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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Thomaston (LSD-28)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Tango - Papa - Xray NTPX

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Unit Commendation - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (2) - Navy Expeditionary Medal (Iran/Indian Ocean)
Second Row - National Defense Service Medal - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Cuba, Vietnam, Op. Eagle Pull, Op. Frequent Wind) - *Vietnam Service Medal (11 or 12)
Third Row - Humanitarian Service Medal (Eagle Pull, Frequent Wind, Eniwetok Cleanup, Boat People) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation - Vietnam Campaign Medal

Thomaston Class Dock Landing Ship:

Launched, 9 February 1954, at Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp., Pascagoula, MS.

Commissioned USS Thomaston (LSD-28), 17 September 1954, CAPT. Marion F. Ramirez de Arellano in command

During the Vietnam War USS Thomaston participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Advisory Campaign 24 April to 3 May 1963 28 August to 12 September 1963 27 December 1964 to 31 January 1965 9 to 28 February 1965 9 to 14 March 1965 16 to 23 April 1965 1 to 10 May 1965 18 to 21 May 1965 25 to 26 May 1965	Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969 25 to 28 August 1969 11 September to 25 October 1969
Vietnam Defense 23 to 26 August 1965 14 to 17 September 1965	Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970 15 to 25 November 1969 7 to 15 and 29 December 1969 1 to 9 January 1970 9 to 11 February 1970 9 to 11 March 1970
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 4 to 7 and 22 to 28 February 1966 13 to 16 March 1966	Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phase VII 30 April to 4 May 1971 12 to 14 and 20 to 23 May 1971 12 to 18, 20 to 22 and 25 to 26 June 1971
Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phase II 13 to 31 August 1966 13 to 28 September 1966 6 October to 11 November 1966 1 to 13 January 1967 13 February to 4 March 1967	Consolidation I 15 to 17 and 21 to 22 July 1971 13 to 15 August 1971 5 to 7 September 1971 10 September to 13 October 1971
Tet Counteroffensive 12 March to 1 April 1968	Vietnam Ceasefire 29 to 30 June 1972
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV 2 to 16-April 1968 27 April to 17 June 1968	*Vietnam Evacuation (Operation Frequent Wind) 29 to 30 April 1975
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V 6 July to 21 August 1968

Decommissioned, 5 September 1984

Struck from the Naval Register, 2 February 1992

Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, under temporary custody of the Maritime Administration (MARAD)

Final Disposition, sold, 29 September 1995 by MARAD to Pegasus Inc.

Repossessed by the Navy, 1 July 1997

Permanent custody reassigned to MARAD, 18 November 1998 for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay Benecia, CA. and placed on sale list

USS Thomaston earned the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal with eleven campaign stars for Vietnam War service and an additional Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for Operation Frequent Wind or twelve campaign stars for Vietnam War service if the Armed Forces Medal is exchanged for the 18th Vietnam campaign, Operation Frequent Wind

Final Disposition, sold 28 July 2011 to All Star Metals, Brownsville TX. Departed National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay Group, 18 Aug 2011. Sale Price $894,708

Specifications:
Displacement 8,899 t.(lt), 11,525 t(fl)
Length 510'
Beam 84'
Draft 19'
Speed 20 kts.

Complement

Officers 18

Enlisted 330

Troop Accommodations 325

Armament (as built)

four twin 3"/50 dual purpose gun mounts

four twin 40mm gun mounts

six twin 20mm AA gun mounts

Boat Capacity (Well Deck)

three LCUs or nine LCM-8's or fifty AAV's/LVTP-7's amphibious tractors

Aircraft Capacity helicopter landing area

Propulsion

two D-type boilers, 600psi.

two steam turbines

two propellers, 24,000shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
10122825	209k	Thomaston (LSD-28) immediately after launching, 9 February 1954, at Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp., Pascagoula, MS. Ingalls Shipbuilding photo	Dale Hargrave
	114k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28) circa 1955-56. During this period Thomaston** took part in the Arctic Resupply Project of provisioning stations on the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line and cold weather amphibious landing exercises in the Aleutians in November 1955 and in January and February 1956. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine December 1956 issue	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
	245k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28)** under way, circa 1955, location unknown US Navy photo from "Jane's Fighting Ships 1956-57".	Robert Hurst
	404k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28)** departing Mare Island Naval Shipyard, 2 December 1956. File name: LSD 28 32405-12-56, Navy Photo, 12/2/56	Darryl Baker
10122819	176k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28)** out bound to sea passing under the Golden Gate Bridge at San Francisco, Tiburon, Marin County in the background, date unknown.	Nicholas Tiberio
	62k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28)** departing San Diego, June 1957 for amphibious landing exercises at Camp Pendelton, CA.	Photo by Dale Haskin
	66k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28) and USS Stone County (LST-1141** at anchor in Subic Bay, P.I. with other fleet units, circa 1957.	Photo by Donald J. Wagner SM3, USN USS Gunston Hall
	63k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28)** departing San Diego Harbor US Navy photo	Cris Wren
10122820	218k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28)** underway off San Diego, CA. date unknown. ©George Barber	Nicholas Tiberio
	40k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28) being refueled by USS Ashtabula (AO-51)**, circa January-February 1963, Pacific Ocean	Ron Reeves
	94k	U.S. Navy 7th Fleet Amphibious Ready Group underway in March 1965. The ships are (l-r): *USS Bexar* (APA-237), USS Princeton (LPH-5), USS Thomaston (LSD-28), and USS O'Bannon (DD-450)*. Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse helicopters of Medium Helicopter Transport Squadron* (HMM-365) fly above the ships while *Princeton*愀 crew spells out the groups' designations "TG 76.5/79.5" on the flight deck. US Navy photo from "US Marines in Vietnam: The Landing and the Buildup 1965 Part 6, p. 195."	Robert Hurst
	320k	During Operation Deckhouse V the three ships of a 20-knot "amphibious ready group" steam toward the objective site, 4 January 1967. Ships from front to back are; *USS Iwo Jima* (LPH-2), USS Thomaston (LSD-28), and USS Vancouver (LPD-2)*. US National Archives Catalog #: USN 1119682*, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Tommy Trampp
10122824	68k	A U.S. Navy Amphibious Ready Group underway in the Pacific Ocean in 1968. The leading ship on the right is *USS Thomaston* (LSD-28), the amphibious assault ship USS Valley Forge (LPH-8)** is steaming in the center. The transport, far left and the LSD bringing up the rear are both unidentifed. U.S. Navy photo from the USS Thomaston (LSD-28) 1968 cruise book.	Robert Hurst
	89k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28) at anchor in the background at right with USS Valley Forge (LPH-8) in the foreground. Valley Forge** has Marine Corps CH-46 helicopters embarked, probably during operations off South Vietnam, circa 1968. Photo was received by "All Hands" magazine on 30 July 1968. US Navy photo # NH 96947 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.	Robert M. Cieri
	55k	Overhead view of *USS Thomaston* (LSD-28)** underway in 1968, location unknown. US Navy photo by PH2 Henry Greer.	Robert Hurst
	87k	*USS Vega* (AF-59) replenishes USS Tripoli (LPH-10) and USS Thomaston (LSD-28)** off the coast of Vietnam, circa 1969. US Navy photo.	Yu Chu
	152k	*LCU-1476* back loading Third Battalion/Third Marines to *USS Vancouver* (LPD-2) from USS Thomaston (LSD-28)** at Subic Bay, date unknown.	Jerry Patterson ENCS USN Ret LCU-1624
	330k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28) approaching USS Vega (AF-59) for refueling/replenishment while underway in the Gulf of Siam during Operation Eagle Pull in March 1975. Thomaston was operating with TG 76.4. CTG was USS Okinawa (LPH-3)**, the ship in the background.	Photo by Richard Spring, CMDCM(SW/AW) USN Ret.
	79k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28)** off San Diego in 1982 US Navy photo	Robert G Jarshaw QM2 USN USS Thomaston 1982-1984
	138k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28)** under way, date and location unknown.	Tommy Trampp
	678k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28)** at anchor in 1983, location unknown.	Wolfgang Hechler
	618k
	725k
10122821	206k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28)** underway off San Diego, CA. date unknown. ©George Barber	Nicholas Tiberio
10122822	178k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28)** underway off San Diego, CA. date unknown. ©George Barber	Nicholas Tiberio
10122823	253k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28)** outbound to sea passing Point Loma while exiting San Diego Bay, date unknown. ©George Barber	Nicholas Tiberio
	414k	*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28)** Ship's plaque.	Tommy Trampp
	279k	Ex-*USS Thomaston* (LSD-28)** laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA., in 2006.	Ron Reeves
	276k		Ron Reeves

For more photos and information about USS Thomaston, see:
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
USS Thomaston (LSD-28)
Port Visit Open House, 3 to 6 July 1958, Santa Monica, CA., pamphlet
Decommissioning Program

Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Ramirez De Arellano, Marion Fredrick	17 September 1954 - 16 June 1955
02	CAPT. Houston, Robert Cecil	16 June 1955 - 27 April 1956
03	CAPT. Winne, George Morris	27 April 1956 - 22 February 1958
04	CAPT. Callahan Jr., Cornelius Patrick	22 February 1958 - 24 July 1959
05	CAPT. Jarvis, Benjamin Campbell	24 July 1959 - 18 June 1960
06	CAPT. Nichols, Keith Griffen	18 June 1960 - 22 July 1961
07	CAPT. Forrest, Blake Samuel	22 July 1961 - 14 August 1962
08	CAPT. Anderson, Clyde Bertram	14 August 1962 - 8 September 1963
09	CAPT. Koenigsberger Jr., Charles	8 September 1963 - April 1964
10	CDR. Wilson, Phillip Anthony, USN (temporary)	April 1964 - 19 October 1964
11	CAPT. Dye, Philip G.	19 October 1964 - 18 October 1965
12	CAPT. Stephens Jr., Franklin Taylor, USN	18 October 1965 - 2 November 1966
13	CAPT. O'Neill, John W.	02 November 1966 - 29 March 1968
14	CAPT. Tierney, John Mark :RADM	29 March 1968 - 17 May 1969
15	CAPT. Thomson Jr., Robert Gemmel	17 May 1969 - 18 June 1970
16	CAPT. Tissot Jr., Ernest Eugene (Gene) :RADM	18 June 1970 - 23 April 1971
17	CAPT. Hodge, Alan G.	23 April 1971 - 5 January 1973
18	CAPT. Shinn, Robert Allen	5 January 1973 - 17 August 1974
19	CAPT. Carson, William Grant	17 August 1974 - 24 July 1976
20	CDR. Bonham, Charles Leonard	24 July 1976 - 20 May 1978
21	CDR. LaPlante, John Baptiste :VADM	20 May 1978 - 6 June 1980
22	CAPT. Wallis, Walter James	6 June 1980 - 04 October 1982
23	CDR. Chrisman, Willard George	04 October 1982 - 21 June 1984
24	CAPT. Kelly, John Patrick, USN (USNA 1962)	21 June 1984 - 28 September 1984


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Crew Contact And Reunion Information Web Sites
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

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Last Updated 15 March 2024