La Salle (AGF 3) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 6 text:

LOOKING BACK AT USS LA SALLE jr r iff . ■ ■.rm . . Oil 2: I cli|-u,ii- 1 ' )(.4. ISS I. A SALI.K was coiiiniisMiincd in ihc I .S. a as ail Xnipliibious 1 raiisporl Ddck (I PD). She joined her sisier ships, L SS RAI.KIGH and i:SS N ' rOl! ' KR. as Ihe neuest class n amphibious ships in the a . Mobih- l , rie ibilil and ersatilil were the iradeniarks of these ships, lach emild transport o er XOO eombat-iead Ma- rines, alony u ith their ec.|uipnient. ehi- eles. aniiiuinilion, liiel aiul carijo. at hiL ' h speeiis to tlie site ol an amphibious operation. , ariet ol boats, cranes, elevators and eon e ors. plus the abili- l to embark helicopters, couki be util- ized to enable these operations to be coiuiucted ipiicklv and ellieienllN. 1 akin;j this capabilitv t(i the lleet. I, A SAI,I,F. operalinjj schedule has been lar Irom routine .She has tlemon- slraletl her llexibilitv in numerous, var- ied npcralioiis. In I ' Xi.s, she served as the riat ' -ship lor Atlantic I leet am- phibious lorces diiriiiL ' the Dominican ( risis. I hat same vear slie pal ticipaled 111 the evacuation ol ( (instruction Hal- lalion SIX Irom (iuanlanamo B,iv. ( iiba duiinj ' the ( uban Missile ( risis. In I ' )(,(.. I, A S.M.I.K liecame the lirst ship 111 her si c lo successliillv recover and return a l ' ro|ecl (IT MINI space capsule to ( ape ( anaveial. Dnrin.L ' l ' J(. ' », l. SM.I.K served as the test platform lor the protoiv pe - -- 1 1 R- RIHR VTOL (Vertical Take-OH and Landing) fighter-bomber. In 1972. after an extensive over- haul, 1,. S.ALLE was designated as a Miscellaneous Command Ship (, (jl ) and assumed duties as flagship for Commander, Middle last lorce. Painted white to reflect the hot. Middle I ast sun. •The Great liiti- Chost of the .Arabian Ci)ast ' has steamed an av- erage of 5. , ()()() nautical miles annual- h, in that role, calling on ports in Alrica, Asia, and the Middle l:ast. L. S.ALLE assisted in the evacu- ation of 2(i() American and foreign civi- lians from the Iranian seaport of liaii- dar Abbas in I ' )? ' ). She became the lo- cal point of I ..S.aclivitv 111 the, Arabian (lull at the outset iif the Iranian Hos- tage t risis. file combination of this crisis and the initiation of the lran-ir.u| War. which began in l ' )XI). brought about a dramatic increase in the com- mand and support responsibilities placeii on the ship and iier crew. I SSCOKONADO relieved I S.M.I.K in November l ' SI). .md the (iri-at W hitc (ihosl returned stateside lor the first time m X ' - vears. On ar- rival, she began a ma|or overiiaul winch included incre.ising her air con- dilioiiing capacitv. replacing and up- grading the ship ' s four turbine genera- tors, adding an extensive ciecimnics and communications package, and re- placing two 3 50 caliber guns with the MK 15 Close-In Weapons Ssstem (CIWS). IfSS . S. I.1.K returned to the Arabian (iulf and resumed Hagshipdu- ties for ( OMIDFASTFOR in June I9X. ' ?. Since then, she has continued to provide the embarked staff with reli- able command and control facilities, all the while providing ongoing and varied support 10 the other Middle tasl Force ships operating in the area. In I9S4, LA SALLE embarked three CI 1-53 helicopters and associated equipment from Helicopter .Mine ( ounicrmeasure Squadron 14 lo con- duct mineswcep operations in the Red Sea 111 response to anonymous attempts to disrupt the free passage of shipping there. In the beginning of 1986. L.- SALLK was dispatched to conduct coniingencv operations off the coast of ' enien in the Gulf of Aden during that countrv ' s civil war. With the onset of the gull Tanker War. LA SALLE has continued to serve as the command platform for Commander, Middle l:ast I orce to coordinate force operations in the (iulf. L. S. LLE plaved a vital role, in March 19X7. as both a flagship and a logistics support ship during Northern

Page 5 text:

THE GHOST IN THE GULF •)

Page 7 text:

Arabian (iull cuniiiij;L nc i.)pcrali()ns wliili; the Arab I cayiie coinciicd in Kuwait. I prmidmi; needed liicl and supplies. I. A SALLK ensured liie other ships ol ' Middle I-asl I ' orce were able lo remain on station for an extended pe- riod during this operation. In May 1987. LA SALLK rushed to the aid of the stricken U.S. I ' rifiate ST. Rk, which was adrift and still burning I ' ollowing an Iraqi missile at- tack. Initially. L. SALLE provided crucial fire-fighting, damage control, and medical aid. 0 er the next days, the ship and her crew became home and family for the surviving STARK sailors. Until the arrival of the ILS. tender . CADL in .lune 19S7. LA S. LLK saw to initial repair require- ments of STARK, proxided accommo- dations lo her crew, and served as a central base for all damage assessment, investigation and public relations func- tions associated with the tragic event. During the ensuing months L. S. LLE served as a command platform for the re-flagged Kuwaiti tanker es- cort operations. Iran resorted lo plant- ing mines to counter the escort opera- tions. During the first escort operation, the tanker BRIDCETON struck a mine, and the United Slates resohed lo stop these Iranian tactics. In September 19S7. LLS. forces caught the Iranians red-handed. The Iranian minela ing ship Iran Ajr or Rakeesh, was in the middle of laying mines so U.S. forces permancnlK de- commissioned the ship. L. S.ALLE sent a prize crew to occup the ship, and the captured Ir.iniaiis were brought aboard ACiF-3. The detainees, as they became known, spent two days in LA SALLE ' s upper vehicle stowage before being transferred lo the Red Crescent. The Iranian ship was the first ship since World War II to be comman- deered b American forces. In the following months. man tanker escort operations were success- fiill completed, and L. S.ALLE con- tinued lo play a vital role as MIDEASTFOR flagship. Mobility, flexibility, and versatility are as much the trademarks of LA SALLE today as they were 23 years ago. The Middle Lastcrn and Western Indian Ocean countries continue to in- crease in importance. ' as areas of consid- erable global interest, both economi- cally and politicall .