USS Litchfield County ( LST - 901 ) USS " Litchfield County " ( LST - 901 ) was a built for the United States Navy during World War II . Named after Litchfield County , Connecticut , she was the only U . S . Naval vessel to bear the name . Originally laid down as USS " LST - 901 " on 29 October 1944 by the Dravo Corporation of Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania ; the ship was launched on 9 December 1944 , sponsored by Mrs . S . A . Evans ; and commissioned on 11 January 1945 with Lieutenant C . A . Henson in command . Service history . World War II , 1944 – 1946 . Upon completion of her shakedown off Florida , " LST - 901 " sailed to join the Pacific Fleet , arriving at Pearl Harbor on 27 March . After additional training , she reached Saipan on 12 June for resupply missions in the Marianas , Ryūkyūs , and Iwo Jima until the close of the war . She operated as mother ship for minesweeper s around Truk until sailing for the States on 28 November . After several short coastal voyages , she decommissioned at Vancouver , Washington on 9 August 1946 . Korean War , 1951 – 1955 . Recommissioned on 30 November 1951 with Lieutenant James E . Houlihan in command , " LST - 901 " prepared for service in the Korean War , sailing from San Diego on 7 July 1952 for Hawaii , Midway , and Inchon , arriving on 5 September . Logistic support lifts , amphibious landing rehearsals , and service as helicopter pad and control vessel for the Wonsan naval blockade were her missions until returning to San Diego on 21 May . From 1 August to 12 October she participated in the lift of the 3rd Marines to Japan . An uneasy peace reigned in Korea as she departed for her third Far Eastern tour on 27 March 1954 . After amphibious exercises , on 17 August " LST - 901 " joined the giant " Operation Passage to Freedom " . Between 29 August and 7 November she made seven trips to Hai Phong , North Vietnam to transport troops and refugees to Da Nang and Saigon in the South . Following a cruise to Inchon , she returned to San Diego 13 February 1955 . After training operations along the west coast , " LST - 901 " reported at San Francisco for inactivation on 1 July . On that day she was named USS " Litchfield County " ( LST - 901 ) . Placed in commission in reserve on 19 September , she decommissioned at Long Beach , California 20 December 1955 . Vietnam War , 1966 – 1969 . As the Vietnam War escalated , demands on American seapower again greatly increased , and early in 1966 " Litchfield County " was towed to Portland , Oregon for reactivation . She recommissioned on 5 March 1966 with Lieutenant C . C . Bryant in command . After shakedown out of San Diego she sailed on 3 June for her new home port , Apra , Guam , arriving on the 30th . " Litchfield County " sailed for Chu Lai with troops on 9 July , arriving off Vietnam ten days later . Resupply missions in support of ground forces continued through 9 November , when she returned to Guam . On 21 January 1967 she arrived off Vietnam once again to resume her essential resupply missions . Shuttling between Da Nang and Chu Lai for the next five weeks , she departed on 23 February , arriving at Guam on 18 March . " Litchfield County " completed two more Vietnam tours before the end of the year , sandwiching in between those tours duty as a survey ship in the western Carolines during July . During 1968 , and into 1969 , she continued to operate in the Pacific on survey and resupply missions from the Carolines , to Japan , and to Vietnam . Decommissioning and sale . Decommissioned on 7 December 1969 at Guam , she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 April 1975 . Sold for scrapping by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service ( DRMS ) on 1 January 1977 , she was acquired by the Aphrodite Shipping & Trading Corporation S . A . , of Panama and renamed " Petrola " 132 . After nearly two decades of commercial service she was again sold for scrapping , and arrived in tow at Aliağa , Turkey for demolition by Seltas A . S . on 5 April 1996 . Awards . " LST - 901 " earned two battle star s for Korean War service , and as " Litchfield County " six campaign star s for Vietnam War service .