USS Vernon County (LST-1161) was a United States Navy, in commission from 1953 to 1973. She saw extensive service in the Vietnam War before being transferred to the Venezuelan Navy, where she became Amazonas (T-21).
Construction and commissioning
Vernon County was designed under project SCB 9A and laid down as USS LST-1161 on 14 April 1952 at Pascagoula, Mississippi, by Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation and launched on 25 November 1952;, sponsored by Mrs. Hugh White, the wife of the then-governor of Mississippi, Hugh L. White. USS LST-1161 was commissioned on 18 May 1953.
Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean operations, 1953–1958
After conducting her shakedown cruise, LST-1161 operated off the United States East Coast out of Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek at Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Morehead City, North Carolina, through mid-February 1954. She subsequently deployed twice to Caribbean operating areas during 1954. During an exercise at Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, between 11 April 1954 and 7 May 1954, she participated in the filming of the movie Away All Boats.
LST-1161 entered the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 28 July 1954 for extensive modifications. Once those alterations and repairs were completed, she headed for Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek at Virginia Beach, arriving there on 19 December 1954.
LST-1161 was renamed USS Vernon County (LST-1161) on 1 July 1955.
Vernon County operated with the Amphibious Forces of the United States Atlantic Fleet, alternating between Norfolk, Virginia, and Little Creek as her home ports. During her years of operations from those places, she deployed regularly to the North Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Caribbean areas.
Pacific operations, 1958–1964
In 1958, Vernon County was transferred to the United States Pacific Fleet, sailing via the Panama Canal to her new assigned home port, San Diego, California. She operating from San Diego for over a year and a half, conducting regular periods of underway training and local operations off the Southern California coast.
Vernon County changed home ports again in 1960. On 16 June 1960, she departed the United States West Coast bound for her new home port, Yokosuka, Japan. Together with seven other tank landing ships, Vernon County comprised Amphibious Squadron (PhibRon) 9. They reached Yokosuka on 6 August 1960.
Vernon County subsequently formed an integral part of the amphibious forces supporting the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), participating in SEATO's Operation Tulungan in May 1962. In so doing, she became one of the first American amphibious vessels to transport U.S. Marines to Thailand.
Her first years in Yokosuka saw her participate in many major amphibious exercises, including those named "Pony Express" and "Sharp Edge." After an upkeep period in June 1962, Vernon County transported U.S. Marines from Subic Bay in the Philippines, to Iwakuni, Japan; she paid a port call at Karatsu, Japan, reportedly the first American warship to visit Karatsu since the Korean War (1950–1953).
February 1963 saw Vernon County at Kobe, Japan. In March 1963 she visited Tspying and Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and she spent much of April 1963 at Subic Bay. In June 1963, she participated in Operation Flagpole, a joint United States Seventh Fleet–Republic of Korea (ROK) naval exercise. Before returning to Yokosuka, she called at Shimonoseki, Japan; Naha, Okinawa; and Keelung, Taiwan.
After her return to Yokosuka and subsequent refresher training at Numazu, Japan, Vernon County took part in Operation Litgas in company with other SEATO naval units. Subsequently, returning to Hong Kong, via Yokosuka, she visited Kobe in mid-July 1964.
Vietnam War service
Tonkin Gulf Incident
For a few days, Vernon County trained in nearby Sagami Bay. She was there when the Tonkin Gulf incident occurred and Vernon County embarked U.S. Marines and steamed for South Vietnam. For the next 60 days, as part of the force thrown into Southeast Asian waters ready for any contingency.
Vernon County was then relieved on station and proceeded back to Yokosuka, but the respite offered was, in retrospect, only a short one.