USS Weiss ( APD - 135 ) The second USS " Weiss " ( APD / LPR - 135 ) was a , the second ship of the United States Navy to be assigned the name " Weiss " , after Marine sergeant Carl W . Weiss ( 1915 – 1942 ) , who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during the Battle of Guadalcanal . Originally designated DE - 719 , a , " Weiss " was re - designated as APD - 135 , a fast transport , on 17 July 1944 , even before being laid down on 4 October 1944 at the Defoe Shipbuilding Company , in Bay City , Michigan . She was launched on 17 February 1945 ; sponsored by Mrs . Anna Weiss . Builders trials before her pre - commissioning cruise were done in Lake Huron . After completion , " Weiss " sailed from the builder ' s yard at Bay City to Chicago , Illinois . From there , they went through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and down the Chicago River to Joliet , Illinois , where pontoons were attached to the ship so it could be pushed down the Des Plaines River , Illinois River , and Mississippi River as part of a barge train . After arriving at the Todd Johnson Shipyard in Algiers , Louisiana , on the west bank of the Mississippi at New Orleans , the rest of the crew reported aboard , and " Weiss " was commissioned at New Orleans , on 7 July 1945 , with Lieutenant Commander Thomas D . Morris in command . 1945 – 1949 . The warship departed New Orleans on 20 July to conduct shakedown training in the vicinity of Guantanamo Bay , Cuba . She was still engaged in those operations on 14 August when she received word of the end of hostilities in World War II . Thereafter , she continued her shakedown training but with a lesser sense of urgency . Following a post - shakedown overhaul at Norfolk , Virginia , she sailed on 4 September for Melville , Rhode Island , where for the next two months she served as a training ship . On 29 October , the high - speed transport returned to Norfolk , where she remained until mid - January 1946 . On 14 January , she began a ten - week cruise to the West Indies , returning to the United States at Morehead City , North Carolina , on the last day of March . In April , she visited Washington , D . C . , and underwent repairs , first at Charleston , South Carolina in early May and later at the New York Naval Shipyard in June . In August , the high - speed transport served as an escort for the Presidential Yacht when Harry S . Truman voyaged in her to Bermuda for a vacation . " Williamsburg " returned the President to Washington on 2 September , and " Weiss " resumed east coast duty . Based at Norfolk , she spent the next 19 months operating from that port . On 2 May 1949 , the warship was decommissioned at Charleston and then towed to Green Cove Springs , Florida , to be berthed with the Atlantic Reserve Fleet . Korean War , 1950 – 1953 . On 25 June 1950 , communist North Korea launched an invasion of South Korea . The United Nations Security Council taking advantage of the Soviet boycott decided to provide military assistance to South Korea against the aggressor . The United States took on the majority of the responsibility for carrying out the Security Council ' s operations , particularly with regard to naval forces . That required the reactivation of many ships in the Reserve Fleet . " Weiss " was moved out of her berth at Green Cove Springs , quickly readied for action , and recommissioned on 14 October 1950 , with Lieutenant Commander W . H . Bargeloh in command . Following shakedown training out of Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , " Weiss " set sail for the Pacific on 15 March 1951 . She stopped at San Diego , California , for two weeks of maintenance and upkeep , and then continued her voyage west , arriving in Korean waters on 3 May . The high - speed transport spent the bulk of her first Korean War tour in bombardment and Underwater Demolition Team ( UDT ) missions . She also conducted training and exercises with the UDT men as well as with other units of the 7th Fleet . She concluded her assignment in the Far East on 17 October when she set a course to return to the United States . Following a period of upkeep and training on the west coast during the winter of 1951 and 1952 , " Weiss " headed back to the Far East in the summer , and arrived in Korean waters on 2 July . Once again , bombardment missions and UDT support duty occupied the majority of her time . She also participated in " Operation Fishnet " , a strategic initiative intended to drive the North Koreans into submission by depriving them of their fish catch . The high - speed transport completed her second tour of Korean War service on 1 April 1953 , and arrived in San Diego on 2 July . 1953 – 1958 . Less than a month after " Weiss " returned to the United States , the armistice of 27 July 1953 effectively ended hostilities on the Korean peninsula . Consequently , the high - speed transport settled into a peacetime routine of deployments to the western Pacific alternated with upkeep and training periods along the west coast of the United States . Between July 1953 and December 1957 , she made three deployments to the Far East . Port visits , training missions , and providing evidence of American military presence in Asian waters proved to be her major responsibilities during these initial post - Korean War tours with the 7th Fleet . On 2 March 1958 , " Weiss " was placed out of commission once again . She was berthed with the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Treasure Island , California , for the next four years . On 20 November 1961 , " Weiss " was placed back in commission at San Diego , with Commander Merritt D . Tuel in command . 1961 – 1964 . The warship conducted shakedown and amphibious training during the winter of 1961 and 1962 , and then settled into a normal west coast routine , operating out of San Diego . That duty lasted until 16 October 1962 , at which time she departed San Diego on her first tour of duty in the western Pacific following her recommissioning . During that deployment she operated from the base at Subic Bay in the Philippines , and engaged in training missions with UDT men . Early in the assignment , the ship visited Sattahip , Thailand , with UDT men embarked . There , she participated in bilateral UDT exercises with members of the Royal Thai Navy . The high - speed transport returned to Subic Bay on 17 December , and remained there through the beginning of the new year . During the latter stages of her western Pacific tour , in February and March 1963 , the warship earned the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for a tour of duty in Vietnamese waters . She returned to the United States later that spring , and resumed normal operations until commencing a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization ( FRAM ) overhaul late in the year . She completed her FRAM II conversion early in 1964 , and resumed local operations out of San Diego . On 18 June 1964 , she stood out of San Diego for another tour of duty in the western Pacific . En route , the warship stopped at Oahu for about a month of operations out of Pearl Harbor , and then continued on to Okinawa . During the night of 26 – 27 July , Typhoon Flossie struck her anchorage at Okinawa , parted her anchor chain , and drove the high - speed transport into uncharted waters . Efforts to maneuver back into known waters failed ; and , at 20 : 42 , " Weiss " ran aground . On the 27th , the tug , while attempting to refloat " Weiss " , also grounded on an uncharted reef . then came to the aid of both stricken ships . Finally at about 20 : 00 hours , " Weiss " eased off the reef into deeper water . Interestingly enough , " Tawasa " was refloated early on the 28th and departed Okinawa that same day , bound for Sasebo with " Weiss " in tow . The high - speed transport completed repairs by late August , and joined a contingency force sent to Vietnamese waters as a result of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident earlier that month . She remained there from 25 August to 28 September . After spending most of October in the Philippines , " Weiss " returned to Vietnamese waters briefly in November . On 28 November , she departed Subic Bay to return to San Diego , where she arrived on 18 December . Vietnam War , 1965 – 1969 . Following the usual holiday leave and an upkeep period , " Weiss " commenced operations along the coast of southern California . Those missions consisted of exercises in cooperation with Marine Corps reconnaissance units and Navy Underwater Demolition Team s . Such duty occupied her time until mid - summer 1965 , when she entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for a two - month availability . She completed repairs on 30 August and returned to San Diego for refresher training . On 18 October , " Weiss " left San Diego for another tour of duty in the Far East with the 7th Fleet . She made an overnight stop at Pearl Harbor on 26 – 27 October , and arrived in Subic Bay on 12 November . On the 23rd , she departed the Philippines for her first tour of combat duty off the coast of Vietnam . Her first actual combat mission came on 30 November and 1 December when she landed marines near Lang Ke Ga , South Vietnam , as part of " Operation Dagger Thrust IV " . Her second such mission occurred on the 5th and 6th when her embarked marines made a search - and - destroy landing near Phu Tu as a part of " Operation Dagger Thrust V " . On the evening of the 6th , she reembarked the troops and retired toward Subic Bay for a rest and relaxation period . However , on the 8th , she was recalled to assist in a salvage operation near Phu Tu . She completed her part in that mission on the 9th , and resumed her voyage to Subic Bay where she arrived on 13 December . In January 1966 , " Weiss " did two tours of duty in Vietnamese waters conducting surveys of the coast and river mouths . She returned to the Philippines from the second Vietnam tour of the year on 1 February , and embarked American UDT men and a Philippine underwater operations unit to participate in bilateral reconnaissance exercises near Legaspi , Luzon , between 3 and 9 February . A visit to Hong Kong , availability at Subic Bay , and another survey tour off Vietnam followed in late February and early March . Her last combat operation of the deployment began on 20 March when she came under the operational control of the amphibious ready group for " Operation Jackstay " , a combined surface and helicopter - borne amphibious assault on Viet Cong guerrillas in the Rung Sat Special Zone . The operation began on 26 March and continued through 6 April , at which time " Weiss " headed back to Subic Bay for upkeep . Later that month , she departed the Philippines and headed home . She made a stop at Pearl Harbor along the way and arrived in San Diego on 14 May . The ship remained in port for the next five weeks engaged in the usual post - deployment leave and upkeep . On 28 June , she stood out of San Diego and shaped a course for San Francisco , where she began regular overhaul at the Bethlehem Steel shipyard . She remained there until 9 November when labor problems in the civilian yard forced her to shift to the San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard to ensure timely completion of the overhaul . Repairs completed , the warship exited the yard on 9 December , and headed back to San Diego , whence she operated until late February 1967 . On 24 February , she departed San Diego for the western Pacific . After stops at Pearl Harbor and at Guam , the ship entered Subic Bay on 20 March . " Weiss " operated in the Philippines for almost two months conducting surveys and reconnaissance training . In mid - May , she made a liberty call at Hong Kong and then returned to Subic Bay late in the month . On the 28th , she departed the Philippines with a detachment of UDT - 11 embarked , and set a course for South Vietnam . She arrived at Vũng Tàu on 31 May . Following briefings there and at An Thoi , " Weiss " began a series of coastal surveys to determine suitable landing beaches and canal entrances for amphibious operations . That duty lasted until 10 June , at which time she headed back to Subic Bay . She remained in the Philippines from 10 to 21 June , and then once more got underway for Vietnam . She conducted another series of coastal surveys until 3 July , and returned to Subic Bay for a week ' s rest and relaxation . The warship arrived back in Vũng Tàu on 15 July and began her final series of surveys , completing them on the 31st . Following that , she made stops at Bangkok , Subic Bay , and Yokosuka before heading back to the United States on 26 August . She stopped at Pearl Harbor along the way and arrived in San Diego on 16 September . Post - deployment standdown and an interim availability at a civilian yard occupied the remainder of 1967 . " Weiss " completed her availability and post - deployment standdown early in 1968 , and began normal west coast operations out of San Diego . That employment lasted until 1 August , at which time she headed back to the western Pacific . The warship stopped at Pearl Harbor from 9 to 11 August , and then continued her voyage to Yokosuka , Japan , where she arrived on the 23rd . A week later , the ship sailed for Subic Bay , where she remained from 3 to 9 September . From Subic Bay , she moved on to the coast of Vietnam to resume coast survey missions in support of 7th Fleet amphibious operations . She returned to Subic Bay on 24 September and stayed over until 2 October . Back off the coast of South Vietnam early in October , Weiss provided over - the - horizon support for Navy SEAL teams participating in " Operation Bold Dragon VII " and " VIII " carried out in the IV Corps tactical zone . During these operations , the warship fired her guns in anger for the first time since the Korean War . She returned to Subic Bay on 11 November and remained until the 20th when she got underway for Hong Kong and a liberty call . Back in Vietnamese waters early in December , she again provided support for Navy SEAL teams engaged in " Operation Bold Dragon IX " . That mission carried her into 1969 . " Weiss " was redesignated an Amphibious Transport , Small , LPR - 135 , on 1 January 1969 . She departed the Far East early in the spring of 1969 and returned to San Diego . For the remainder of the year , she conducted normal west coast operations out of San Diego and began preparations for decommissioning . " Weiss " was placed out of commission in January 1970 , and was berthed with the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Orange , Texas . On 15 September 1974 , her name was struck from the Navy List . " Weiss " was sold to J . R . Steel , Inc . , on 24 June 1976 for scrapping . Awards . " Weiss " earned three battle star s during the Korean War and seven battle stars for service in Vietnamese waters .