La Moure County (LST 1194) - Naval Cruise Book

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AND WE CELEBRATED ■ » J r- ■ i in : 5p;w : 52 h » ■■a wi ' ■■fcf tf - m . w .

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A JOB WELL DONE The Captain receives the Legion of Merit from VADM Engen. The shop and many of her crew- were decorated.

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USS LAMOURE COUNTY LST 1194 USS LA MOURE COUNTY (LST 1194) COMMAND HISTORY FOR CALENDAR YEAR 1978 January 1978 found the USS LA MOURE COUNTY ' inport Little Creek training her Rochester Reserve Unit from 6-20 January while preparing for a role not common to LSTs; an intelligence gathering mission. Operation UNCOVER AMBUSH began on 2 February with the ship sailing south to the Caribbean where she limbered up for the major part of the assignment yet to come. She returned to Little Creek on 25 February to prepare for the journey to points north. UNCOVER AMBUSH PHASE II started on 10 March, but bad weather along the track forced LA MOURE into St. John ' s, Newfoundland from 14- 19 March. She next had the privilege of being the first U.S. Navy warship in 12 years to visit Reykjavik, Iceland. During her visit over the Easter Weekend an open house was held with some 2400 visitors touring the ship. On 26 March she set course northward to join the ' ' Order of the Blue Nose ' ' by crossing the Arctic Circle on 29 March. She stayed at sea observing foreign Navy ' s operations until entering Tromso, Norway on 28 April for a brief fuel stop. It was during this visit that she received her new Executive Officer, LCDRM. J. ' ' Nick ' ' Nicholson. Remaining only hours she continued down the Norwegian coast for a visit to Bergen from 30 April to 3 May. LA MOURE returned from UNCOVER AMBUSH on 17 May being welcomed by Deputy CINCLANTFLT Vice Admiral Donald D. Engen, COMNAVSURFLANT Vice Admiral William L. Read, COMPHIBRON SIX, Commodore Paul J. Mulloy, the CINCLANT Band reporters, families and friends. The big welcome was in recognition of her work during the just completed special surveillance operation . Her work was of such quality that the Secretary of the Navy awarded the ship and crew the Na vy Unit Commendation . Additionally, many of her officers and men received individual awards. From 7 May till 4 June LA MOURE was in a stand down status for a much deserved rest . On 5 June the Training Readiness Evaluation (TRE) phase of Amphibious Refresher training (PHIBREFTRA) was conducted concurrently with the 1st week of an Inter- mediate Maintenance Availability- (IMAV) with S1MA Little Creek. The I MAY lasted through 23 June and a concurrent Restricted Availability for main engine and bow ramp repairs extended through Independence Day. On 15 June the two staff members of the House Armed Services Committee, Counsel George Norris and Professional Staff Member Louis Rriser arrived for a close look at LST ' s. The much needed perio d of underway PHIBREFTRA extended from 5 to 14 July. From 15-20 July LA MOURE pre- pared with other Amphibious Squadron Eight units to enter the Atlantic Fleet Amphi- bious Ready Group. August found LA MOURE still working through inspections with a Combat Systems Readiness Review and Food Service Management Team Visiting from 31 July through 1 1 August and Diesel Engineering Readiness Assist Team from 7- 18 August along with a Supply Management Inspection 8-9 August. The inspections ended just in time for LA MOURE to leave on Exercise Northern Wedding 21 August 1978. LA MOURE picked up her Marines and their equipment at Morehead City, N. C. on 22 August and got underway that same day. Serving as part of a Marine Amphibious