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U.S.S. TRIPOLI
(LPH-10)SEMPER PRINCEPS
Click to view crew list
USS Tripoli name sake was the Battle of Tripoli Habor. In 1803, after years of having our merchant vessels taken by the Barbary Pirates, the United States dispatched a squadron to Tripoli in present day Libya.
The USS Tripoli (LPH-10) keel was laid on 15 JUN 1964 at the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation, in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Two years, one month, and twenty two days later, 6 AUG 1966 USS Tripoli as commissioned at the Philadelphia Naval shipyard, with Capt. Henry Suerstedt, Jr., in Command.
After fit out at PNSY, Tripoli transited the Panama Canal and assumed her station in her home port of San Diego, CA in November of 1966.
May 1967 brought her first Western Pacific deployment. Over the next seven years Tripoli deployed to the Western Pacific - Viet Nam theater four times, providing USMC airborne assault capabilities.
The latter 1970s trough 1990 had Tripoli standing watch on the Pacific. She alternated deployments with her Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ships, undergoing the routine cycle of maintenance and overhaul, refresher training, amphibious training, then several years alternating Western Pacific deployments with lesser voyages and state side training and upkeep.
The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait had Tripoli underway for the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf area of operations. In late 1990 Triopli was tasked with supporting mine sweeping operation in the Northern Persian Gulf. Mine sweeping was conducted by CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters based on Tripoli. On 18 FEB 1991 Tripoli struck a mine. Her crew's professional efforts are credited with her staying on station in order to transfer mine sweeping operation to USS New Orleans, before departing for a shipyard in Bahrain for emergency dry docking.
Several Western Pacific - Indian ocean deployments followed up to 1995.
USS Tripoli was decommissioned on 15 SEP 1995. After initially being laid up Mare Island Naval ship Yard in Vallejo, California, her hulk has been used as a platform for mislle testing.
The USS Tripoli (LPH-10) operational history and significant events of her service career follow:
LPH-10 Deployments - Major Events
Add a LPH-10 Shellback Initiation | Add a LPH-10 Deployment - Major Event | ||||
Month | Year | to | Month | Year | Deployment / Event |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
JUN | 1964 | - | Keel Date: 15 JUN 1964 at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard | ||
JUL | 1965 | - | Launch Date: 31 JUL 1965 | ||
AUG | 1966 | - | Commissioned: 6 AUG 1966 | ||
JAN | 1967 | - | DEC | 1967 | West Pac-Viet Nam |
JAN | 1967 | - | JAN | 1968 | West Pac-Viet Nam |
MAR | 1967 | - | NOV | 1967 | West Pac-Viet Nam |
MAY | 1967 | - | DEC | 1967 | West Pac-Viet Nam |
JUN | 1968 | - | MAR | 1969 | West Pac-Viet Nam |
NOV | 1968 | - | NOV | 1968 | West Pac-Viet Nam |
OCT | 1969 | - | JUN | 1970 | West Pac-Viet Nam |
NOV | 1969 | - | JUL | 1970 | West Pac-Viet Nam |
DEC | 1969 | - | DEC | 1969 | West Pac |
JAN | 1970 | - | FEB | 1971 | West Pac-Viet Nam |
JAN | 1970 | - | JAN | 1972 | Viet nam |
MAR | 1970 | - | MAR | 1970 | West Pac-Viet Nam |
MAY | 1970 | - | MAY | 1970 | West Pac-Viet Nam |
OCT | 1971 | - | AUG | 1972 | West Pac |
JAN | 1972 | - | Shellback Initiation - 16 JAN 1972 - Indian Ocean | ||
FEB | 1972 | - | Shellback Initiation - 12 FEB 1972 - Pacific Ocean | ||
MAR | 1972 | - | JUL | 1972 | West Pac-Viet Nam |
MAR | 1972 | - | JUL | 1972 | West Pac-Viet Nam |
APR | 1972 | - | JUL | 1972 | West Pac-Viet Nam |
MAR | 1973 | - | OCT | 1973 | T/F 78 Operation Endsweep North Vietnam |
JUN | 1973 | - | Shellback Initiation - 11 JUN 1973 - Pacific Ocean | ||
SEP | 1973 | - | Shellback Initiation - 26 SEP 1973 - Pacific Ocean | ||
OCT | 1973 | - | Shellback Initiation - 26 OCT 1973 - Pacific Ocean | ||
JAN | 1974 | - | MAR | 1975 | West Pac-Viet Nam |
JAN | 1975 | - | JAN | 1976 | West Pac |
OCT | 1975 | - | Shellback Initiation - 16 OCT 1975 - Pacific Ocean | ||
FEB | 1976 | - | OCT | 1976 | West Pac |
AUG | 1976 | - | Shellback Initiation - 7 AUG 1976 - Pacific Ocean | ||
SEP | 1976 | - | DEC | 1976 | West Pac |
NOV | 1977 | - | JUL | 1978 | West Pac |
MAY | 1978 | - | Shellback Initiation - 12 MAY 1978 - Pacific Ocean | ||
OCT | 1978 | - | Shellback Initiation - 13 OCT 1978 - Pacific Ocean | ||
AUG | 1979 | - | FEB | 1980 | West Pac |
OCT | 1979 | - | Shellback Initiation - 13 OCT 1979 - Pacific Ocean | ||
NOV | 1979 | - | Shellback Initiation - 26 NOV 1979 - Pacific Ocean | ||
OCT | 1980 | - | Shellback Initiation - 13 OCT 1980 - Pacific Ocean | ||
NOV | 1981 | - | APR | 1982 | West Pac |
DEC | 1981 | - | JUN | 1982 | West Pac |
JAN | 1982 | - | Shellback Initiation - 17 JAN 1982 - Pacific Ocean | ||
APR | 1982 | - | APR | 1983 | Middle Pacific |
MAY | 1983 | - | OCT | 1983 | West Pac |
JUL | 1983 | - | DEC | 1983 | West Pac-Indian Ocean-Persian Gulf |
JUN | 1987 | - | SEP | 1987 | West Pac |
JUN | 1987 | - | DEC | 1987 | West Pac |
AUG | 1987 | - | Shellback Initiation - 31 AUG 1987 - Pacific Ocean | ||
AUG | 1987 | - | NOV | 1987 | West Pac-Indian Ocean-Persian Gulf |
SEP | 1987 | - | Shellback Initiation - 26 SEP 1987 - Pacific Ocean | ||
SEP | 1989 | - | DEC | 1989 | West Pac |
DEC | 1989 | - | APR | 1990 | Dry Dock |
DEC | 1990 | - | AUG | 1991 | Desert Storm |
JAN | 1991 | - | OCT | 1991 | Desert Storm |
JUL | 1991 | - | Shellback Initiation - 8 JUL 1991 - Pacific Ocean | ||
OCT | 1992 | - | APR | 1993 | Somalia |
OCT | 1992 | - | APR | 1993 | West Pac |
JAN | 1993 | - | JAN | 1995 | West Pac-Indian Ocean |
MAR | 1993 | - | Shellback Initiation - 25 MAR 1993 - Indian Ocean | ||
JUN | 1994 | - | DEC | 1994 | Desert Shield |
JUL | 1994 | - | DEC | 1994 | West Pac |
DEC | 1994 | - | Shellback Initiation - 1 DEC 1994 - Pacific Ocean | ||
SEP | 1995 | - | Decommissioned: 15 SEP 1995 | ||
AUG | 2019 | - | Shellback Initiation - 31 AUG 2019 - Pacific Ocean |
LPH-10 General Specifications
Class: Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ship
Complement: 80 Officers and 638 Enlisted
Displacement: 19302 tons
Length: 598 feet
Beam: 84 feet
Draft: 30 feet
Final Disposition: Trials ship
USS TRIPOLI (LPH-10)
The second Tripoli (LPH-10) was laid down on 15 June 1964 at Pascagoula
Miss.
by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp.; launched on 31 July 1965; sponsored
by Mrs. Jane Cates
the wife of General Clifton B. Cates
former Commandant
of the Marine Corps; and commissioned on 6 August 1966 at the Philadelphia
Naval Shipyard
Capt. Henry Suerstedt
Jr.
in command.
Following three months fitting out at Philadelphia
the amphibious assault
ship put to sea on 6 November
bound for the west coast. She transited the
Panama Canal at mid month and arrived at her home port
San Diego
on the
22d. Final acceptance trials
shakedown training
and post-shakedown availability
at Long Beach occupied the warship until she embarked Marine Heavy Helicopter
Squadron (HMH) 463
elements of Marine Observation Squadron (VMO) 6
and
some members of the staff of the Commander
Amphibious Squadron (ComPhibRon)
5 on 1 May 1967 and departed San Diego
bound for the western Pacific.
On 22 May
she arrived in the combat zone off the coast of Vietnam and disembarked
HMH 463 and VMO 6 at Danang on the 23d and 24th before joining TG 76.5
just then finishing up amphibious landing Operation "Belt Tight"
in the I Corps zone just south of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North
and South Vietnam. She headed for the Philippines on 26 May
arrived in
Subic Bay on the 27th
and relieved Princeton (LPH-5) as flagship of Amphibious
Ready Group (ARG) "Bravo"/TG 76.5. In that capacity
she embarked
not only the task group commander's staff but also the staff of the Commander
Special Landing Force (SLF) "Bravo" CTG 79.5
the 3d Battalion
3d Marine Regiment (Battalion Landing Team (BLT) 2/3)
the men and aircraft
of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 164
Surgical Evacuation Team
"Bravo
" and Detachment "Bravo" of Tactical Squadron
(TacRon) 11. On 8 June
she departed Subie Bay for an extended tour of duty
in Vietnamese waters.
During her 1967 deployment
Tripoli participated in eight amphibious
operations
all conducted along the coast of the I Corps tactical zone located
in the northernmost part of South Vietnam. Her first operation
codenamed
"Beacon Torch
" began on 18 June when marines of SLF "Bravo"
were flown into the vicinity of Hoi An
located on the coast midway between
the DMZ and the southern limit of I Corps tactical zone. Between 18 June
and 2 July
the Marines operated ashore
initially engaging an enemy force
of about 100 men. After an air strike broke the enemy resistance they concluded
their mission with a search and destroy sweep to wipe out the remnants of
that force. All the while
Tripoli remained offshore providing logistic
support
medical evacuation services for casualties
and a platform from
which to launch air support missions by the embarked Marine attack squadron.
On 2 July she received the special landing force back on board and immediately
headed north to the coast of Quang Tri province to answer a call for assistance
from Marine Corps units near Con Thien which had suffered heavily from bombardments
by North Vietnamese regulars. The ensuing Operation "Beaver Track"
pitted SLF "Bravo" against the North Vietnamese troops to relieve
the pressure on Marine Corps units based ashore with the III Marine Amphibious
Force (MAF). Simultaneously with Operation "Beaver Track
" SLF
"Alfa" embarked in Okinawa (LPH-3) went ashore to engage the same
enemy forces in Operation "Bear Claw." The two battalion landing
teams joined III MAF Marines based ashore in a week-long struggle followed
by an eight-battalion search and destroy sweep. Throughout the 12 days of
"Beaver Track/Bear Claw
" Tripoli steamed offshore within
easy helicopter range to provide logistical
medical
and ground support.
The two landing forces were later credited with a third of the 1
100 enemy
casualties and with no small part in breaking up the enemy attack.
"Beaver Track/Bear Claw" ended on 14 July
and both battalion
landing teams returned to their ships on the 17th. The respite from combat
however
proved brief. At dawn three days later
Tripoli's marines
stormed ashore in a combined waterborne-airborne amphibious assault on the
exposed seaward flank of the Viet Cong 806th Battalion near Quang Tri City.
The enemy forces avoided contact with the Marines by retiring hastily to
the west where they were badly mauled by South Vietnamese troops. BLT 2/3
reembarked in Tripoli on the 27th for another brief rest before the equally
brief amphibious Operation "Kangaroo Kick" which commenced on
1 August. Tripoli's marines landed in Quang Tri province
north of
Hue. Though the operation ended only three days later
the marines did not
reembark for the voyage to Subic Bay. Instead
they changed operational
control to III MAF while Tripoli and the rest of TG 76.5 spent two
weeks at the Philippine naval base for upkeep.
Tripoli returned to the Vietnamese coast near Hue on the 20th and
backloaded SLF "Bravo" in time for the marines to participate
in Operation "Belt Drive." On 27 August
the battalion landing
team once more went ashore via both helicopter and landing craft in Quang
Tri province. Viet Cong and North Vietnamese resistance proved slight
and
after a three-day sweep of the Hai Lang forest
the troops reembarked in
Tripoli on 5 September. That same day
Dupont (DD-941) suffered
a hit from enemy guns on Cape Lay
North Vietnam. Tripoli -- located
not far away -- went to her assistance and evacuated 12 casualties by helicopter
for treatment on board the amphibious assault ship. On the 17th
because
her entire complement of CH-46A helicopters had been grounded
Tripoli
launched the first all-boat landing from an LPH. In spite of swells eight
to twelve feet high
a rain squall 30- to 40-knot winds
and visibility
frequently less than one-half mile
the boat landings for Operation "Fortress
Sentry" came off almost without a hitch. Ashore near the Cua Viet river
some seven miles south of the DMZ
the marines moved inland but encountered
no enemy resistance until the 23d. Then
artillery and air support quickly
extinguished the enemy's will to fight
and the operation was terminated
on the 25th The troops reembarked between 25 and 27 September and the task
group headed back to Subic Bay for six days in port.
Tripoli returned to Vietnam at Danang early in October and loaded
39 defective CH-46A helicopters for transportation to Okinawa where their
tail pylons were to be replaced. Shortly after she departed Danang on 7
October her lookout spied an Air Force F-105 which crashed into the sea
about two miles ahead. One of her helicopters flew to the scene
rescued
the pilot and returned him to the ship for medical treatment. Not long thereafter
her lookouts caught sight of a second survivor of the crash. By the time
her helicopter arrived on the scene
an Air Force chopper had already picked
up the man. Tripoli's helo assisted in the operation by taking on
board the Air Force crewman who had jumped in to assist the survivor into
the lift harness.
The amphibious assault ship returned from the Ryukyus to Vietnamese waters
at mid month. On the 17th
CH-53 helicopters carried the battalion landing
team to a point 10 miles south of Phu Bai in Thua Thien province. The following
day
the marines changed operational control to III MAF ashore for a search
and destroy sweep along Route 1. Meanwhile
Tripoli supplied logistic support
until she cleared Vietnamese waters on 1 November
bound for Okinawa with
another 18 defective CH-46A helicopters. After brief stops at Okinawa and
Subic Bay
the amphibious assault ship returned to Danang on 10 November.
After reembarking SLF "Bravo
" she prepared for her last amphibious
operation of the deployment
Operation "Badger Hunt." On the 14th
the landing force was lifted some 25 miles inland to the area near An Hoa
in Quang Nam province. After silencing sporadic enemy resistance near the
landing site
Tripoli's marines joined elements of the shore-based
7th Marines in a successful search-and-destroy operation. Tripoli
supported the landing force through the end of the operation on the 27th
when the marines returned to the ship. She entered Danang on the 29th and
began transferring the troops of the battalion landing team and their supporting
elements to Valley Forge (LPH - ). The next day
30 November
Valley
Forge relieved Tripoli as flagship
TG 76.5
and Tripoli got
underway to return to the United States via Okinawa and Yokosuka. She arrived
in San Diego on 23 December 1967 and began post-deployment standdown.
Tripoli completed a restricted availability at Long Beach between late January
and the end of March 1968. During the first three weeks of April
she conducted
a series of individual ship exercises and then rounded out the month with
amphibious training. From 6 to 17 May
the ship conducted refresher training
and then returned to San Diego to prepare for her second WestPac deployment.
On 12 June
the amphibious assault ship stood out of San Diego on her way
to the Far East. She stopped briefly at Pearl Harbor and at Okinawa before
arriving at Subic Bay on 1 July. Between the 2nd and the 5th
she embarked
the 2d Battalion
7th Marines
HMM 265
Detachment "Bravo" of
TacRon 13 and other supporting units of the ARG "Bravo." On the
6th
she departed Subic Bay and arrived the following day in the Vietnam
combat zone.
Tripoli's second tour of duty in the Orient closely followed the
pattern of her first. During the next seven months
she patrolled the coast
of Vietnam near the I Corps tactical zone just below the DMZ in a position
to launch her landing contingent quickly whenever they were needed by Marine
Corps
Army
and South Vietnamese forces operating ashore. The first of
her eight amphibious operations came the day after she arrived in the combat
zone. Following preliminary naval bombardment
Operation "Eager Yankee"
opened with a combined airborne and waterborne assault. The marines of SLF
"Bravo" charged ashore about 10 miles east of Phu Bai on the coast
of the Thua Thien province. They then wheeled right and pressed north toward
a known Viet Cong haven. The enemy avoided contact; and
on the 16th
the
marines joined shorebased forces in Operation "Houston IV." That
operation ended on 22 July
and the battalion landing team returned to the
ship the same day.
However
the marines enjoyed precious little respite. While Tripoli
proceeded to the scene of a new operation
feverish preparations allowed
her to send SLF "Bravo" ashore again just 17 hours after the completion
of reembarkation. For Operation "Swift Play
" the troops rode
helicopters ashore to an area about 10 miles southwest of An Hoa
deep inland
in Quang Nam province. The assault forces spotted several enemy formations
but no engagements resulted. The following day
BLT 2/7 transferred to the
control of III MAF to conclude an operation designed to parry a major enemy
thrust toward Danang. The landing force remained ashore operating under
the commanding general
1st Marine Division
in defense of Danang through
the months of August
September
and November. Meanwhile
Tripoli steamed
on station offshore providing logistics and medical support
departing Vietnamese
waters twice between 22 July and 5 November. In mid-August
she steamed
to Subic Bay for repairs and
in early October
she voyaged via Subic Bay
to Kaohsinng
Taiwan
for a liberty call. During all other periods
she
remained off the Vietnamese coast providing support services to the marines
of BLT 2/7 operating ashore.
On 5 November
the special landing force ended more than three months of
combat duty ashore and reembarked in Tripoli. Five days later
HMM 165's
helicopters and Tripoli's landing craft carried the troops ashore
once again. In Operation "Daring Endeavor
" the marines sought
out and destroyed enemy fortifications and captured large quantities of
rice. They concluded the action on the 17th and returned to the ship that
same day. Three days later
the amphibious assault ship launched her fourth
landing
another combined waterborne and airborne operation directed at
an area in Quang Nam province
just south of Danang. During Operation "Swift
Move
" initial opposition proved very light; and the landing force
quickly transferred to the control of the 1st Marine Division for further
action ashore in the continued defense of Danang against Viet Cong and North
Vietnamese units. Tripoli continued support activities for the battalion
landing team until 3 December when she offloaded what remained aboard of
the marines' equipment at Danang preparatory to departing Vietnam for a
liberty call at Hong Kong. After a five-day visit to the British Crown Colony
she continued on to Subic Bay for a two-week availability. On 27 December
1968 she headed back to Danang. On 1 January 1969
she embarked BLT 3/26
and HMM-164 to reconstitute SLF "Bravo."
During the remainder of her second tour of duty in the Far East
Tripoli
participated in two more amphibious operations. The first of these
Operation
"Bold Mariner
" was hailed as the largest such maneuver since
the Allied landings during World War II. Aimed at the Batangan Peninsula
of Quang Ngai province
where the entire population was considered hostile
the operation sought to cordon off the peninsula and trap the 300 or so
guerillas operating there. Both special landing forces
"Alfa"
and "Bravo
" joined South Vietnamese troops and soldiers of the
Americal Division in forming the cordon. Following a feint near Mo Duc
the amphibious force headed for the real landing area. Navy guns softened
the objective beaches
and the troops went ashore on 13 Januaryall by helicopter.
While the operation continued
Tripoli remained offshore providing
her marines with the everneeded logistical support and medical facilities.
By 6 February
the troops ashore had thoroughly combed the peninsula for
Viet Cong troops so BLT 3/26 turned the mop-up operation over to the American
and South Vietnamese soldiers and returned to the ship.
The reembarkation of the marines was completed by 9 February
just in time
for Tripoli to launch her last amphibious operation of the deployment.
The expected enemy Tet offensive required South Vietnamese troops to be
withdrawn from Operation "Taylor Common
" then in progress near
An Hoa in Quang Nam province. SLF "Bravo" was to replace those
troops in Operation "Defiant Measure." The landings began at 0800
on the morning of 10 February
and the offloading of men and equipment continued
for several days. Tripoli remained in the area until the 16th. Operation
"Defiant Measure" was concluded on that daythough the marines
remained ashore to continue Operation "Taylor Common." HMM-164
was disembarked before Tripoli began her voyage home. She departed Vietnam
that same day and arrived in Subic Bay on the 18th. There
she turned over
her duties to Valley Forge. On the 22d
she got underway for Yokosuka
Japan and badly needed repairs before continuing on to the United States.
She finally arrived back in San Diego on 19 March and began post-deployment
standdown.
Tripoli remained on the west coast until November. After leave and
upkeep
she began an availability period at the San Diego yard of the National
Steel Company which continued until 11 August. Following refresher training
in September and amphibious training in October
she stood out of San Diego
on 1 November to return to the Far East. After a brief stop at Guam on the
15th for fuel
she continued on to Danang
South Vietnam
where she arrived
five days later.
During Tripoli's third deployment to the western Pacific
the combat
operations along the Vietnamese coast which had characterized her first
two deployments were totally absent. Instend
she busied herself with a
series of amphibious training exercises and a series of "Keystone"
operations redeploying Marine Corps units. Her first mission
Operation
"Keystone Cardinal
" began on 20 November when she loaded the
marines and equipment of BLT 3/4 for transportation to Okinawa. At Okinawa
between 24 November and 2 December
she disembarked BLT 3/4 and embarked
BLT 2/9
HMM-165
and supporting units to constitute SLF "Alfa."
On 2 December
she departed Okinawa bound for the Philippines. She conducted
upkeep at Subic Bay between 5 and 12 December and two amphibious exercises
at Zambales on the 13th and 14th.
She returned to Vietnamese waters on the 17th and cruised the area without
incident until the 25th when she headed back to Subic Bay. In the Philippines
minor repairs and more amphibious exercises occupied her until 6 January
1970. She made a six-day cruise to Vietnam and then returned to the Philippines
on the 12th for more training. On the 25th
she disembarked SLF "Alfa"
at Subic Bay in preparation for a voyage to Vietnam to pick up homeward-bound
marines. She entered Danang on 31 January and began embarking personnel
from HQ
III MAF
1st Marine Air Wing
1st Marine Division
and III MAF
Logistics Command.
Later that evening
she got underway for home. After a non-stop voyage of
17 days
she arrived in San Diego on 16 February. She moved to Long Beach
on the 23d to replace a cracked screw and departed that port on the 27th
to return to the western Pacific. She reached Subic Bay on 15 March.
Tripoli operated in the Philipines and at Okinawa conducting amphibious
exercises in preparation for an exercise with units of South Korean forces.
She arrived in Korean waters on 18 April and
two days later
began Operation
"Golden Dragon." The combined American-South Korean amphibious
exercise lasted until the 25th. Tripoli returned to Okinawa on the
27th. She briefly operated off Danang at the end of the first week in May
and then visited Hong Kong for a week in mid-month. Late in May
she returned
via Subie Bay to Okinawa to disembark SLF "Alfa" and then moved
to Danang where she disembarked ComPhibRon 9 and his staff and took on cargo
for the voyage home. Tripoli got underway on 7 June and reached San
Diego on the 24th.
Tripoli spent the next 15 months on the west coast. Following post-deployment
upkeep and local operations
she conducted carrier qualifications in the
southern California operation area in August and an amphibious exercise
off Camp Pendleton. For the remainder of 1970
the ship occupied herself
with individual ship's exercises and upkeep in preparation for an overhaul
which began cn 1 February 1971. She left Hunter's Point on 1 June
fully
revitalized
and returned to San Diego on the 3d to prepare for refresher
training which took place in late June and early July. Amphibious refresher
training filled the latter half of July. She made two brief training cruises
during the first week in August: one with NROTC midshipmen embarked and
the other with Marine Corps reservists on board. Local operations and preparations
for her fourth WestPac deployment occupied the rest of August and the entire
month of September. On 1 October
Tripoli stood out of San Diego
bound for the Far East. After stops at Pearl Harbor and Okinawa
she arrived
in Subic Bay on the 28th.
The ship conducted amphibious training operations in the Philippines and
made port visits to such places as Keelung and Kaohiung in Taiwan and Sasebo
Japan. During her return from Sasebo to Subic Bay she received orders to
deploy to the Indian Ocean with TF-74
a special contingency task force
built around Enterprise (CVAN-65) in response to the Indo-Pakistani
War which erupted on 3 December. The amphibious assault ship remained in
the Indian Ocean for the duration of the brief war. The fighting ended on
15 December; and
two days later
Pakistan officially accepted the loss
of its eastern provinces which became the independent nation
Bangladesh.
Tripoli remained with TF-74 in the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal
until early 1972.
She returned to Subic Bay on 14 January and resumed training operations
punctuated by visits to Singapore
Hong Kong
and Kobe
Japan. She began
operations in Vietnamese waters at the beginning of April
operating on
Yankee Station to provide search-and-rescue and medical evacuation services.
She departed the combat zone twice
once for upkeep at Subic Bay and later
to exchange battalion landing teams at Okinawa. At the end of June
she
resumed flight operations in connection with troop movements. However
instead
of carrying embarked marines inland for amphibious landings
her helicopters
moved Vietnamese troops from point to point ashore. On 29 June
Tripoli-assigned
helicopters helped to transport 1
400 Vietnamese marines from Tam My to
the vicinity of Quang Tri City during the allied counteroffensive to recapture
areas of the I Corps tactical zone which had been overrun by North Vietnamese
troops. As this operation -- codenamed "Lam Son 72" -- progressed
Tripoli remained off shore
evacuating casualties and waiting should
the reserves be required. That necessity came shortly before noon on 11
July
when her helicopters helped to insert the reserve Vietnamese marine
battalion -- picking them up near Route 553 and landing them behind enemy
lines
about a mile and one-half north-northwest of Quang Tri City. On the
20th
Tripoli departed Vietnamese waters bound for the Philippines
where heavy monsoons had caused extensive flooding. She reached Subic Bay
on 23 July and conducted relief operations until 4 August
at which time
she set course for the United States.
Tripoli arrived at San Diego on 20 August and remained there until
10 October. After a six-day amphibious exercise near Hunter Liggett Point
the amphibious assault ship returned to home port where she stayed through
the end of the year. During the first two months of 1973
she operated out
of San Diego and prepared to deploy to the Far East once more. She stood
out of San Diego on 6 March for her fifth deployment to the western Pacific.
Steaming via Pearl Harbor -- where she made a three-week stop for repairs
to her high pressure turbine -- she arrived in Subic Bay on 17 April. There
she remained and
when not plagued by material casualties to her main propulsion
plant
conducted training preparatory to Operation "Endsweep
"
the removal of American mines from North Vietnamese waters. Though scheduled
to sail for Haiphong on 16 June
she was delayed by more problems in her
propulsion plant. Nevertheless
early the next morning
Tripoli headed
for North Vietnam and arrived at Haiphong on the 19th. That morning
the
Commander
TF 78
embarked in the amphibious assault ship and began negotiations
with North Vietnamese representatives over the conduct of Operation "Endsweep."
Meanwhile
Tripoli's embarked air group began providing logistics
support and inter-ship transportation services.
Major issues in the negotiations were resolved by the 28th
and minesweeping
operations began early that morning. Throughout the operation
the ship
provided a platform for helicopters engaged both in minesweeping operations
and for those providing logistics and transport services. Periodically
she retired from the area to replenish and to evade typhoons. Otherwise
she remained in the minesweeping area until 18 July when she departed North
Vietnamese waters in company with Inchon (LPH-12) and Ogden
(LPD-5)
bound for Luzon. Four days after her arrival back in Subic Bay
the last American operation in Vietnamese territory ended
and the "Endsweep"
task force was dissolved. Operations reverted to CTG 76.5/ARG "Bravo."
That organization lasted only two days for -- on the 27th -- the Commander
PhibRon 1
broke his flag in Tripoli
and she became flagship for
TG 76.4/ ARG "Alfa."
But for a round-trip voyage to Okinawa early in September
the ship operated
out of Subic Bay for the remainder of her deployment. Main propulsion plant
problems
however
continued to plague her for
on the return trip
she
went dead in the water not far to the northwest of Subic Bay. Beaufort
(ATS 2) went out and towed her into port. After repairs
Tripoli occupied
her remaining time in the Far East with amphibious exercises in the Philippines.
On 11 October
Okinawa relieved her as flagship of TG 76.4
and Tripoli
headed for home. She arrived in San Diego on 27 October and remained there
through the end of the year
Between January 1974 and the end of 1976
Tripoli made two relatively
routine deployments to the western Pacific. The first lasted from late July
1974 until late January 1975. During that time period
she operated out
of Subic Bay and engaged primarily in amphibious training exercises in the
Philippines. The second deployment -- from mid-February to late October
1976 -- saw a repetition of this routine but also included a voyage to Guam
for disaster relief duty as a result of typhoon "Pamela." She
also participated in two joint American-Korean amphibious exercises conducted
near Pohang
Korea
in March and June
respectively. The second deployment
ended on 25 October when she arrived in San Diego
remaining there into
1977.
The first six months of 1977 were spent in a Planned Restricted Availability
(PRAV) at the Naval Station
San Diego
for the purpose of increasing propulsion
reliability during the next deployment. While the PRAV concluded on 28 June
it was necessary to tow Tripoli to the Long Beach Naval Shipyard
to use the yard's extensive facilities for the reinstallation of Tripoli's
low pressure turbine. The work was completed on 26 July
and
following
successful sea trials
Tripoli returned to San Diego on 28 July.
Succeeding months vvere spent in refresher training and workup for the ship's
forthcoming deployment to the western Pacific. On 3 November
Tripoli
departed San Diego. Chopping to control by the Commander
7th Fleet
on
25 November
she spent the next seven months in WestPac
returning to San
Diego on 22 July 1978. Following post-deployment standdown
Tripoli
received an inspection by the Naval Board of Inspection and Survey in September.
On 16 October
the ship commenced a three-month PRAV in preparation for
a scheduled deployment to the western Pacific in 1979.
Tripoli earned nine battle stars for service in the Vietnam conflict.
Tripoli was decommissioned 08 September
1995 and transferred to the Maritime Administration at Suisun Bay 21 September
1995. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register 15 September 1995.
[Note: The above USS TRIPOLI (LPH-10) history may or may not contain text provided by crew members of the USS TRIPOLI (LPH-10) or by other non-crew members and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]