USS Hillsborough County ( LST - 827 ) USS " Hillsborough County " ( LST - 827 ) was an built for the United States Navy during World War II . Named after Hillsborough County , Florida , she was the only U . S . Naval vessel to bear the name . Originally laid down as USS " LST - 827 " by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Company of Evansville , Indiana on 13 October 1944 ; launched 22 November ; sponsored by Mrs . Clark H . Woodward ; and commissioned 12 December with Lieutenant R . L . Olander in command . Service history . World War II , 1945 . After shakedown off Florida , " LST - 827 " loaded smoke - pots on her tank deck , then departed Mobile , Alabama on 17 January 1945 . Following brief stops at the Panama Canal Zone and Pearl Harbor , she arrived at Eniwetok early in March . Sailing for Guam on the 13th , she unloaded her cargo , and for the next two months transported men and equipment between the Marianas and the Philippines . After embarking Marine Fighting Squadron 212 ( VMF - 212 ) of Marine Air Group 14 ( MAG - 14 ) , " LST - 827 " departed San Pedro Bay , Philippines on 24 May en route to Okinawa . When she arrived five days later , American forces were already engaged in a two - month campaign to push the enemy from its Pacific stronghold . After unloading men and equipment , she steamed to the Philippines for additional reinforcements . For the remainder of World War II , " LST - 827 " operated in the vicinity of Okinawa and the Philippines , transporting men and supplies for the final drive to the enemy ' s homeland . Post - war operations , 1946 – 1949 . Following the Japanese surrender , the landing ship serviced the occupation forces in the Far East until she sailed for the United States on 15 November , arriving San Diego on 16 December . Joining LST Squadron 1 there in May , 1946 she operated along the West Coast performing fleet maneuvers and tactical training exercises for the next three years . " LST - 827 " decommissioned 7 June 1949 at San Diego and joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet . Her respite was brief , however , as President Harry S . Truman met the communist challenge of aggression in Asia by sending U . S . forces to aid the beleaguered South Koreans . Korean War , 1950 – 1952 . Recommissioned on 3 November 1950 with Lieutenant S . G . Ruskey in command , " LST - 827 " departed San Diego on 27 January 1951 for the Far East . After a brief stop at Pearl Harbor , she arrived Yokosuka on 3 March . Assigned to the Korean supply run , she carried supplies from Japan to Pusan , Ulsan , and Inchon for the next four months . " LST - 827 " returned to the United States on 9 August to operate there until early 1952 . Departing San Diego on 17 February , she steamed for her second tour in the Western Pacific , touching Pearl Harbor , the Marshall Islands , and the Philippines before arriving Yokosuka on 26 April . From May to October she shuttled supplies and troops between Japan and Korea to strengthen the Allied forces against the threat of Communism . 1952 – 1958 . Departing Japan on 10 October 1952 , " LST - 827 " was to perform another historic service to her country by operating with the units assigned to Ivy Mike — the first hydrogen bomb tests . She returned to San Diego on 30 November and received major alterations at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in preparation for her next assignment . From 1953 through 1956 , " LST - 827 " sailed on two WestPac cruises , engaged in amphibious exercises off the West Coast and steamed to the Arctic on three occasions to supply stations on the DEW line radar network . On 1 July 1955 , all remaining active LSTs were given names of U . S . counties ; " LST - 827 " was named USS " Hillsborough County " ( LST - 827 ) . During 1957 she participated in exercises off the California coast , and on 1 November was placed in commission , in reserve . " Hillsborough County " decommissioned on 28 January 1958 . Struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 28 March 1958 , she was then used as a target and sunk in the Gulf of California on 15 August 1958 . " LST - 827 " received one battle star for World War II service and three stars for the Korean War .