating area until November 23 and reached Subic Bay on November 27.

Another practice landing followed in the Philippines on December 1. The ship also repaired storm damage sustained during the transit from Vietnam. VANCOUVER departed again on December 6 and reached waters off Da Nang on December 9. Four days later, she left the combat zone for port visits that included Hong Kong, Taiwan and Okinawa. She returned to the Vietnamese coast on December 31 but departed again on January 1, 1970, bound for the Philippines. She arrived at Subic Bay on January 11.

On January 20, VANCOUVER began a round trip to Okinawa, returning to Subic Bay on January 27. On February 4, she sailed for Taiwan, conducted a patrol in the Taiwan Strait and then visited Kaohsiung for four days. She returned to Subic Bay on February 21 and began turnover with USS DENVER (LPD 9), which relieved her. VANCOUVER departed Subic Bay on March 4, delivered cargo at Okinawa on March 6, and continued eastward on March 7. She stopped at Da Nang on March 11 to discharge cargo and then returned to Okinawa to refuel before beginning the trans-Pacific voyage home.

VANCOUVER reached Del Mar, California, on March 27 and moved to Naval Station San Diego on March 28 for drydocking and repairs. The work was completed in early June. On June 10, she departed San Diego with United States Naval Academy midshipmen embarked for a summer training cruise. She reached Yokosuka on June 24 and departed on June 29. VANCOUVER visited Hong Kong from July 4 through July 8 and stopped at Da Nang on July 9 and July 10 to load cargo for transportation to the United States. During the homeward passage she visited Pearl Harbor from July 24 through July 27 and returned to San Diego on August 1. For the remainder of 1970 and the first quarter of 1971 she carried out local training, including amphibious refresher work and operations with tracked amphibious vehicles.

VANCOUVER departed San Diego on March 30, 1971, for another Western Pacific deployment. After a two-day stop at Pearl Harbor early in April, she arrived at Subic Bay on April 19. During the following six weeks, she conducted amphibious training and made port visits to Singapore and Kaohsiung. In June, she carried cargo from Vung Tau and Da Nang to Subic Bay and Okinawa, reflecting the increasingly logistical character of American naval operations during the continuing withdrawal from Vietnam.

Early in July, VANCOUVER took part in an amphibious exercise in the Zambales training area of the Philippines. She departed for Hong Kong on July 19 and spent approximately one week there. On July 28, she returned to the Philippines for additional amphibious exercises around Mindoro. August brought visits to Sasebo, Japan, and Kaohsiung, and in early September the ship again trained around Zambales. On September 9, VANCOUVER left Subic Bay for another cargo run to South Vietnam. She called at Da Nang, Qui Nhon and Cam Ranh Bay before returning to Subic Bay on September 17. On September 25, she began a round-trip voyage to Okinawa and returned to the Philippines on October 9.

VANCOUVER departed the Western Pacific for the United States on October 14. She called at Okinawa and Pearl Harbor during the eastbound transit and arrived at San Diego on November 5, 1971. She spent the remainder of the year in post-deployment stand-down, leave and upkeep. Local operations resumed on January 11, 1972, and continued until June. On June 10, VANCOUVER embarked midshipmen for another annual training cruise to the Western Pacific. The cruise included a visit to Yokosuka and two visits each to Hong Kong and Subic Bay. Late in July, she began her return to the United States and arrived at San Diego on August 4. On August 21 she entered a scheduled regular overhaul.

Post-overhaul sea trials were completed in early February 1973, followed by type training and refresher work. VANCOUVER deployed again on March 17. She arrived at Sasebo on April 4, departed the following day, briefly visited Okinawa on April 6 and reached Subic Bay on April 8. On April 9, she relieved USS CLEVELAND (LPD 7) as one of the amphibious support ships assigned to Operation End Sweep. Operation End Sweep resulted from the January 1973 Paris Peace Accords ending direct American military involvement in Vietnam. The United States had mined North Vietnamese ports and waterways during 1972 and was now required to assist in clearing or neutralizing those mines. The mine-countermeasures operation relied heavily on helicopters as well as conventional minesweepers, and amphibious ships provided operating platforms and logistical support for the helicopter force. VANCOUVER supported the operation during April, May and June, alternating periods in North Vietnamese waters with upkeep and liberty periods in the Philippines. She also visited Hong Kong and Japanese ports. VANCOUVER was present in Haiphong Harbor on June 19, 1973, during Operation End Sweep.

VANCOUVER completed her final regular Vietnam-era operational period in Vietnamese waters on July 18, 1973, and reached Subic Bay on July 20. During the remaining two months of the Western Pacific deployment, she visited Hong Kong and the Japanese ports of Numazu, Kagoshima and Iwakuni. She returned to the Philippines early in September and departed for the United States on September 19. After an overnight stop at Pearl Harbor on October 2-3, she reached San Diego on October 9.

For approximately the next year, VANCOUVER operated from the California coast. Her schedule included helicopter qualifications, landing-craft training and larger amphibious warfare exercises. On October 18, 1974, she began another Western Pacific deployment. She stopped at Pearl Harbor on October 25 and October 26 and arrived at Buckner Bay, Okinawa, on November 9. Assigned to Amphibious Ready Group Alpha as relief for OGDEN, VANCOUVER initially entered what appeared to be a relatively routine peacetime deployment. During the following months, she moved largely between Okinawa and the Philippines, conducting amphibious training and transporting Marines and cargo.

The political situation in Indochina deteriorated rapidly during early 1975. The Khmer Rouge advanced toward Phnom Penh in Cambodia while North Vietnamese forces launched the offensive that would eventually bring about the collapse of South Vietnam. VANCOUVER and other Seventh Fleet amphibious ships therefore shifted from normal training to contingency readiness. By November 1974, she was part of a force maintaining readiness for Operation Eagle Pull together with USS TRIPOLI (LPH 10), USS THOMASTON (LSD 28) and USS PEORIA (LST 1183).

On February 13, 1975, VANCOUVER was ordered to rendezvous with Amphibious Ready Group Alpha. A planned visit to Manila and other scheduled activity were cancelled as the ship moved toward the Gulf of Thailand. The group operated there from February 17 through February 24 before worsening weather led the ships back to Subic Bay on February 25. VANCOUVER remained there for maintenance until the group sailed again on March 1. During March and early April, the amphibious force repeatedly rehearsed for the evacuation of Phnom Penh.

Operation Eagle Pull was executed on April 12, 1975. The naval force included USS HANCOCK (CVA 19), USS OKINAWA (LPH 3), VANCOUVER and THOMASTON, together with supporting surface combatants. Beginning early that morning, Marine helicopters launched from the amphibious force. VANCOUVER embarked elements of the security force, including Marines from Company G, Battalion Landing Team 2/4. Helicopters carried the Marines into Phnom Penh to secure the evacuation area while American diplomatic personnel, foreign nationals and selected Cambodians were flown out. Because many potential evacuees had already left by other means, only a relatively small number required evacuation during the final helicopter operation. The operation was completed before Khmer Rouge forces entered Phnom Penh several days later.

VANCOUVER remained with the amphibious force as the crisis shifted toward South Vietnam. By late April, the government in Saigon was collapsing, and Task Force 76 assembled offshore for Operation Frequent Wind, the helicopter evacuation of Americans and Vietnamese from Saigon. VANCOUVER concluded preparatory operations in the Cambodian and South Vietnamese region on April 28 and rejoined the main amphibious force. Operation Frequent Wind began on April 29.

During April 29 and April 30, helicopters continuously moved between Saigon and the ships offshore. VANCOUVER served as a helicopter operating platform and as a receiving and processing ship for evacuees. Numerous South Vietnamese aircraft also reached the fleet as their crews and passengers fled the collapsing republic. Marines embarked from VANCOUVER reinforced the security force at the United States Embassy. Members of Company G, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines returned from the Embassy to VANCOUVER on April 30 after completing their mission ashore. During Frequent Wind, VANCOUVER processed more than 2,200 refugees. The operation ended as North Vietnamese forces entered Saigon and the Republic of Vietnam ceased to exist.

After the evacuation, VANCOUVER and the other ships moved away from the South Vietnamese coast. She reached Subic Bay on May 3. She later departed Okinawa on May 20 and returned to San Diego on June 6, 1975. Her participation in Eagle Pull and Frequent Wind added a major noncombatant evacuation role to a career that until then had been dominated by amphibious assault, troop movement and logistical missions in Southeast Asia.

VANCOUVER resumed West Coast training after returning home, conducting type training, inspections and amphibious-readiness work through the remainder of 1975 and much of 1976. On September 25, 1976, she left San Diego for another Western Pacific deployment. After three days at Pearl Harbor in early October, she reached Kwajalein Atoll on October 10, where the outgoing and incoming amphibious organizations conducted turnover activities. VANCOUVER then continued southwest toward Australia.

She arrived at Broad Sound, Australia, on October 21 and conducted a rehearsal landing before Exercise Kangaroo II. The main exercise took place from October 24 through October 29 and involved United States and Australian military forces in a large combined amphibious training event. After completing the exercise, VANCOUVER visited Sydney for five days before sailing north toward Okinawa. She arrived there on November 20, disembarked one group of Marines and embarked another, and sailed the following day for Subic Bay. She arrived there on November 24 for an availability lasting approximately three weeks. Late in December, she sailed to Taiwan and Hong Kong and spent New Year's Eve in Hong Kong.

Early in January 1977, VANCOUVER returned by way of Okinawa and Subic Bay before sailing to Singapore later in the month. She returned to the Philippines on February 11 and conducted exercises around Subic Bay until mid-March. On March 16, she departed for Inchon, South Korea. During late March and early April VANCOUVER participated in amphibious exercises with South Korean military units. She called at Okinawa on April 12, departed the following day for the Philippines and arrived at Subic Bay on April 16. On April 28, she began a return voyage to the United States, calling at Okinawa, Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor before reaching San Diego on May 21.

Following a month of post-deployment stand-down, VANCOUVER entered the Bethlehem Steel shipyard at San Pedro, California, for a regular overhaul that continued into 1978. The overhaul was completed on April 18, 1978. Intensive refresher training from San Diego followed as the ship prepared for another Western Pacific deployment. She departed San Diego on August 31 and remained with the Seventh Fleet into 1979. Her route and operating schedule included Eniwetok Atoll, Subic Bay, Pusan in South Korea and Hong Kong.

During the 1978-1979 deployment, VANCOUVER operated with the 31st Marine Amphibious Unit. By early 1979, she formed part of an amphibious force that included OKINAWA, USS MONTICELLO (LSD 35) and USS RACINE (LST 1191). The ships participated in Exercise Team Spirit 79 with South Korean forces around Pohang. Team Spirit was one of the major recurring United States-South Korean exercises intended to practice reinforcement and combined operations on the Korean Peninsula, where North and South Korea remained technically at war. VANCOUVER returned to San Diego in April 1979.

The ship remained an active Pacific Fleet amphibious unit as the United States adjusted its military posture after the Vietnam War. On May 24, 1980, VANCOUVER began another Western Pacific and Indian Ocean deployment. The international setting differed markedly from her Vietnam-era cruises. The Iranian Revolution of 1979, seizure of the United States Embassy in Tehran and continuing hostage crisis had led the Navy to maintain substantial forces in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. VANCOUVER operated in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean with embarked Marines and participated in amphibious exercises while contributing to the wider American naval presence associated with the Iranian crisis.

The deployment included operations and port calls across a broad area. VANCOUVER visited Fremantle, Australia, from September 27 through October 3, 1980, and Mombasa, Kenya, during the Indian Ocean phase. Her service associated with operations in the Indian Ocean and the Iranian crisis from August 8 through October 11 qualified the ship for the Navy Expeditionary Medal. After completing the deployment, she returned to the United States later in 1980.

Training, upkeep and Pacific Fleet amphibious duties followed. In October 1982, VANCOUVER visited San Francisco during Fleet Week. By the beginning of 1983, she was again preparing for operations in the Western Pacific.

During her 1983 Western Pacific deployment, VANCOUVER embarked Marines and operated as part of the Seventh Fleet amphibious force. The deployment was affected by a significant navigational casualty when the ship grounded on a shoal off the northeastern coast of Australia, damaging both screws. The resulting repairs prevented her from performing her originally assigned role in Exercise Valiant Blitz 83-3 near Okinawa in June. DENVER was assigned to replace VANCOUVER in the exercise. VANCOUVER had visited Fremantle on April 26 before the casualty. Following repairs she continued her Pacific deployment and later resumed normal amphibious operations.

During the middle years of the 1980s, VANCOUVER continued alternating between West Coast training, maintenance and Western Pacific deployments. These cruises retained the established pattern of transporting and supporting Marines, conducting landing exercises and operating with allied forces in East Asian waters. Her employment reflected the broader Pacific strategy of maintaining mobile amphibious forces while the United States continued its security commitments to Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and other regional partners.

VANCOUVER deployed again with Pacific Fleet amphibious forces in January 1986. The amphibious group included USS NEW ORLEANS (LPH 11), VANCOUVER, USS ALAMO (LSD 33) and USS BARBOUR COUNTY (LST 1195). Political unrest in the Philippines surrounding the presidential election temporarily delayed the ships outside Philippine territorial waters before they entered Subic Bay on February 9. The group subsequently proceeded toward Hong Kong and later returned to the Philippines.

On March 2, 1986, the amphibious ships sailed north toward Okinawa, where Marines and amphibious vehicles were embarked, and then continued to South Korea. They reached the Pohang area on March 12 and participated in Exercise Team Spirit. Amphibious landing operations took place in the Tok-sok-ri area, and the exercise continued through March 30. Team Spirit again practiced large-scale combined United States-South Korean operations and reinforcement of the Korean Peninsula.

VANCOUVER continued her Pacific Fleet career through further training, maintenance and deployment cycles during the later 1980s. By this point, the ship had been in service for more than two decades and required increasingly extensive maintenance to remain operational.

In 1989, VANCOUVER undertook another Western Pacific deployment. In September, she participated in the combined American-Thai Exercise Thalay Thai 89 in the Gulf of Thailand. CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 163 operated from her flight deck during the exercise. Thalay Thai included amphibious landing operations and supporting aviation and was intended to improve cooperation between United States and Thai forces. VANCOUVER subsequently continued operating in the Western Pacific and was at Hong Kong on November 24.

Events in Southwest Asia again transformed VANCOUVER's schedule in 1990. Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, prompting the United States and an expanding international coalition to begin Operation Desert Shield. American amphibious forces were among the units sent toward the region, and additional forces were assembled on the West Coast. VANCOUVER was assigned to Amphibious Group Three with elements of the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade.

VANCOUVER departed the United States on December 1, 1990, as part of the large West Coast amphibious reinforcement moving toward Southwest Asia. The group crossed the Pacific and entered the Central Command theater. On January 12, 1991, VANCOUVER arrived in the North Arabian Sea. Amphibious Group Three and the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade joined an already substantial amphibious force in the region.

Operation Desert Storm began on January 17, 1991, after Iraq failed to comply with the United Nations deadline for withdrawing from Kuwait. VANCOUVER remained with the amphibious task force during the air campaign. The ships conducted landing rehearsals and maintained the capability to put a substantial Marine force ashore along the Kuwaiti coast. The presence of the amphibious force also formed part of coalition deception measures designed to maintain Iraqi attention on the coast while the principal ground offensive was prepared farther west.

VANCOUVER continued supporting the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade during these preparations. Her embarked Marines remained in reserve during the ground campaign and did not participate directly in the combat operations ashore. Coalition ground forces began their offensive on February 24, and Iraqi forces were driven from Kuwait during the following days. Offensive combat was suspended on February 28. VANCOUVER's deployment did not end with the cease-fire. As the amphibious force began its return toward the Pacific, a major natural disaster created a new mission. On April 29, 1991, a powerful tropical cyclone struck Bangladesh and caused catastrophic flooding and destruction along the coast. Returning amphibious forces were diverted to provide humanitarian assistance in what became Operation Sea Angel. Marines and sailors of the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade used helicopters, landing craft, engineering equipment and medical resources to bring relief supplies into areas where roads, communications and other infrastructure had been heavily damaged. Landing craft moved vehicles and supplies ashore in the Chittagong area, while helicopters delivered food and other necessities to isolated communities and offshore islands.

Medical personnel associated with the deployed force also participated in the humanitarian effort, including a Navy doctor embarked aboard VANCOUVER. The amphibious transport dock's well deck, boats, cargo spaces and aviation facilities made her useful for moving personnel and supplies into areas where normal transport infrastructure was unavailable or damaged. The operation continued through May, after which the task force resumed its redeployment. VANCOUVER departed Pearl Harbor on June 1, 1991, on the final stage of her voyage home and returned to San Diego later that month.

By this time, VANCOUVER had been in commission for almost twenty-nine years. The end of the Cold War, dissolution of the Soviet Union and post-Gulf War reductions in the United States fleet coincided with the increasing age and maintenance requirements of the early-generation amphibious transport docks. Newer amphibious ships had assumed many of the missions for which VANCOUVER had originally been constructed.

USS VANCOUVER was decommissioned at Naval Station San Diego on March 27, 1992. She was subsequently placed in inactive status and later transferred to the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Pearl Harbor. VANCOUVER was removed from the Naval Vessel Register on April 8, 1997. On September 10, 2001, the inactive ship entered the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in California while still under Navy ownership. Title was transferred to the Maritime Administration on November 29, 2001. VANCOUVER remained laid up at Suisun Bay for more than another decade. Historic-preservation review was completed on June 11, 2012, clearing the vessel for disposal. On February 21, 2013, VANCOUVER was withdrawn from the reserve fleet under a domestic sale contract with International Shipbreaking. She was subsequently moved to Brownsville, Texas, for recycling and dismantling.

VANCOUVER received eleven battle stars for her Vietnam War service.

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USS VANCOUVER Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by me and show the VANCOUVER laid-up at Suisun Bay, Calif., on March 27, 2010.

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