USS Monticello ( LSD - 35 ) USS " Monticello " ( LSD - 35 ) was a , the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Monticello , Thomas Jefferson ' s home in Virginia . " Monticello " was laid down on 6 June 1955 by Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp . , Pascagoula , Mississippi ; launched on 10 August 1956 ; sponsored by Mrs . Harry R . Sheppard , wife of Congressman Harry R . Sheppard of California ; and commissioned on 29 March 1957 , Capt . James T . Hodgson , Jr . , in command . Service history . After outfitting and trials off the East Coast , Monticello arrived at her home port , NS San Diego , on 27 May 1957 to join Amphibious Forces , Pacific Fleet , and immediately began shakedown training . She continued to operate off the Pacific coast , joining in major amphibious training operations which took her to Eniwetok in 1958 and Hawaii and Alaska in 1959 , serving usually as primary control ship . Such operations , involving ships of all types along with underwater demolition team s and Marines , keep the fleet at top readiness for any challenge of diplomatic crisis or war itself . On 14 November 1960 , " Monticello " sailed for a seven - month deployment with the 7th Fleet in the western Pacific . She was combat - loaded with part of a Marine reinforced battalion landing team , and was alerted four times during the Laos crisis , steaming with and four escorting destroyer s in the South China Sea and the Gulf of Siam . Returning to San Diego in July , " Monticello " joined in a joint Army - Navy - Air Force amphibious exercise at San Juan Island , Washington , in September , then returned to fleet training operations from her home port . " Monticello " sailed on 18 February 1962 in JTF 8 for nuclear weapons tests at Christmas Island , first carrying cargo between Christmas Island and San Diego , and then acting as command ship during tests of antisubmarine weapons . In June , she sailed again to Christmas Island to aid in closing down the test operation , and continued to a second 7th Fleet tour of duty highlighted by a large amphibious exercise at Okinawa . She returned to San Diego and a program of training with Camp Pendleton marines , necessary overhaul , and refresher training early in December . She again joined the 7th Fleet ' s Amphibious Ready Group from January to October 1964 , taking part in SEATO as well as U . S . exercises . After operating on the Atlantic coast through much of 1965 , " Monticello " headed back to the western Pacific in August . Early in 1966 , she steamed to South Vietnam for " Operation Double Eagle " the longest and largest amphibious operation of the Vietnam War up to that time . It enabled Allied forces to engage Viet Cong near Thac Tru and secure a beachhead in a key area . At the operation ' s conclusion , on 26 February , she headed for Subic Bay en route home via Hong Kong , Yokosuka , and Pearl Harbor . After overhaul at San Pedro and training along the Pacific coast , " Monticello " got underway from San Diego on 13 January 1967 , heading for the Far East . Much action awaited her in Vietnam . She served as primary command ship for " Operation Beacon Hill I " at Quang Tri from 20 March to 2 April and " Beacon Star " there from 22 April to 12 May . She joined in " Bell " in the latter half of May , in " Beacon Torch " and " Bear Chain " in July , and in August participated in " Kangaroo Kick " , an amphibious feint off Huế , and " Belt Drive " , again at Quang Tri . Relieved at Da Nang in September . " Monticello " returned to San Diego on 13 October . After an overhaul that lasted until early 1968 , " Monticello " conducted refresher training and local operations out of San Diego . In November of that year , she once again deployed to Vietnam where she remained into 1969 . " Monticello " was decommissioned on 1 October 1985 and transferred to the US Maritime Administration on 2 August 1991 . Her name was struck from the Navy list on 24 February 1992 and she was sold on 29 September 1995 to Pegasus Inc for scrapping . She was repossessed by the Navy on 1 July 1997 after the failure of Pegasus to dismantle the ship and was re - transferred to the United States Maritime Administration and docked in the National Defense Reserve Fleet , Suisun Bay , Benicia , California . Ex - " Monticello " was environmentally cleaned to be used for target practice by Marad Contract # N00140 - 03C - A002 from 9 March through 27 April 2006 and then the vessel was returned to the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet . Ex - " Monticello " was withdrawn from the National Defense Reserve Fleet , Suisun Bay , Benicia , California on 27 June 2010 , to be towed to Hawaii for sinking , in July 2010 , as part of the RIMPAC 2010 exercise .