La Salle (AGF 3) - Naval Cruise Book

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LA SALLE ' S HISTORY On February 22, 1964, 34 months after her keel was laid at the New York Naval Shipyard in Brooklyn, New York, the present LA SALLE was commissioned LPD-3. As an Amphibious Transport Dock, LA SALLE ' s trademarks are mobility, flexibility and versitality. In keeping with her trademarks, LA SALLE ' s operating schedule has been far from routine. In May 1965, she served as flagship for VADM McCain during the Dominican Republic crisis. In December of the same year, she helped evacuate Construction Battalion SIX from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and carried 950 tons of equipment back to the States, including 106 vehicles, 50 miscellaneous carriers and one 41 ton In 1966 she made history by being the first ship of her size to successfully recover a GEMINI space capsule and the first ship ever to return a capsule to Cape Canaveral after recovery. In May 1969 she served as an experimental launching platform for the HARRIER air- craft, becoming the first U. S. ship to operate with the supersonic, vertical takeoff and landing (VSTOL) tactical fighter-bomber. Through 1971, LA SALLE served as an amphibious force flagship for var- ious commands. Selected to replace USS VALCOUR (AGF-1) as flagship for Commander, Middle East Force, in January 1972, LA SALLE entered the Norfolk Naval shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia. New facilities were then installed to suit her new role. With a new coat of white paint to reflect the Middle East ' s hot sun, LPD-3 became AGF-3 (Miscellaneous Command Ship) on July 1, 1972, and on August 24th she assumed her new duties, reporting to Manama, Bah- rain as a member of the Overseas Homeporting program. On June 30th, 1977 she was re-homeported to Norfolk, VA. Since her designation as COMIDEASTFOR flagship, LA SALLE has steamed an average of 55,000 miles annually, paying call on ports in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. In February 1979, LA SALLE assisted in the evacuation of 260 American and foreign citizens from the Iranian seaport of Bandar Abbas. The evacuees were shuttled by two British hydrographic ships to LA SALLE which was waiting off the Iranian coast. From the initial beginning of the Iranian crisis, LA SALLE was the focal point of activity in the Persian Gulf. While on station off the coast of Iran, LA SALLE was at sea for a total of 74 consecutive days, which earned her the Navy Unit Commen- dation Medal, presented in November 1980. LA SALLE was relieved as flagship of the Middle East Force on November 15th, 1980, by the USS CORONADO (AGF-1 1) (formerly LPD-11). Ending an eight year extended deployment; one of the longest in U. S. Navy history. While returning to the States, LA SALLE rescued six Norwegian merchant mariners from their burn- ing vessel, which was off the coast of Sardinia, Italy. LA SALLE commissioning, 22 Feb- ruary 1964, at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. LA SALLE returned to the continen- tal United States December 23, 1980 to commence a 19 month overhaul at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, which began January 27, 1981. - • ' » %vw%v%v - - ?3!?SS

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CHANGE OF COMMAND CAPTAIN HAROLD J. BERNSEN RELIEVES CAPTAIN ALVIN R. KARN JR. MARCH 23, 1980