USS Sphinx ( ARL - 24 ) USS " Sphinx " ( ARL - 24 ) was one of 39 " Achelous " - class landing craft repair ships built for the United States Navy during World War II . Named for the Sphinx ( a mythical monster formed by joining the body of a lion and the head of a human ) , she was the only U . S . Naval vessel to bear the name . Originally authorized as " LST - 963 " , the ship was redesignated as a landing craft repair ship ( ARL ) on 11 September 1944 ; laid down 20 October 1944 by the Bethlehem Steel Company of Hingham , Massachusetts ; named " Sphinx " and redesignated " ARL - 24 " on 11 September 1944 ; launched on 18 November 1944 ; converted into a landing craft repair ship at the Merrill Stevens Drydock , Jacksonville , Florida ; and commissioned on 10 May 1945 . " Sphinx " completed fitting out and proceeded to Norfolk , Virginia for sea trials and shakedown in Chesapeake Bay . Service history . World War II . On 12 June 1945 " Sphinx " sailed for the west coast ; transited the Panama Canal on 23 June ; and proceeded via San Diego to San Francisco . She was assigned to the Amphibious Forces , Pacific Fleet , and ordered to Hawaii . " Sphinx " arrived in Pearl Harbor on 31 July and repaired craft there until 27 August when she sailed for Adak , Alaska . Before she reached Adak , her sailing orders were modified , routing her to Japan . She arrived at Mutsu Bay , Honshū on 14 September and began repairing and refitting minesweepers . " Sphinx " moved to Yokosuka on 20 November and sailed for Saipan on 3 December 1945 . She operated in the central Pacific islands until entering Pearl Harbor on 9 January 1947 en route to the west coast for decontamination . The ship had participated in " Operation Crossroads , " the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands from early April to 29 August 1946 . " Sphinx " arrived at San Pedro , California on 22 January where she was decontaminated and prepared for inactivation . She was placed out of commission , in reserve , on 26 May 1947 . Korean War . The outbreak of hostilities in Korea created a need for " Sphinx ' s " repair facilities in the Far East . She was recommissioned on 3 November 1950 . After outfitting and holding shakedown training , she stood out of San Diego on 17 August 1951 and proceeded via Pearl Harbor to Japan . " Sphinx " arrived at Yokosuka on 29 September and operated from Japanese ports until 7 May 1952 . During this time , she repaired and serviced fleet units that were being used in Korea . The ship returned to San Diego on 4 June 1952 and operated along the California coast until redeployed to the Far East from 3 March to 9 December 1954 . " Sphinx " operated along the west coast during 1955 and , on 31 January 1956 , was again placed out of commission , in reserve , and berthed at San Diego . Vietnam War . In January 1967 orders were issued to reactivate " Sphinx " for use in Vietnam . She was towed to New Orleans , Louisiana in February and , on 16 December 1967 , placed in commission . The ship sailed for the west coast on 8 January 1968 and arrived at San Diego on 23 February . On 22 April " Sphinx " and sailed for the western Pacific . The ships made port calls at Pearl Harbor , Kusaie , Guam , and Subic Bay . " Sphinx " sailed independently from there on 6 June and , four days later , arrived at Vung Tau , South Vietnam . " Sphinx " moved to Dong Tarn on 11 June and was assigned to the Mobile Riverine Force in the Mekong Delta . Her unit was Task Force ( TF ) 117 composed of 11 shallow - draft ships and over 150 river assault boats . The repair ship was on a non - rotating basis and , during 1969 , had very little time underway . She operated in the Tien Giang and Ham Luong rivers , providing service and support for the river boats as they engaged in operations against the Viet Cong . The ship sailed from Vietnam on 21 June for a yard period at Sasebo and returned on 25 August . Upon her return to Vietnam , " Sphinx " operated along the Vam Co River . In addition to her regular duties , the ship served as the tactical operations center of the Can Giouc Interdiction Unit and also developed helicopter capabilities , handling 50 landings before 31 December 1969 . She remained in Vietnam until 14 December 1970 when she weighed anchor for a yard period at Yokosuka . On the last day of the year , the ship lost power in both main engines and was adrift 340 miles from Sasebo . On 2 January 1971 the took her under tow for Sasebo where she was repaired . " Sphinx " was back off Vietnam on 11 March and remained there until sailing for the west coast several months later . She arrived at Bremerton , Washington on 2 July and prepared to rejoin the reserve fleet . On 30 September 1971 " Sphinx " was placed in reserve , out of commission , and remained berthed at Bremerton into December 1974 . " Sphinx " was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 16 April 1977 . Intelligence - gatherer . " Sphinx " was reacquired by the Navy in 1985 and commissioned in July 1985 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard , Bremerton . In 1985 , the ship went through a $ 25 million overhaul to become an intelligence - collection platform . It conducted patrols off the Pacific coast of El Salvador monitoring the actions of the communist guerrilla forces . The ship was decommissioned for the last time on 16 June 1989 at Norfolk and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet . Museum ship . Custody of " Sphinx " was transferred on 2 December 2002 to the Dunkirk Historical Lighthouse and Veterans Park Museum in Dunkirk , New York for preservation , where she was regarded as the " " Sole Survivor of All LST ' s in The U . S . Mothball Fleet Today . " " It was reported in May 2007 , that the " Sphinx " was being stripped of parts by groups from other historical ships , as the Dunkirk Historical group was unsuccessful in raising adequate funds to move her to their location . Later that year , " Sphinx " was sold for scrapping to North American Recycling , Inc . The ship was moved to Baltimore , but the scrapper went out of business and " Sphinx " was abandoned along with another Atlantic Reserve Fleet ship , the former . In November 2007 , " Sphinx " was acquired by Bay Bridge Enterprises , who moved her to their facility in Chesapeake , Virginia for disposal . The vessel arrived at their facility on 1 December 2007 . " Sphinx " received one battle star for Korean service and eight for service in Vietnam .