La Salle (AGF 3) - Naval Cruise Book

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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 .

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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

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LA SALLE ' S CREST Tlic ship ' s crest combines lealLircs relating to the explorer, the cil and the ship. Its upper right corner bears the charges of the coat-oi ' -arms of LA SALLE ' s family, an eight-point star and a rabbit. The fort on the lower left side represents Fort St. Louis, which was built by L. S. LLE in 1682 on the banks of the Illinois River. The elevat- ed ground on which the fort stands is known as ' Starved Rock. The city of La Salic is not far from the site of this fort. The background anchor s mbol- izes the Navy and the sea; the motto across the anchor ' s base, Facilitas Ad Vlarem, translates to Versatility .At Sea, THE FIRST LA SALLE The first ship ol the U.S. Navy to bear the name L. S. LLE, a troop transport, was commissioned on March ;i. I )43 as ISS IIOTSPIR (AP 102). Her name was changed to l.. SALLE on April 6, 1943. During World War II. LA SALLE .served with distinction in the Pacific, earning eight Battle Stars, the Navy Occupation Ser- ice Medal and the Philippine Repub- lic Presidential Lnit Citation Badge. She was decommissioned on 24 ,luly 194(i. and her name was stricken from the Na rolls on I . August 194(i. LA SALLE ' S NAME .Amphibious Transport Docks ( LPD) arc named for cities which take their names from explorers and develo- pers of the United Slates. Thus. L. SALLE is named after the cit of La Salle, Illinois, which took its name from the French explorer. Rene Cavel- ier. Sieur de La Salle. The city of La Salle is located in the prosperous agricultural and indus- trial Illinois River Valley, in north cen- tral Illinois. La Salle was founded in 1827 when the Illinois-Michigan Canal was planned and was incorporated as a cits in 1832. Its development has been marked by the influences ol ex- plorers, missionaries, pioneers, traders. and emigrants. In 1 832. .Abraham Lin- coln enlisted in the Army at La Salle. The city has been a virtual cross- road of America, giving it a colorful, rich history. Today. La Salle is a city ol some 1 2.000 cili ens employed in the manufacturing of clocks and watches. cement, electrical goods, chemicals, and shoes. La Salle has benefitted from the gifts of abundant natural resources and from the energetic people living in th.it modern, progressive American community. Rene Robert Cavelier. Sieur de La Salle, was born in 1643. He left the reli- gious life of a Jesuit Novitiate to be- come an explorer and developer of America. He arrived in Canada from I ranee in 1666 and developed a seig- nior at Lachine. He later developed trade at Fort Frontcnac and was grant- ed a patent of nobility. He then re- turned to France and obtained a patent to build forts, explore and trade. When he came back to America he brought with him Henri de Tonti. who was his lieutenant in later enter- prises. .After building a blockade at the outlet of the Niagara River in 1697. he set out across the Great Lakes, to w hat is now Green Bay. Wisconsin, then by land along Lake Michigan to erect Fort Miami on the site of present day St. Jo- seph. Michigan. He next proceeded alons the Illinois River where Fort