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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) - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
Second Row - Navy Battle "E" Ribbon (2) - National Defense Service Medal (3) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Op. Frequent Wind, 2-Libya, 1-Iraq Desert Thunder Op.)
Third Row - *Vietnam Service Medal (1) - 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

*Mount Vernon earned either the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for Op. Frequent Wind or the Vietnam Service Medal for Op. Frequent Wind

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 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
	103k	*Namesake* Mount Vernon. the plantation of George Washington, the first President of the United States, and his wife, Martha Dandridge Custis Washington. The estate is situated on the banks of the Potomac River in Fairfax County, Virginia, near Alexandria, across from Prince George's County, Maryland. The Washington family had owned land in the area since the time of Washington's great-grandfather in 1674. Around 1734 they embarked on an expansion of the estate that continued under George Washington, who began leasing the estate in 1754, but did not become its sole owner until 1761. Wikipedia Commons	Tommy Trampp
10123916	144k	Mount Vernon (LSD-39) christening and launching ceremony at General Dynamics Corp., Quincy, MA. The ship's sponsor Mrs. Barry J. Shillito, wife of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Logistics), breaks the traditional bottle of Champagne across the ship's bow as *Mount Vernon* slides down the builder's ways, 17 April 1971. US National Archives photos	Dale Hargrave
10123917	79k		Dale Hargrave
	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
	92k	*USS Mount Vernon* (LSD-39)** commissioning ceremony, Boston Naval Shipyard, Boston, MA., 13 May 1972 .	Dave Dipboye IC2 USS Mount Vernon Plankowner
	86k	*USS Mount Vernon* (LSD-39)** commissioning ceremony, Boston Naval Shipyard, Boston, MA., 13 May 1972 .	Dave Dipboye IC2 USS Mount Vernon Plankowner
10123918	207k	*USS Mount Vernon* (LSD-39)** underway off San Diego, CA., date unknown. ©George Barber	Nicholas Tiberio
	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.
	114k	*USS Mount Vernon* (LSD-39)** underway, entering San Diego Bay, date unknown.	M. J. "Doc" Sanchez HM2 (FMF) USN Ret.
	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.
	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.
	89k	*USS Mount Vernon* (LSD-39)** underway, off San Diego, circa 1976-78.	Brian O'Connor, MM1 (SW/DV) USN Ret.
	90k	*USS Mount Vernon* (LSD-39)** underway, off San Diego, date unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	40k	*USS Illusive* (MSO-448) in foreground with USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39)** in background, Persian Gulf, circa 1987-88. US Navy photo
	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
10123951	318k	*USS Mount Vernon* (LSD-39), left, and the Austin-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Denver(LPD-9)** off-load U.S. Marines (not shown) during an amphibious landing operation off the coast of Kuwait, 23 March 1998. U.S. National Archives Identifier (NAID) 6518133, a U.S. Navy photo by JO2 Craig P. Strawse.	Robert Hurst
	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.	Robert Hurst
10123919	220k	*USS Mount Vernon* (LSD-39)** underway off San Diego, CA., date unknown. ©George Barber	Nicholas Tiberio
	235k	Landing Craft Air Cushion LCAC -24 carries US Marines assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU-11) embarked aboard *USS Mount Vernon* (LSD-39) to the beach during exercise “Eager Mace”, on 23 September 2002. Exercise "Eager Mace" is an annual month-long exercise conducted with the Kuwaiti military to improve interoperability and military relations between the two nations. Mount Vernon and the 11th MEU** are on a regularly scheduled deployment conducting combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. US Navy photo # 020924-N-5471P-002 by PH2 Arron Peterson.	Robert Hurst

There is no DANFS history available for USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39) at Navsource

Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Keller Jr., William F.	13 May 1972 - 10 March 1974
02	CDR. Holt, William Colliver	10 March 1974 - 13 March 1976
03	CDR. Patella, Lawrence M.	13 March 1976 - 2 January 1978
04	CDR. Albright, Robert Ernest	2 January 1978 - 27 April 1979
05	CDR. Coulapides, Anthony Chris	27 April 1979 - 1 May 1981
06	CDR. Goodwin, James N.	1 May 1981 - 20 May 1983
07	CDR. Marks, William Leon	20 May 1983 - 5 October 1985
08	CAPT. Boyce, Brian Francis	5 October 1985 - 19 December 1987
09	CDR. Conrad, John Woeppel, USN (USNA 1969)	19 December 1987 - 21 April 1989
10	CDR. Myers, David E.	21 April 1989 - 10 August 1991
11	CDR. Rigas, Trifon	10 August 1991 - 21 May 1993
12	CDR. Garrish, James W.	21 May 1993 - 4 May 1995
13	CDR. Marquez, Edward J.	4 May 1995 - 1 November 1996
14	CDR. Cook, Donald Paul	1 November 1996 - 14 June 1998
15	CDR. Farren, Maureen Ann	14 June 1998 - 10 February 2000
16	CDR. Stewart, James A.	10 February 2000 - 15 October 2001
17	CDR. Ritchie, Steven Craig	15 October 2001 - 14 March 2003
18	CDR. Colby, Mark Duane, USN (USNA 1985)	14 March 2003 - 15 July 2003


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Command Master Chiefs
01	BMCM(SW) Thompson	13 May 1972 - July 1976
02	EMCM(SW) Williams	July 1976 - August 1980
03	MMCM(SW) Parker	September 1980 - October 1984
04	PMCM(SW) Custodia	November 1984 - December 1987
05	MMCM(SW) Allice	January 1988 - August 1991
06	FCCM(SW) Sinclair	September 1991 - October 1993
07	EMCM(SW) Lehnherr	October 1993 - November 1996
08	PNCM(SW) Jeff Hasse	December 1996 - September 1998


Courtesy Jeff Hasse PNCM(SW), USN Retired

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 19 August 2022