USS Jennings County (LST-846)
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USS ''Jennings County'' (LST-846) was an built for the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Named after
Jennings County, Indiana Jennings County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 27,613. The county seat is Vernon. History Jennings County was formed in 1817. It was named for the first Governor of Indiana and a nine-term c ...
, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name. Originally laid down as ''LST-846'' by the
American Bridge Company The American Bridge Company is a heavy/civil construction firm that specializes in building and renovating bridges and other large, complex structures. Founded in 1900, the company is headquartered in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsb ...
of
Ambridge, Pennsylvania Ambridge is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. Incorporated in 1905 as a company town by the American Bridge Company, Ambridge is located 16 miles (25 km) northwest of Pittsburgh, along the Ohio River. The population ...
on 27 October 1944; the ship was launched on 12 December, sponsored by Mrs. L. P. Quill; and commissioned on 9 January 1945.


Service history


World War II, 1945

After shakedown off
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, ''LST-846'' loaded cargo at
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, then sailed for the
Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...
in mid-February. Steaming via the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...
and
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, she reached
Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...
on 27 March. For the next six weeks, the landing ship operated in the
Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...
before departing for
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
on 12 May. Following repairs, ''LST-846'' received oil, gasoline, and mechanized equipment for transport to the western Pacific. On 9 June she was underway, arriving
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
on 11 July. For the rest of the war she supported American forces in the
Marshalls Marshalls, Inc. is an American chain of discount store, off-price department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 1,000 American stores, including larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store (stores operating with HomeGoods combined), ...
and
Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...
.


1945–1949

After the Japanese acceptance of Allied peace terms, ''LST-846'' transported occupation forces and equipment between Japan and the
Marianas The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly Volcano#Dormant and reactivated, dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean ...
. She sailed for the United States on 3 November, arriving Seattle in early December. Returning to the
Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...
five months later, she arrived
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
, China on 28 May 1946 and commenced cargo runs among Chinese ports. From 1946 to 1949, ''LST-846'' continued these operations and in addition shuttled cargo between China and the Marianas. After the
Chinese Communist Revolution The Chinese Communist Revolution was a social revolution, social and political revolution in China that began in 1927 and culminated with the proclamation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. The revolution was led by the Chinese C ...
, the veteran landing ship returned to the United States, arriving
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
on 17 June 1949. ''LST-846'' was decommissioned at
Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a Port, port city in and the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the ...
on 14 October 1949.


Korean War, 1950–1953

After the outbreak of war in
Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
, the United States intervened. To aid in the movement of men and equipment, ''LST-846'' was recommissioned on 3 November 1950. After amphibious training along the West Coast she departed San Diego on 16 April 1951 for duty in the Western Pacific. Arriving
Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 373,797, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th-most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city i ...
early June, the landing ship operated out of Japan performing cargo runs and amphibious training until 6 September when she sailed for the east coast of Korea. After two cruises from Japan to Korea, ''LST-846'' sailed on 5 November for a stateside overhaul. She was back in the Far East on 5 June 1952, then resumed cargo operations in Japan for the remainder of the year.


1953–1955

Returning San Diego on 29 March 1953, ''LST-846'' served off the West Coast until 27 January 1954 when she sailed for another WestPac tour. During the late summer ''LST-846'' transported French troops and vehicles along the
Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...
coast, following the end of the
Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam, and alternatively internationally as the French-Indochina War) was fought between France and Việt Minh ( Democratic Rep ...
. She also performed station ship duties during "
Operation Passage to Freedom Operation Passage to Freedom was a term used by the United States Navy to describe the propaganda effort and the assistance in transporting 310,000 Vietnamese civilians, soldiers and non-Vietnamese members of the French Army from communist No ...
" as naval units transported thousands of Vietnamese from North to South Vietnam after the partition of the country. Departing Yokosuka on 12 October, the veteran landing ship arriving San Diego four weeks later. Following amphibious exercises along the West Coast, she steamed to Astoria, Oregon, arriving on 9 April 1955 for overhaul. ''LST-846'' was named USS ''Jennings County'' (LST-846) on 1 July and decommissioned at San Diego on 7 December 1955.


Vietnam, 1966–1970

After ten years with the Pacific Reserve Fleet, ''Jennings County'' recommissioned on 11 June 1966 to support U.S. forces in
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...
. ''Jennings County'' departed San Diego on 11 September, arriving at
Chu Lai Chu Lai is a seaport, urban and industrial area in Núi Thành District, Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam. The city is served by Chu Lai International Airport. It is also the site of the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone (Vietnamese: ''Khu Kinh Tế M ...
on 11 November. Jennings County saw extensive service during the Vietnam War, operating as part of
Operation Game Warden Operation Game Warden was a joint operation conducted by the United States Navy and South Vietnamese Navy in order to deny Viet Cong access to resources in the Mekong River Delta. Game Warden and its counterpart Operation Market Time are con ...
, a brown-water navy effort to keep the rivers free of Viet Cong infiltration. Four LST were recommissioned to support river patrol operations with the intent of keeping three ships on-station at any one time supporting a River Division of 10
Patrol Boat, River Patrol Boat, River, or PBR, is the United States Navy designation for a small rigid- hulled patrol boat used in the Vietnam War from March 1966 until 1975. They were deployed in a force that grew to 250 boats, the most common craft in the Ri ...
(PBR), a Detachment of 2
UH-1B The Bell UH-1 Iroquois military helicopter, first introduced in 1959, is the first production member of Bell Helicopter's prolific Huey family of helicopters, and was itself developed in over twenty variants, which are listed below. XH-40 and YH ...
helicopter gunships from HC-1 Det 5 later to become HAL-3 Seawolves and a
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Platoon. The ship not on-station was undergoing ship repairs in the Western Pacific. ''Jennings County'' reported on-station to CTF 116 on 7 November 1966 and operated as a Patrol Craft Tender (AGP) for the next 40 months on the rivers of the
Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( or simply ), also known as the Western Region () or South-western region (), is the list of regions of Vietnam, region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong, Mekong River River delta, approaches and empties into the sea th ...
.CWO3 John Trolinger, Instructor NIOTC MI For the remainder of 1966 it conducted river patrols and in 1967 continued patrols supporting Game Warden operations. In 1970, while off the coast of Son On Doc at the southern tip of South Vietnam the ship suffered a serious fire in its auxiliary engine room that rendered it unable to continue operations. As a result HAL-3 got the ice cream from the freezers before they departed station. The ship was removed from station, and later, the took its place as a patrol craft tender in support of river patrol operations. Decommissioned on 25 September 1970, at Naval Station Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines and struck from the
Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...
. The ship's final fate is unknown.


Awards

''LST-846'' earned two
battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. T ...
for the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
, and as ''Jennings County'' was awarded two Presidential Unit Citations, two Navy Unit Commendations, nine
campaign star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. T ...
s for
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
service.


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jennings County (Lst-846) LST-542-class tank landing ships Ships built in Ambridge, Pennsylvania 1945 ships World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Cold War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Korean War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Vietnam War amphibious warfare vessels of the United States Jennings County, Indiana