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USSPD LSD-31
Service History
Orgins
Named for a military reservation established in 1866 in Tacoma, WA, the USS Point Defiance was the second ship to bear the name. Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi began construction after the awarding of the contract in February 1952. It was laid down in November 1953 and launched in September 1954.
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons
Combat Action Ribbon (2-Vietnam, 18 April 67, 27 January 72)
Navy Battle "E" Ribbon
National Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Cuba, Vietnam)
Vietnam Service Medal
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Decommissioning
The USS Point Defiance was decommissioned in 1983. A brief reprieve found her transferred to the Maritime Administration. In 2011 MARAD sold her to All Star Metals in Brownsville, TX for dismantling and the ship was ultimately scrapped in October 2011.
Service in the 1950s and early 1960s
Port broadside view of USS Point Defiance (LSD-31) under way during the later 1950s, while transporting a P2V aircraft on her helicopter deck.
USSPD LSD-31 was assigned to Amphibious Squadron 7, Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet. Following two deployments to the western Pacific, the USS Point Defiance supported the 1958 International Geophysical Year Solar Eclipse expedition to the South Pacific. There she became one of the first rocket-launching surface ships. Eight Nike-Asp sounding rockets were fired to collect scientific data during the eclipse.
In May 1959, the USS Point Defiance participated in "Operation Twin Peaks" off Oceanside, CA.
In February 1960, USS Point Defiance participated in "Operation Blue Star," a combined amphibious operation with Chinese Nationalist forces. In June 1960 during "Operation Sea Hawk," USS Point Defiance participated in an amphibious landing with the Republic of Korea; the ship returned to its Long Beach port in July 1960.
In Support of the USS Thresher, 1963
USS Point Defiance (LSD-31) with the U.S. Navy Bathyscaphe Trieste I loaded in her well deck at San Diego, 14 April 1963. USS Point Defiance carried Trieste I to Boston to participate in the search for USS Thresher (SSN-593).
Service in the 1960s & 1970s
1961-62
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For most of 1961, USS Point Defiance operated off the West Coast, making brief cruises to Pearl Harbor and Okinawa. Departing in January 1962, the ship landed Marines in Bangkok, Thailand in May 1962.
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In October, in conjunction with the Cuba Missile Crisis, USS Point Defiance transited the Panama Canal into the Caribbean to support the Cuban Quarantine.
1964-65
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For six month, April through September, the USS Point Defiance operated in the eastern Pacific and underwent an overhaul.
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In April 1965, the ship departed for the western Pacific and off-loaded men and equipment in Da Nang, South Vietnam in May.
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In June, the USS Point Defiance helped rescue survivors from the mid-air collision of two Guam-based B-52s.
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In July, the ship again landed Marines at Quy Nhon, South Korea.
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In August, USS Point Defiance helped salvage the USS Frank Knox, which had run aground on Pratas Reef in the northern part of the South China Sea.
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In late August, the ship took part in the amphibious raid at Van Tong, South Vietnam, "Operation Starlite."
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USS Point Defiance returned to it home port in Long Beach in November 1962
1968-69
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In May 1968, USS Point Defiance made another transit to the western Pacific with another amphibious ready group off Vietnam. The ship returned to port in December
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In summer 1969, USS Point Defiance carried Naval Academy Midshipmen from San Diego to Honolulu via Seattle, returning to San Diego in late summer.
1963
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In September and October, USS Point Defiance steamed again into the Western Pacific to Vietnam to support U.S. interests in the region.
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In November, the ship participated in another combined amphibious operation with the Republic of China.
1966-67
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Departing in March 1966, the USS Point Defiance transported troops and equipment from bases in the Far East to South Vietnam.
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A second deployment followed in November.
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In January 1967, the ship participated in "Deckhouse V" in the Kien Hoa province of South Vietnam.
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In May, she sent Marines on the beach in the southern half of the DMZ exchanging fire with the North Vietnamese shore batteries.
1972
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USS Point Defiance was part of a Ready Group off the coast of Vietnam. It was part of a helicopter assault behind the People's Army of Vietnam lines off the coast of Southern Vietnam in the Hue area during the Easter Offensive of 1972.
Facts & Figures
Use the links below to access some of the many articles, artifacts, and information about the ship's design, structure, captains, deployments, and tributes from those who served and those it served in its 28+ years of service.
Notes of Gratitude from Those it Served
From the Virginia Pilot, 1955
From the Honolulu Advertiser, 1960
Two Shipmates Meet after 35 Years
Noteworthy Links about LSD-31
These links will be updated periodically as new sources become available.
USS Point Defiance
Crew List
This site from Hullnumber.com has crew back to a previous USS Point Defiance. https://www.hullnumber.com/crew1.php?cm=LSD-31
Amphibious Photo Archive
NavSource Online offers a variety photos of the USSPD LSD-31 taken at various ports of call. https://www.navsource.org/archives/10/12/1231.htm
Factual and Anecdotal Information
Curated by everyone, Wikipedia offers information on the ship over its lifetime. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Point_Defiance
MARAD
Part of the Department of Transportation, MARAD has archival history on all USN ships. https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/3925
Deemed an Unofficial Navy Site
This site has been put together by a fellow sailor, with photos he took along with crew lists featuring quotes from many sailors. https://www.navysite.de/ships/lsd31.htm
Defying Definition: USS Point Defiance
This article is written from Tacoma, WA and the park, zoo and aquarium for which the ship was named.
If you have a site that should be included, please contact the webpage manager at bkmcg2@gmail.com.