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USS Point Defiance (LSD 31)

Sorry, no coat of arms available.

Named after the park in Pierce County, Tacoma, Wash., the site of a miiltary reservation established by the U.S.Government in 1866, the USS POINT DEFIANCE was the fourth THOMASTON - class dock landing ship and the second ship in the Navy to bear the name. The first ship named POINT DEFIANCE was LSD 24 but this ship's construction was cancelled on August 17, 1945. Decommissioned on September 30, 1983, the POINT DEFIANCE was stricken from the Navy list on February 24, 1992. On September 29, 1995, the ship was sold for scrapping, however, the Navy repossessed POINT DEFIANCE in July 1997, and the ship was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet in the Suisun Bay, Benicia, Calif. On July 28, 2011, the POINT DEFIANCE was sold to All Star Metals of Brownsville, Tx., for scrapping. After clean-up at the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, Calif., the ship was towed to Brownsville, Tx., and was subsequently scrapped.

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Crew List:

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

• Click here to view the list.

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• Click here to see which USS POINT DEFIANCE memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

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USS POINT DEFIANCE Cruise Books:

• WestPac Cruise Book 1965

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Accidents aboard USS POINT DEFIANCE:

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USS POINT DEFIANCE History:

The keel of USS POINT DEFIANCE was laid at Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation in Pascagoula, Mississippi, on November 23, 1953. She was launched on September 28, 1954, sponsored by Mrs. Arthur D. Struble, wife of Admiral Arthur D. Struble, and was commissioned on March 31, 1955, with Commander Oscar Blair Parker in command. Following commissioning, USS POINT DEFIANCE conducted shakedown operations in the Gulf of Mexico before transferring to the Pacific Fleet. She arrived at Long Beach, California, in July 1955 and joined Amphibious Squadron 7. Long Beach became her principal home port for much of her career. From there, the ship entered the recurring Pacific Fleet cycle of amphibious exercises off California, maintenance and training periods, embarkation of Marine units, and extended deployments to the western Pacific. She completed two western Pacific deployments during her first several years in commission.

In 1958, USS POINT DEFIANCE received a mission very different from her normal amphibious duties. During the International Geophysical Year, an international scientific program involving research into the Earth, upper atmosphere, solar activity and geophysics, she was selected to support observations of the total solar eclipse of October 12, 1958, in the South Pacific. Special launching equipment was installed aboard the ship for Nike-Asp sounding rockets. Eight Nike-Asp rockets were launched from USS POINT DEFIANCE during the expedition to collect scientific data associated with the eclipse and upper atmosphere. Contemporary photographs show several rockets simultaneously positioned on deck before launching. The mission placed the dock landing ship among the naval vessels used during the early Space Age as mobile platforms for high-altitude scientific research, only months after artificial satellites had begun to change the methods available for studying the upper atmosphere and near-Earth space.

USS POINT DEFIANCE returned to conventional amphibious duties after the scientific expedition. In May 1959, she participated in Operation Twin Peaks off Oceanside, California. The large amphibious exercise tested the movement of naval and Marine forces from ships to shore and the coordination of landing craft, support ships and forces operating ashore. Such exercises were a major element of the ship's peacetime schedule because amphibious forces were expected to remain ready for rapid deployment during the continuing Cold War.

In February 1960, USS POINT DEFIANCE began her third western Pacific cruise. During the deployment she participated in Operation Blue Star, a combined amphibious exercise with forces of the Republic of China. The exercise occurred during a period in which the Taiwan Strait remained an important potential point of confrontation between the United States, the Republic of China on Taiwan and the People's Republic of China. In June, USS POINT DEFIANCE participated in Operation Sea Hawk, another combined amphibious landing exercise, this time involving forces of the Republic of Korea. She returned to Long Beach in July 1960.

USS POINT DEFIANCE spent most of 1961 operating along the U.S. West Coast. Training included the routine requirements associated with maintaining a dock landing ship and her embarked landing craft in operational condition. During the year, she also made a shorter Pacific cruise that took her to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Okinawa.

In January 1962, USS POINT DEFIANCE again departed Long Beach for the western Pacific. The deployment soon became connected with the continuing political and military crisis in Laos. Communist Pathet Lao forces had made substantial gains, and the Kennedy administration was concerned that instability could spread into neighboring Thailand. In May, the United States moved Marines into Thailand as a precautionary measure. USS POINT DEFIANCE operated with USS VALLEY FORGE (LPH 8) and USS NAVARRO (APA 215) in transporting the Marine force to the Bangkok area. On May 16, Marines began landing in Thailand. USS POINT DEFIANCE and USS NAVARRO proceeded up the Chao Phraya River to the Klong Toey port area of Bangkok, where Marines, vehicles and equipment were put ashore, while helicopters from USS VALLEY FORGE carried additional Marines directly from the ship. The deployment was intended as a demonstration of American ability to reinforce Thailand if the conflict in Laos expanded across the border. The Marines were not committed to major combat operations in Thailand, and a negotiated settlement eventually reduced the immediate danger.

Later in 1962, USS POINT DEFIANCE became involved in another major Cold War confrontation. In October, after American reconnaissance identified Soviet nuclear-capable ballistic missiles being installed in Cuba, President John F. Kennedy ordered a naval quarantine of the island. USS POINT DEFIANCE transited the Panama Canal from the Pacific into the Atlantic and proceeded to the Caribbean, where a large American amphibious force was held ready in case operations escalated beyond the maritime quarantine. USS POINT DEFIANCE received official credit for Cuban operations from November 8 through December 5, 1962. Although the immediate confrontation had eased after the Soviet Union agreed to remove the offensive missiles, American naval forces remained on heightened readiness while implementation of the agreement was monitored.

In April 1963, USS POINT DEFIANCE undertook another highly unusual mission following the loss of USS THRESHER. The nuclear-powered attack submarine disappeared on April 10 during deep-diving trials east of Cape Cod, killing all 129 people aboard. The Navy required specialized equipment capable of investigating a wreck site more than 8,000 feet below the surface, and the bathyscaphe TRIESTE was selected for the task. Around April 15, TRIESTE was loaded aboard USS POINT DEFIANCE at San Diego by a floating crane. Carrying the deep-diving vehicle within her well deck, USS POINT DEFIANCE departed California, transited the Panama Canal and transported TRIESTE to the East Coast. The arrangement was considered a comparatively safe means of moving the large and delicate bathyscaphe over the long distance between the Pacific and Atlantic fleets.

USS POINT DEFIANCE delivered TRIESTE to the Boston area in late April and returned toward the Pacific in May. Her direct role in the THRESHER investigation was therefore principally the coast-to-coast transportation of the bathyscaphe. During the subsequent search operations, other ships provided direct support in the wreck area, including USS PRESERVER (ARS 8). TRIESTE conducted a series of deep dives during the summer of 1963 and on August 28 identified a large debris field belonging to USS THRESHER.

By September 1963, USS POINT DEFIANCE was again headed toward the western Pacific. In October, she operated off Vietnam during a period of increasing political instability in South Vietnam. The government of President Ngo Dinh Diem was facing growing internal opposition while the Viet Cong insurgency continued to expand, and American military involvement was increasing. USS POINT DEFIANCE operated in the area as part of the U.S. naval presence intended to protect American interests. Diem was overthrown and killed during a military coup on November 1 and 2. Later in November, USS POINT DEFIANCE participated in another combined amphibious operation with Republic of China forces.

From April through September 1964, USS POINT DEFIANCE operated in the eastern Pacific. She subsequently underwent overhaul before beginning preparations for another western Pacific deployment. The maintenance period occurred during the rapid expansion of American involvement in Vietnam following the Gulf of Tonkin incidents of August 1964 and the subsequent authorization of wider U.S. military action. By early 1965, the United States was beginning to deploy large ground combat units to South Vietnam, creating a rapidly increasing requirement for amphibious shipping, sealift and logistics.

USS POINT DEFIANCE departed for the western Pacific on April 27, 1965. The deployment became the first of her cruises conducted during the major American combat phase of the Vietnam War. During May, she participated in the movement of troops, vehicles and equipment toward South Vietnam. At Guam, she embarked five officers and 184 enlisted personnel together with their equipment. Records for the movement show USS POINT DEFIANCE carrying a total of 189 passengers, 107 loaded vehicles and approximately 133 short tons of general cargo, representing a total sealift of more than 1,100 short tons. She reached Tourane Harbor, the designation then used in the records for Da Nang harbor, at 12:30 p.m. on May 26, 1965, and discharged personnel and equipment for the expanding American force in the Da Nang area.

On June 18, USS POINT DEFIANCE was diverted from her normal duties to assist in a search and rescue operation after two U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers based at Guam collided in midair over the Pacific. The accident occurred while Strategic Air Command was expanding long-range bomber operations associated with the war in Southeast Asia. USS POINT DEFIANCE participated in the search for survivors before returning to amphibious operations.

Later in June, the ship proceeded to Okinawa for a Marine troop lift. From June 24 through June 26, elements of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines embarked in an amphibious force that included USS IWO JIMA (LPH 2), USS TALLADEGA (APA 208) and USS POINT DEFIANCE. The ships departed Okinawa on June 26 and proceeded to Qui Nhon, South Vietnam. The Marines were required to strengthen security around the developing port and protect American installations supporting the expanding military presence in the region. The amphibious group arrived off Qui Nhon on June 30, and the Marine landing began on July 1. USS POINT DEFIANCE remained involved in supporting the force during the operation and operated in Qui Nhon Bay during the period.

A separate emergency soon drew U.S. naval attention into the South China Sea. On July 18, 1965, USS FRANK KNOX (DDR 742) grounded heavily on Pratas Reef. The destroyer was firmly stranded, and an extensive salvage operation developed around attempts to lighten, stabilize and eventually refloat her. Ships involved at various stages included USS MIDWAY (CVA 41), USS IWO JIMA, USS PRAIRIE (AD 15), USS TALLADEGA, USS MARS (AFS 1), USS CARTER HALL (LSD 3), USS COGSWELL (DD 651) and USS POINT DEFIANCE. USS POINT DEFIANCE contributed to the salvage support effort before returning to amphibious duties. USS FRANK KNOX was eventually freed after weeks on the reef and later repaired.

During August, USS POINT DEFIANCE returned to combat operations off South Vietnam and took part in Operation Starlite. The operation began on August 18 against the Viet Cong 1st Regiment in the Van Tuong peninsula area south of Chu Lai. It combined amphibious landings, helicopter assault and Marine forces already ashore and represented the first large regimental-level offensive conducted by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. USS POINT DEFIANCE formed part of the amphibious force supporting the operation, providing transportation, landing craft and equipment needed for the Marines operating ashore. She subsequently supported additional amphibious activity along the Vietnamese coast during the remainder of the deployment. USS POINT DEFIANCE returned to Long Beach on November 24, 1965.

The turnaround before her next western Pacific deployment was relatively short. USS POINT DEFIANCE departed again on March 27, 1966. Much of this cruise involved the less dramatic but operationally essential transport of personnel, vehicles, equipment and supplies between U.S. bases in the western Pacific and South Vietnam. Her recognized Vietnam service periods during this deployment included April 9-13, April 21-28 and May 21-25. Rather than remaining continuously with one assault force, she moved through the amphibious logistics system linking bases such as Okinawa and the Philippines with the Vietnamese theater. USS POINT DEFIANCE returned to Long Beach on June 24.

Only a little more than four months later, USS POINT DEFIANCE departed again on November 1, 1966, beginning another western Pacific deployment. She was operating in the Vietnam combat zone by late November and received campaign credit for November 26-29 and December 4-9. The cruise continued into 1967 and became one of the most active amphibious periods of her career.

In January 1967, USS POINT DEFIANCE participated in Operation Deckhouse V in the Mekong Delta region. The operation involved Special Landing Force Marines operating against Viet Cong forces in Kien Hoa Province. Amphibious shipping supporting the operation included USS HENRICO (APA 45), USS IWO JIMA, USS VANCOUVER (LPD 2) and USS POINT DEFIANCE. USS POINT DEFIANCE also operated in the Saigon River system during March 1967, placing the large dock landing ship within South Vietnam's inland waters rather than limiting her service to offshore areas.

In early April, Special Landing Force Alfa was embarked aboard an Amphibious Ready Group that included USS OKINAWA (LPH 3), USS BAYFIELD (APA 33), USS SEMINOLE (AKA 104) and USS POINT DEFIANCE. Battalion Landing Team 1/3 and associated aviation and support elements formed the landing force. The ships participated in Exercise Beach Baron I from April 5 through April 8 before proceeding through the normal readiness cycle involving Okinawa, replenishment and movement back toward the Vietnamese coast.

Late in April, the amphibious force returned to combat operations. Operation Beaver Cage began on April 28 and continued into May. The Special Landing Force operated south of Da Nang while other Marine units conducted Operation Union farther inland. USS POINT DEFIANCE remained part of the sea-based amphibious group supporting the Marines with landing craft, transport, supplies and the ability to recover the force rapidly for another operation.

That next operation followed almost immediately. After Beaver Cage ended, the Amphibious Ready Group moved north toward the demilitarized zone for Operation Beau Charger. On May 17, the group replenished while approaching the operating area. The amphibious assault began at 8:00 a.m. on May 18, 1967. North Vietnamese coastal artillery engaged the approaching ships, and ten artillery salvos bracketed USS POINT DEFIANCE. No round struck the ship. American naval gunfire responded against the shore positions, and the landing continued. The engagement represented one of the most direct occasions on which USS POINT DEFIANCE came under enemy fire during her Vietnam service. During the operation, her landing craft and those of other amphibious ships continued transporting equipment and supplies to the Marines ashore. Operation Beau Charger concluded on May 26, after which the landing force was recovered.

USS POINT DEFIANCE continued operating in the Vietnam area into early June before beginning the passage back across the Pacific. She returned to Long Beach on June 24, 1967. The months that followed were devoted to the normal post-deployment cycle of leave, maintenance, repairs, training and preparations for another cruise.

On May 7, 1968, USS POINT DEFIANCE again departed for the western Pacific. The deployment took place in the aftermath of the Tet Offensive, when combat operations were occurring throughout South Vietnam and the United States maintained substantial amphibious forces offshore. Her officially recognized Vietnam service included June 10-30, July 1-7, July 21-September 1 and October 25-November 13. In addition to operations off the coast, USS POINT DEFIANCE made several movements through the Saigon River to the port of Saigon during October and November. Such transits took a large amphibious ship deep into South Vietnam's inland-water transportation network and reflected the continuing requirement to move equipment and supplies directly to major logistical centers. After more than seven months away from California, USS POINT DEFIANCE returned to Long Beach on December 18, 1968.

During the summer of 1969, USS POINT DEFIANCE was used for a U.S. Naval Academy midshipman training cruise. She carried midshipmen from San Diego north to Seattle and then across the Pacific to Honolulu before returning to San Diego. The cruise provided practical shipboard instruction in navigation, engineering, seamanship, communications and normal naval routines while also giving the future officers experience aboard an operational amphibious ship.

USS POINT DEFIANCE began another western Pacific deployment on November 1, 1969, sailing in company with USS TRIPOLI (LPH 10) and USS OGDEN (LPD 5). The deployment occurred as the Nixon administration was reducing American troop strength in South Vietnam and shifting greater responsibility for ground combat to South Vietnamese forces under the policy generally described as Vietnamization. Amphibious forces nevertheless continued to operate throughout the region. USS POINT DEFIANCE received Vietnam campaign credit for November 19-23 and December 16-27.

The deployment continued into 1970. USS POINT DEFIANCE was again credited with Vietnam service from January 30 through February 2. On February 13, while operating north of Hawaii, she was involved in a collision during an underway replenishment with USS PONCHATOULA (AO 148). Both vessels sustained relatively minor damage, while three sailors aboard USS POINT DEFIANCE suffered minor injuries.

During March 1970, USS POINT DEFIANCE again operated with the western Pacific amphibious force. From March 16 through March 18, Special Landing Force Bravo elements embarked in shipping that included USS TRIPOLI, USS OGDEN, USS POINT DEFIANCE and USS TOM GREEN COUNTY (LST 1159). The group departed Subic Bay on March 18 and reached the Okinawa area on March 21. Marine units were exchanged at White Beach before further amphibious training. On March 25 and 26, the force conducted landing exercises at Kin Blue Beach, Okinawa. USS POINT DEFIANCE subsequently resumed regional operations and received additional Vietnam campaign credit on March 30 and 31 and from June 2 through June 6, 1970.

Following the intensive deployment cycles of the previous five years, USS POINT DEFIANCE spent periods in Pacific Fleet training and maintenance. On March 4, 1971, USS SAGINAW (LST 1188), which was making a passage from San Diego toward the Atlantic, encountered the drifting landing craft LCM(6)-805. USS SAGINAW took the unmanned craft under tow and subsequently transferred it to USS POINT DEFIANCE.

USS POINT DEFIANCE returned to major operations connected with Vietnam during 1972. On March 30, North Vietnam launched the large conventional offensive generally known as the Easter Offensive. North Vietnamese forces crossed the demilitarized zone and attacked from Laos and Cambodia, forcing the United States to increase naval and air power in the region and rebuild a substantial amphibious force off the northern coast of South Vietnam. USS POINT DEFIANCE became part of that concentration and began another officially credited Vietnam service period on April 27.

The amphibious force assembled during the crisis included USS OKINAWA, USS JUNEAU (LPD 10), USS POINT DEFIANCE, USS ALAMO (LSD 33), USS ST. LOUIS (LKA 116), USS MANITOWOC (LST 1180), USS SUMTER (LST 1181), USS CAYUGA (LST 1186), USS BARBOUR COUNTY (LST 1195) and USS BRISTOL COUNTY (LST 1198). Together with other naval forces, these ships supported the 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade and maintained a mobile sea-based force that could be employed for amphibious demonstrations, landings, reinforcement or evacuation. At the height of the buildup, thousands of Marines and substantial numbers of helicopters and landing craft were positioned aboard amphibious shipping off Vietnam.

As South Vietnamese forces prepared Operation Lam Son 72, the counteroffensive intended to regain territory lost during the Easter Offensive, the amphibious force positioned itself off the northern coast. On June 26, a task group including USS OKINAWA, USS MOBILE (LKA 115), USS CAYUGA, USS MANITOWOC, USS POINT DEFIANCE and USS ST. LOUIS moved into a holding area offshore. Helicopters were distributed among the available flight decks so that aircraft could be launched in coordinated assault waves, while Marine personnel augmented shipboard medical, damage-control and support stations. The amphibious presence also forced North Vietnamese commanders to account for the possibility of landings along their coastal flank while South Vietnamese forces advanced northward.

By July, the fighting centered increasingly around Quang Tri. On July 22, USS OKINAWA, USS ST. LOUIS, USS MANITOWOC and USS POINT DEFIANCE moved into position in connection with another helicopter assault, while USS DENVER (LPD 9) provided additional flight-deck capacity. Air strikes, artillery and naval gunfire prepared the operating area before South Vietnamese Marine forces were inserted behind or on the flank of North Vietnamese positions. The operation formed part of the broader effort to retake the Quang Tri area. USS POINT DEFIANCE consequently spent much of the summer functioning as one element of a large sea-based amphibious force supporting South Vietnamese operations rather than conducting an independent American ground assault.

USS POINT DEFIANCE received officially recognized Vietnam service during April 27-May 28, June 9-July 2, July 9-August 25, September 16-18, September 29-October 1 and October 6-20, 1972. The separate periods reflect movement between combat waters, staging areas, training locations, replenishment points and western Pacific ports. The 1972 operations became the last prolonged period during which USS POINT DEFIANCE was repeatedly assigned to amphibious forces directly supporting major combat operations in Vietnam.

The Paris Peace Accords were signed on January 27, 1973, establishing a ceasefire and providing for the withdrawal of the remaining U.S. combat forces. USS POINT DEFIANCE nevertheless completed her final tour of duty in Vietnamese waters during 1973. Over the course of her Vietnam service, USS POINT DEFIANCE earned ten campaign stars, reflecting repeated operations in and around the combat zone from the middle of the 1960s through the final period of direct American involvement.

Following the end of direct U.S. combat operations in Vietnam, USS POINT DEFIANCE remained in active Pacific Fleet service. The role of amphibious shipping shifted increasingly toward Cold War contingency readiness, allied exercises, Marine training and western Pacific presence operations. Unlike a number of older amphibious vessels withdrawn during the post-Vietnam reductions, USS POINT DEFIANCE remained operational.

During November 1975, she participated in amphibious training off the U.S. West Coast with USS CLEVELAND (LPD 7) and USS FRESNO (LST 1182). On November 17, the ships went to sea for a five-day amphibious exercise involving the U.S. Army's 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division. The exercise demonstrated that amphibious shipping could be used not only for Marine units but also for the movement of Army personnel and equipment.

Preparations for another western Pacific deployment occupied the beginning of 1976. From February 23 through March 1, USS POINT DEFIANCE participated in Exercise Bead Chevron together with USS CLEVELAND, USS FRESNO, USS MOBILE, USS THOMASTON (LSD 28) and USS KIRK (FF 1087). The exercise formed part of the work-up cycle required before ships and embarked units were certified for extended overseas operations.

On April 13, 1976, USS POINT DEFIANCE departed San Diego for another western Pacific deployment as part of Amphibious Squadron 3. The deploying amphibious force included USS OGDEN, USS POINT DEFIANCE, USS FRESNO, USS PEORIA (LST 1183) and USS FREDERICK (LST 1184). USS CHICAGO (CG 11) and USS COOK (FF 1083) were also associated with the trans-Pacific formation. Elements of the amphibious group reached Hawaiian waters later in April. USS OGDEN, USS FRESNO and USS POINT DEFIANCE departed Pearl Harbor on April 22 and reached Kwajalein on April 28. The force then continued westward. By May 6, it had reached the Okinawa area, and within the following days, elements of the squadron were operating through Subic Bay in the Philippines. Okinawa and Subic Bay remained key locations for Marine embarkation, training, maintenance and logistics during western Pacific amphibious deployments.

USS POINT DEFIANCE continued operating with Pacific amphibious forces through 1977 and prepared for another extended deployment the following year. On March 17, 1978, Amphibious Squadron 3 departed San Diego with USS CLEVELAND serving as flagship. The deploying force included USS OGDEN, USS POINT DEFIANCE, USS PEORIA, USS SAN BERNARDINO (LST 1189) and USS FREDERICK. The formation reached Pearl Harbor on March 25 and conducted amphibious training in Hawaiian waters before continuing west. She remained deployed in the western Pacific as part of the amphibious force during 1978 and had returned to southern California by late November. On November 28, she was operating locally with USS OGDEN and USS CLEVELAND.

During 1979, USS POINT DEFIANCE underwent an extended period of maintenance and preparation for continued service. On October 14, 1980, USS POINT DEFIANCE departed San Diego as part of Amphibious Squadron 7 for another western Pacific deployment. The formation included USS TARAWA (LHA 1), USS OGDEN, USS POINT DEFIANCE, USS ST. LOUIS, USS PEORIA and USS BARBOUR COUNTY. The ships crossed the Pacific through Hawaiian waters, where amphibious training was conducted before the group continued west.

On November 6, after entering the Seventh Fleet operating area, the amphibious formation was divided into separate readiness groups. USS OGDEN, USS POINT DEFIANCE and USS PEORIA formed Amphibious Ready Group Bravo. The three ships reached the Okinawa area on November 11. At Buckner Bay and White Beach they undertook the loading and preparation associated with an embarked Marine battalion landing team. The group departed Okinawa on November 13 and continued toward the Philippines, beginning the familiar Seventh Fleet cycle of amphibious exercises, troop movements, upkeep and regional port visits.

By January 1, 1981, USS POINT DEFIANCE, USS OGDEN and USS PEORIA were together in Hong Kong. They departed on January 2 and reached the Okinawa area on January 5. Marine forces were exchanged during the Okinawa period as the Amphibious Ready Group prepared for its next phase of operations. The ships subsequently operated toward Japan, conducting formation steaming and helicopter-related training during the transit.

On January 23, USS OGDEN departed Sasebo in company with USS POINT DEFIANCE for the return passage toward Okinawa. The ships reached White Beach on January 24. Another Marine battalion landing team embarked on January 25, and the group departed the following day toward the Philippines. On January 29, the ships reached the Subic Bay area, where USS OGDEN and USS POINT DEFIANCE conducted amphibious ship-to-shore training with the embarked Marines. The deployment reflected the principal Cold War role of the western Pacific amphibious force after Vietnam: maintaining an immediately available Marine force that could train with allied forces, respond to regional crises and operate throughout East Asian waters.

After returning to the United States, USS POINT DEFIANCE prepared for another western Pacific deployment in 1982. Amphibious Squadron 7 conducted predeployment exercises off southern California during the opening months of the year. On April 2, 1982, USS POINT DEFIANCE departed San Diego as part of a large amphibious formation. Ships associated with the movement included USS CLEVELAND, USS PEORIA, USS BRISTOL COUNTY, USS SAN BERNARDINO, USS NEW ORLEANS (LPH 11), USS TUSCALOOSA (LST 1187) and USS MOBILE. The force reached Pearl Harbor on April 9.

The Hawaiian phase coincided with Rim of the Pacific 1982, the multinational naval exercise commonly known as RIMPAC. U.S., Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and Japanese forces participated in the wider exercise, which tested coordination among allied naval units across a range of warfare and support missions. The amphibious force provided the ship-to-shore component of the training. Following the Hawaiian phase, Amphibious Squadron 7 continued westward.

From May 3 through May 6, elements of the squadron participated in Readex 82 in the area of Iwo Jima. The exercise involved U.S. amphibious forces and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and formed part of the expanding pattern of bilateral naval training between the United States and Japan.

By 1983, the Navy was moving toward retirement of the remaining THOMASTON-class dock landing ships as newer amphibious vessels increasingly assumed their functions. Commander David James Montgomery became the final commanding officer of USS POINT DEFIANCE on March 18, 1983. The ship remained assigned to the Pacific Fleet during her final months but was approaching the end of her active service. USS POINT DEFIANCE was decommissioned on September 30, 1983. She was subsequently placed in inactive status and berthed at Bremerton, Washington.

USS POINT DEFIANCE remained in Navy custody for several more years. On August 12, 1991, she entered the Maritime Administration's Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in California as a Navy non-retention asset. Her name was formally struck from the Naval Vessel Register on February 24, 1992. On September 29, 1995, the former USS POINT DEFIANCE was sold for scrapping to Pegasus, Inc. She was withdrawn from the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet on February 12, 1996, in connection with the sale. The disposal transaction subsequently failed, and the Navy repossessed the vessel in July 1997. She returned to the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet on August 18, 1998. The Maritime Administration formally acquired title to the vessel on December 1, 1999.

The former dock landing ship remained in Suisun Bay for more than another decade. On February 23, 2007, she completed the historic-preservation review process required before final disposal. By then, she had been out of commission for more than 23 years and no plans existed to reactivate her. Final disposal began in 2011. On September 7, 2011, the former USS POINT DEFIANCE departed the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet under a domestic dismantling contract with All Star Metals of Brownsville, Texas. She was first taken to the Mare Island area for environmental preparation before the long tow to the Gulf Coast. Following preparation, she was towed south, transited the Panama Canal and continued to Brownsville, Texas, for dismantling.

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USS POINT DEFIANCE Image Gallery:

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

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