USS Thomaston (LSD 28)

- decommissioned -

Named after Thomaston, Maine, the home town of General Henry Knox, the first Secretary of War to serve under the United States Constitution, the USS THOMASTON was the first THOMASTON - class dock landing ship. Decommissioned after 30 years of service on September 28, 1984, the THOMASTON was stricken from the Navy list on February 24, 1992. Sold on September 29, 1995, the THOMASTON was repossessed by the Navy and was subsequently berthed at the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, Benicia, Calif, awaiting final diposal. THOMASTON remained laid up at Suisun Bay until 2011, when she was sold for dismantling. She departed the reserve fleet in August 2011 and was subsequently towed to Brownsville, Texas, where she was scrapped by All Star Metals.

General Characteristics:	Awarded: February 28, 1952
	Keel laid: March 2, 1953
	Launched: February 9, 1954
	Commissioned: September 17, 1954
	Decommissioned: September 28, 1984
	Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Miss.
	Propulsion system: two 600 psi boilers, twp geared turbines
	Propellers: two
	Length: 510 feet (155.5 meters)
	Beam: 84 feet (25.6 meters)
	Draft: 19 feet (5.8 meters)
	Displacement: approx. 11,300 tons full load
	Speed: 22 knots
	Well deck capacity: three LCU or nine LCM-8 or 50 AAV
	Aircraft: helo platform only
	Crew: Ship: 18 officers, 330 enlisted
	Crew: Marine Detachment: approx. 330 Marines
	Armament: two dual 3-inch/50-caliber Mk-33 gun mounts

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Crew List:

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

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USS THOMASTON Cruise Books:

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USS THOMASTON History:

USS THOMASTON was laid down on 3 March 1953 at Pascagoula, Miss., by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp., launched on 9 February 1954, sponsored by Mrs. Mathias B. Gardner; and commissioned on 17 September 1954, Capt. Marion F. Ramirez de Arellano in command.

Following shakedown in the Caribbean, THOMASTON transited the Panama Canal and joined the Pacific Fleet Amphibious Force. From July through October 1955, THOMASTON participated in the Arctic Resupply Project, provisioning stations on the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line before taking part in cold weather landing exercises in the Aleutians in November 1955 and again in January and February 1956.

The landing ship's duties soon took her southward to the warmer climes of the Hawaiian Islands, where she conducted local operations and exercises in March and April. On hand in Santa Barbara, Calif., from 2 to 9 July, for the Semana Nautica Celebration, THOMASTON returned to the Hawaiian Islands and participated in three landing exercises in the autumn before returning to the west coast to conduct exercises off the Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton, Calif., during the spring of 1957.

She subsequently deployed to the Western Pacific (WestPac) in 1959 and participated in exercises off Borneo and Korea in June and August of that year. Alternating between the west coast and WestPac, THOMASTON participated in a busy schedule of operations and cruises into the 1960's. During the international tensions brought on by the United States' discovery of Russian missile sites in Cuba, THOMASTON sailed via the Panama Canal to the Caribbean and operated with the Atlantic Fleet until tensions abated with the withdrawal of the missiles. She then returned to San Diego on 15 December 1962.

She commenced the year 1963 at her home port, San Diego, and conducted training exercises into February before serving as primary control ship off "Green" Beach, Del Mar, Calif., during Operation "Steel Gate" from 28 February to 8 March 1963. THOMASTON departed the west coast on 26 March, bound for the Far East, and arrived via Pearl Harbor at Subic Bay on 20 April. Serving with the Amphibious Force of the 7th Fleet; she participated in special operations in the South China Sea from 22 April to 5 May. A second special operation in the South China Sea -- again with the Amphibious Ready Group, 7th Fleet -- took place in late August and early September.

After operating in Okinawan waters, THOMASTON departed Yokosuka, Japan, on 4 November, bound for the west coast of the United States. While en route three days later, the LSD received word of a merchantman in distress. Changing course, THOMASTON found SS BARBARA FRITCHIE in heavy seas, dead in the water, having lost a propeller and suffering rudder damage. THOMASTON took her in tow and headed for Pearl Harbor, transferring the tow to CREE (ATF 84) on the 12th. The LSD's stop at Pearl Harbor was a brief one, though, as she arrived and departed for home on the same day, 15 November.

Making port at San Diego on 21 November, THOMASTON operated locally and trained through the early fall of 1964, when she sailed for the Philippines on 26 October to commence another WestPac deployment. Arriving at Subic Bay on 16 November, the LSD conducted special operations in the South China Sea, including a dredge lift from Saigon to Danang, South Vietnam, between 21 November and 16 December. Christmas of that year found THOMASTON again at sea, on "special operations" in the South China Sea. She was present at the initial Marine landings at Danang and Chu Lai, South Vietnam. She remained deployed to WestPac until June of 1965, when she returned to San Diego to conduct routine local operations off the west coast.

Departing San Diego on 10 January 1966 for WestPac, THOMASTON arrived in Vietnamese coastal waters on 5 February and immediately commenced operations at Chu Lai and Danang, serving as boat haven at the latter port. She returned to the United States in the spring and remained at San Diego from 9 April to 9 July 1966. The ship then headed back to the western Pacific and operated out of Subic Bay from 28 July through the end of the deployment. She participated in Operations "Deckhouse III" (phases one and two) and "Deckhouse IV" in August and September. In the former, THOMASTON landed marines north of Vung Tau and served as primary control ship and boat haven during the subsequent operations. She then landed marines at a point just south of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Vietnam. She thus continued in her familiar role as primary control ship and boat haven during "Deckhouse IV" and staged boat convoys carrying supplies nine miles up the Cua Vet River to Dong Ha.

Returning to Subic Bay, THOMASTON later participated in Exercise "Mudpuppy II" which was designed to provide training in river operations for marines. Held on Mindoro in the Philippines, "Mudpuppy II" ended three days before Christmas; and Thomaston sailed for Vietnam.

She thus began the year 1967 as she had begun the previous year, in active combat operations against Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army units along the coastline. Participating in "Deckhouse V" and "Deckhouse VI" into March, THOMASTON's participation in the former operation began on 5 January 1967 when she dropped anchor off the mouth of the Song Co Chien River. She helped to launch the thrust of "Deckhouse V," aimed at the delta lowlands of Kien Hoa province, South Vietnam. The combined American and Vietnamese Marine Corps landings successfully challenged Viet Cong forces in this area. Relieved at Vung Tau by POINT DEFIANCE (LSD 1) on 6 March, THOMASTON sailed for repairs at Subic Bay, en route home via Hong Kong, Okinawa, Yokosuka, and Pearl Harbor.

Following an extensive overhaul at San Diego from 28 June to 18 December 1967, THOMASTON departed her home port on 21 February 1968 for her regular deployment to WestPac. After joining the Amphibious Ready Group off Vietnam in the I Corps zone, THOMASTON commenced operations in support of marines of the Special Landing Forces (SLF) engaged ashore in the defense of Quang Tri province. She spent the month of March steaming in coastwise logistics runs between Danang, Camranh Bay, and the burgeoning Army supply base at Thon My Thuy, known colloquially as "Murder Beach."

During her operations at the latter port, THOMASTON demonstrated to the Army the versatility of the Landing Ship Dock by serving as an effective repair ship with a built-in drydock. Many small craft and pontoon piers serving the supply base received hull and machinery work by the crew in the ship's capacious welldeck. During this deployment, THOMASTON proved that the amphibious ship was a natural vehicle for interservice cooperation.

While operating off the coast of South Vietnam with the Amphibious Ready Group, THOMASTON conducted two search and rescue operations. On the evening of 25 May, a CH-46 helicopter, loaded with mail, passengers, and baggage, lost power in the vicinity of VALLEY FORGE (LPH 8) and crashed. The helicopter remained afloat while those on board jettisoned all excess weight. It gradually sank, but fortunately not before all men had safely left the craft. Within a mile of the accident THOMASTON dispatched two boats to the scene and recovered not only four of the passengers and crew of the CH-46 (the remainder were picked up by helicopter) but the crew from one of VALLEY FORGE's boats which had capsized upon launching. Later, on 2 June and again while in the vicinity of VALLEY FORGE, THOMASTON picked up men from the carrier who had jumped overboard to escape flames from a flight deck fire.

THOMASTON next participated in "Badger Catch III," the withdrawal of the Special Landing Force from the Cua Vet River area bordering on the extreme southern edge of the DMZ. Subsequently, THOMASTON and her embarked SLF participated in a swift succession of operations against Communist ground forces. Operation "Swift Sabre" plunged into Viet Cong-contested areas of the western shore of Danang harbor on 8 June 1968. Following Exercise "Hilltop XX" in Subic Bay, THOMASTON participated in "Eager Yankee" which landed elements of the SLF in Quang Tri province near Cua Tu Hien on 9 July before engaging, 13 days later, in "Swift Play" in the coastal area south of Danang. These operations resulted in the capture of significant numbers of weapons and stores and the destruction of operating bases and installations from which the enemy had launched attacks against other "friendly forces." During "Swift Play," THOMASTON came under shore battery fire for a brief time.

For the next five years, THOMASTON actively supported the war effort in Vietnam, conducted troop and cargo lifts, and participated in amphibious operations. The tide of war, however, was running against the South Vietnamese; and, by the spring of 1975, concentrated efforts on the part of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops put pressure on the crumbling South Vietnamese government.

The end for South Vietnam came during THOMASTON's 15th WestPac deployment. The beginning of the year 1975 found the landing ship at Subic Bay, undergoing a needed availability. She departed Subic Bay on 2 February, bound for Singapore where she stayed until the 13th. As a member of Task Group (TG) 76.4 THOMASTON later returned to port at Subic Bay on the 25th. Her anticipated upkeep period, however, was cut short when the ship was directed to return to sea with TG 76.4. On 2 March, THOMASTON departed Subic Bay to execute Operation "Eagle Pull" which evacuated Americans and designated Cambodian citizens from the Cambodian capital city of Pnomh Penh. The civilians were to be picked up by helicopters and ferried to the ships offshore.

She remained in readiness until the evening of 5 April, when THOMASTON was ordered to Phu Quoc Island to assist Vietnamese nationals evacuated from Danang. She transferred food and medical supplies via her LCU's and LCM-8 assault craft to Vietnamese refugees quartered on Military Sealift Command (MSC) vessels.

TG 76.4 executed "Eagle Pull" on 11 April, and THOMASTON took part as a plane guard on station to the south. Upon the successful completion of the operation, designated units of the group proceeded to Sattahip, Thailand, to debark civilians airlifted from Cambodia. Meanwhile, THOMASTON sailed for the Philippines, arriving at Subic Bay on the morning of 17 April, but her much deserved in-port period was again abbreviated by operational necessity. Underway once more at 2330 on the 18th, THOMASTON sailed for Vietnamese waters to take part in the Gotterdammerung of South Vietnam -- the evacuation of the besieged capital, Saigon.

On 29 April, Operation "Frequent Wind" commenced at 1500. During the next nine hours THOMASTON received 811 Vietnamese, American, and other refugees. During this operation -- for which the ship received the Meritorious Unit Commendation -- THOMASTON received evacuees via helicopter, landing "choppers" as large as CH-46's on her flight deck aft. All Vietnamese citizens were to be processed and placed aboard MSC ships.

American citizens would be retained on board for transportation to the Philippines. Although limited by space, all individuals were provided with food, clothing, and medical attention. Makeshift shelters, "tents" made from marines' blankets, were set up on board.

Returning to Subic Bay on 3 May, THOMASTON immediately commenced preparations for her homeward voyage. Civilians embarked during "Frequent Wind" were debarked at Subic Bay. The ship then headed on for the west coast of the United States, via Buckner Bay, Okinawa; and Pearl Harbor; and arrived at San Diego on 6 June 1975.

THOMASTON subsequently operated with the Pacific Fleet in 1976, conducting training and local operations in waters off Okinawa, Japan, Korea, and Hawaii, before returning to San Diego at the close of the year.

Following a material inspection by the Navy Board of Inspection and Survey in January 1977, THOMASTON commenced preparations for her forthcoming overhaul. On 1 June, she entered Todd Shipyard, Seattle, Wash., for the most extensive overhaul conducted on an amphibious ship to that time. Lasting 18 months and costing nearly $30 million, the overhaul was completed on 7 December 1978. THOMASTON returned to her home port of San Diego on 14 December and remained there into 1979.

In July 1979, USS THOMASTON began another Western Pacific deployment as part of Amphibious Squadron Five. The squadron included USS TRIPOLI (LPH 10), USS DULUTH (LPD 6), USS JUNEAU (LPD 10), USS MOUNT VERNON (LSD 39), USS BRISTOL COUNTY (LST 1198), USS TUSCALOOSA (LST 1187), and USS THOMASTON. The force supported the 31st Marine Amphibious Unit and moved westward through the Pacific for Seventh Fleet operations.

Late in August, the Marine amphibious force and Amphibious Squadron Five participated in Exercise Fortress Gale on Okinawa. The exercise brought together Navy and Marine Corps units for large-scale amphibious training and formed part of the regular Seventh Fleet readiness cycle. The deployment subsequently included operations around Japan, Okinawa, Korea, and the Philippines. In October, USS THOMASTON was documented proceeding toward Pusan, South Korea, while elements of the embarked Marine force were conducting training at Camp Fuji, Japan.

One of the major events of the deployment was Exercise Kangaroo III in northeastern Australia during October 1979. Amphibious Squadron Five operated with Australian, New Zealand, U.S. Army, and other naval forces during the multinational exercise, which included amphibious and combined-force training. The deployment continued into early 1980 and brought USS THOMASTON into an unusual logistical mission connected with the cleanup of Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The atoll had been used extensively for American nuclear weapons testing between 1948 and 1958, and a large-scale radiological cleanup project had been underway since the 1970s. During the final Navy sealift of the cleanup project from 25 January through 29 January 1980, USS THOMASTON and USS JUNEAU loaded a combined 4,387 measurement tons of equipment and material for retrograde movement to Johnston Atoll, Pearl Harbor, and San Diego. The loading was conducted during the turnover between amphibious squadrons and marked one of the final major logistical stages of the Enewetak cleanup project.

USS THOMASTON and her crew subsequently received the Humanitarian Service Medal for their contribution to the Enewetak operation. After returning to the United States, the ship resumed Pacific Fleet maintenance, training, and preparations for her next Western Pacific deployment.

USS THOMASTON deployed again with Amphibious Squadron Five in February 1981. During March, she took part in Team Spirit 81 and the associated amphibious exercise Valiant Flex 81-2 in South Korea. Team Spirit was one of the largest recurring U.S.-Republic of Korea military exercises of the Cold War and practiced the reinforcement and defense of South Korea in the event of conflict on the Korean Peninsula. On 9 March 1981, the amphibious formation began moving from Okinawa toward Korea. The ships reached the Pohang area on 11 March. Amphibious rehearsals followed on 12 March. On 13 March, the force put to sea for an opposed-transit phase of the exercise, joined by USS JOHN YOUNG (DD 973), USS RAMSEY (FFG 2), and Republic of Korea Navy ships including TAE JEON, CHUNG BUK, and SEO. Thick fog interfered with the planned schedule and caused the principal amphibious landing to be postponed for one day. Soviet naval surveillance was also present during the exercise, illustrating the Cold War setting in which Team Spirit was conducted.

A different type of event occurred the following month. On 23 April 1981, Vietnamese refugees who had been rescued at sea were transferred from USS BELLEAU WOOD (LHA 3) to USS THOMASTON before USS BELLEAU WOOD entered Singapore. The humanitarian episode involved 77 Vietnamese refugees and resulted in USS THOMASTON receiving another Humanitarian Service Medal. The deployment subsequently carried USS THOMASTON into the Indian Ocean. This coincided with a period of heightened American naval activity in the region following the Iranian Revolution, the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, and the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War in September 1980. The ship's operations contributed to the continuing U.S. naval presence in the Indian Ocean rather than to a specific combat operation. During the return portion of this operational cycle, USS THOMASTON made her only recorded visit to the Perth-Fremantle area of Western Australia, remaining there from 28 May through 2 June 1981. She subsequently returned to the normal Pacific Fleet operating cycle.

After maintenance and training during the following year, USS THOMASTON departed San Diego on 24 August 1982 for another deployment to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean. She again served with Amphibious Squadron Five. The principal squadron ships included USS BELLEAU WOOD, USS OGDEN (LPD 5), USS THOMASTON, USS FORT FISHER (LSD 40), USS CAYUGA (LST 1186), and USS TUSCALOOSA (LST 1187). During the autumn, USS THOMASTON supported Battalion Landing Team 3/4. By October, she was operating from Sasebo, Japan, while the embarked Marines trained at Camp Fuji. In November USS THOMASTON and USS FORT FISHER (LSD 40) were documented at Pusan, South Korea, in support of the same Marine amphibious organization.

The deployment subsequently took Amphibious Squadron Five into the Indian Ocean. From 29 November through 8 December 1982, the squadron participated in Exercise Jade Tiger. The operation formed part of the continuing American effort to maintain amphibious readiness and a forward naval presence in the Indian Ocean at a time when the Iran-Iraq War and wider Cold War competition made the region strategically important. During the seven-month deployment, the amphibious force made port calls in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and Hawaii. USS THOMASTON returned to San Diego on 24 February 1983. The remainder of 1983 was devoted principally to the Pacific Fleet maintenance and training cycle and preparations for what would become the ship's final overseas deployment.

USS THOMASTON departed San Diego on 17 January 1984 for her last Western Pacific deployment. She operated with Amphibious Squadron Five, whose principal ships included USS BELLEAU WOOD, USS DUBUQUE (LPD 8), USS THOMASTON, USS MONTICELLO (LSD 35), and USS BRISTOL COUNTY, in support of the 31st Marine Amphibious Unit. Only one week after departure, the deployment was interrupted by a serious navigational incident. On 24 January 1984, while leaving Kauai, Hawaii, USS THOMASTON grounded. An immediate underwater inspection revealed substantial damage to the hull, including fractured hull plating with pieces of coral lodged in the damaged areas, as well as damage to the port propeller. A subsequent investigation concluded that the ship had touched bottom as the result of a nonculpable error of judgment. No individual's performance was found deficient, and no administrative or disciplinary action was recommended as a result of the grounding.

After the grounding and the necessary response to the damage, USS THOMASTON continued her deployment to the Western Pacific. Her final cruise included port calls at Manila in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Pusan in South Korea, and Pearl Harbor. USS THOMASTON and the other ships of Amphibious Squadron Five participated in Team Spirit 84, the annual large-scale U.S.-Republic of Korea exercise. Team Spirit 84 began in February and continued into March, concentrating on the rapid reinforcement and defense of South Korea and including major amphibious operations. During the spring, the squadron also participated in the U.S.-Philippine amphibious exercise Balikatan. The exercise practiced cooperation between American and Philippine forces at a time when Subic Bay remained one of the principal U.S. naval facilities in the western Pacific.

Amphibious Squadron Five then participated in Valiant Usher 84-7AS from 15 May through 18 May in Western Australia. The exercise centered on an amphibious landing at the Lancelin Training Range and provided additional combined training with Australian forces. The squadron returned to Korean waters for Valiant Usher 84-7KS from 18 June through 24 June. This exercise again involved U.S. and Republic of Korea forces and concentrated on amphibious warfare. Together with Team Spirit and Balikatan, these exercises accounted for the principal large-scale amphibious commitments of USS THOMASTON's final deployment.

The deployment ended in July. USS THOMASTON returned to San Diego on 27 July 1984, completing the last major operational cruise of her career. By then, she was approaching 30 years of commissioned service and was among the oldest amphibious warfare ships still active in the U.S. Navy. Her retirement was part of the gradual replacement of the 1950s-built THOMASTON-class dock landing ships by newer amphibious vessels. USS THOMASTON remained at San Diego during her final weeks of active service. She was decommissioned on 28 September 1984, almost exactly 30 years after her commissioning on 17 September 1954.

Following decommissioning, she entered the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in California in 1991 and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on February 24, 1992. An initial attempt to sell the ship for scrap in the mid-1990s was unsuccessful, and she later returned to government custody. THOMASTON remained laid up at Suisun Bay until 2011, when she was sold for dismantling. She departed the reserve fleet in August 2011 and was subsequently towed to Brownsville, Texas, where she was scrapped by All Star Metals.

THOMASTON received 11 battle stars, one Navy Unit Commendation, and two Meritorious Unit Commendations for Vietnam service.

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USS THOMASTON Image Gallery:

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

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