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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive
Patch at left contributed by Mike Smolinski, patch at right contributed by Frank M. Egger

USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Xray - Oscar - Zulu
 NXOZ
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons




Secretary of the Navy Letter of Commendation
Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Joint Meritorious Unit Award - Navy Unit Commendation (3)
Second Row - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation - Navy Battle "E" Ribbon (2) - National Defense Service Medal (3)
Third Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Op. Frequent Wind, 2-Libya, 1-Iraq Desert Thunder Op.) - Southwest Asia Service Medal - Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Fourth Row - Humanitarian Service Medal (1-Eniwetok Cleanup, 1-Frequent Wind) - Coast Guard Special Operations Service Medal - Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
Anchorage Class Dock Landing Ship:
  • Laid, down 29 January 1970, at General Dynamics Corp., Quincy, MA.
  • Launched, 17 April 1971
  • Commissioned USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39), 13 May 1972, at Boston, MA., CAPT. William F. Keller Jr. in command
  • Decommissioned, 25 July 2003
  • Laid up at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Pearl Harbor, HI.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 8 March 2004
  • Final Disposition, sunk as a target, 16 June 2005, during operation "Patrolling Thunder" off the Northwest coast of Kauai, HI by P-3 aircraft of squadrons VP-1, VP-9, VP-46, (note; same page as VP-47) and VP-47, with three Harpoon missiles, four Maverick missiles, and eighteen 500-lb bombs
    Specifications:
    Displacement 8,325 t.(lt), 14,095 t.(fl)
    Length 553'
    Beam 84'
    Draft 19'
    Speed 20+kts.
    Complement 24 Officers, 300 Enlisted
    Troop Capacity 320
    Boats (Well Deck Capacity) 3 LCACs or 2 LCUs
    Armament four twin 3"/50 gun mounts (removed 1980), two Phalanx CIWS gun mounts, two 25mm Bushmaster chain guns
    Propulsion
    two 600psi boilers
    two De Laval Steam Turbines
    two propellers, 24,000shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed By/
    Source
    Mount Vernon 109k Mount Vernon (LSD-39) underway near her builders yard at Quincy, MA., 5 April 1972.
    US Navy photo and text from "U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History" by Norman Friedman.    		 Robert Hurst
    Mount Vernon 92k USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39) commissioning ceremony, Boston Naval Shipyard, Boston, MA., 13 May 1972 . Dave Dipboye IC2 USS Mount Vernon Plankowner
    Mount Vernon 86k USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39) commissioning ceremony, Boston Naval Shipyard, Boston, MA., 13 May 1972 . Dave Dipboye IC2 USS Mount Vernon Plankowner
    Mount Vernon 111k USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39) starboard bow view, in drydock, Swan Island Ship Repair Facility, Portland, OR., August, 1976. Brian O'Connor, MM1 (SW/DV) USN Ret.
    Mount Vernon 114k USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39) underway, entering San Diego Bay, date unknown. M. J. "Doc" Sanchez HM2 (FMF) USN Ret.
    Mount Vernon 90k USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39) gets much needed supplies during a VERTREP replenishment in the Gulf of Thailand, January 1974. A USS White Plains (AFS-4) UH-46 Sea Knight helicopter delivers supplies onto the Mount Vernon.'s helicopter platform. M. J. "Doc" Sanchez HM2 (FMF) USN Ret.
    Mount Vernon 102k USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39) gets much needed supplies during a VERTREP replenishment in the Gulf of Thailand, January 1974. A USS White Plains (AFS-4) UH-46 Sea Knight helicopter delivers supplies onto the Mount Vernon.'s helicopter platform. M. J. "Doc" Sanchez HM2 (FMF) USN Ret.
    Mount Vernon 89k USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39) underway, off San Diego, circa 1976-78. Brian O'Connor, MM1 (SW/DV) USN Ret.
    Mount Vernon 90k USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39) underway, off San Diego, date unknown. Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
    Mount Vernon 40k USS Illusive (MSO-448) in foreground with USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39) in background, Persian Gulf, circa 1987-88.
    US Navy photo    		  
    Mount Vernon 47k USS Illusive (MSO-448) in foreground with USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39) in background. Mount Vernon was serving as a support vessel for the minesweepers in the Persian Gulf, 1987-88.
    US Navy photo    		 Darrell G. Miller USS Mount Vernon
    FFG-14 Sides 200k USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39) and USS Sides (FFG-14) steam together during Exercise CARAT 2000 off the coast of Japan, 12 June 2000.
    US Navy photo #000612-N-5961C-001 by PH1 Spike Call.    		 Bill Gonyo
    There is no DANFS history available for USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39) at Navsource

    For more photos and information about USS Mount Vernon, see;
  • Commanding Officers and Command Master Chiefs
    • Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Dock Landing Ship (LSD) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 25 January 2013