USS Saginaw ( LST - 1188 ) USS " Saginaw " ( LST - 1188 ) , a of the United States Navy was the second ship of that name . Saginaw was named after the Saginaw River , a river in mid - Michigan . The ship was decommissioned in Little Creek , Virginia on 29 August 1994 and at the same ceremony transferred to the Royal Australian Navy . History . " Saginaw " was laid down on 24 May 1969 by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company , in San Diego . She was launched on 7 February 1970 , sponsored by Mrs . James Harvey , wife of the Congressman from the Eighth District of Michigan ( which included Saginaw ) , and commissioned at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard on 23 January 1971 , with Commander G . P . Brown in command . The new tank landing ship ( LST ) completed fitting out , took on ammunition at NWS Seal Beach , California , and got underway from San Diego on 4 March 1971 , bound for the east coast . On her first day out , her lookouts sighted a mechanized landing craft , " LCM ( 6 ) - 805 " , adrift at sea . The LST took the drifting craft in tow , and later , turned her over to the " Point Defiance " ( LSD - 31 ) . Then , " Saginaw " proceeded via Acapulco , Mexico , and the Panama Canal , to NAB Little Creek , Virginia , her home port , arriving on 26 March . Early in April , while preparing for shakedown , the ship tested a new concept for her class by hoisting a major self - contained medical unit ( MUST ) on her tank decks . This was done to evaluate the feasibility of setting up complete hospital facilities on her deck after off - loading her troops , vehicles , and cargo . She got underway on 19 April for Guantánamo Bay , Cuba , for shakedown , which lasted until her return to Little Creek on 8 June . Various types of training and post - shakedown availability kept her busy through the end of the year . On 16 January 1972 , " Saginaw " weighed anchor to participate in Operation " Snowy Beach " with Amphibious Squadron 8 at Reid State Park Beach , Maine . On 28 January , she completed the exercise and began preparations for overseas movement . On 23 February , she embarked marines at Morehead City , North Carolina , and sailed for the Mediterranean . She arrived at Rota , Spain , on 5 March , and changed operational control to the 6th Fleet on the following day . For the next five months , " Saginaw " sailed the length of the " middle sea , " participated in six amphibious exercises at various points across the Mediterranean , and visited ports along the way , from Spain to Turkey . She left the 6th Fleet in early August , and returned to Morehead City on 21 August . After disembarking Marines there , she entered her home port on the next day . After a 30 - day standdown period , she resumed normal operations out of Little Creek for the remainder of the year . " Saginaw " made two voyages to Vieques Island , Puerto Rico , in January and early February 1973 , to transport Marines to and from exercises held on that island . On 22 March , she deployed to the Caribbean for two months as a unit of the Caribbean Amphibious Ready Group . She returned to Little Creek on 18 May to regroup and replenish prior to her second deployment to the Caribbean . On 5 July , she resumed operations in the Caribbean until 24 August when she re - entered Little Creek . She remained in that area until 26 November , when she put to sea to join other elements of the United States and Canadian navies in CAUSEX , a convoy protection ASW exercise . " Saginaw " returned to Little Creek on 6 December , and remained in port for the duration of 1973 . Saginaw spent the first four months of 1974 in local operations out of Little Creek and in preparations for deployment to the Mediterranean . On 10 May 1974 , she embarked Marines at Morehead City , then got underway for Rota , Spain . She arrived in Rota on 20 May , and through June , cruised the Mediterranean as a unit of the 6th Fleet . In the fall of 1977 , Saginaw escorted the damaged submarine USS Ray back to CONUS after participation in Exercise Display Determination , a major NATO Amphibious exercise in the Mediterranean , returning to the US in 1978 . In January 1979 , Saginaw deployed to the Caribbean for operations with the Amphibious Squadron Four . In June of the same year , she participated in the inter - fleet transfer of USS Pegasus ( PHM - 1 ) ; escorting USS Pegasus from Rodman , Canal Zone to Ft . Lauderdale , Florida . Saginaw deployed to the US Sixth Fleet in September 1979 with Amphibious Squadron Four and returned to the US in February 1980 . In May 1980 , Saginaw participated in Solid Shield . On her way home she was diverted to the Florida Straits to take part in Cuban Refugee Operations , rescuing some 300 people . Also in 1980 Saginaw participated in Readex 2 – 80 and NATO exercise Teamwork 80 . On 24 June , during the Lebanese civil war , 800 civilians were evacuated from Juniyah , Lebanon by MARG 2 – 82 ships . On 28 August and 29 September , Saginaw entered Beirut harbor to provide vehicles and personnel for the Multi - National Force . For her participation in Lebanese operations Saginaw received three awards : the Navy Unit Commendation , the Navy Expeditionary Medal , and the Humanitarian Service Medal . In early 1983 , Saginaw participated in Cold Winter 83 . The latter part of 1983 found Saginaw busy preparing for her first Operational Propulsion Plant Examination ( OPPE ) as well as participation in Readex 2 – 83 . In February 1984 , Saginaw departed Little Creek for a seven month deployment with MARG 2 – 84 and Teamwork 84 . These exercises began with a 30 plus ship ocean transit and ended with a mock - up reinforcement of NATO forces in Norway . On April 1984 , Saginaw arrived in the Mediterranean and found herself again involved in operations off the Lebanese coast . The remaining four months of the cruise were spent providing security for the U . S . Embassy in Beirut . 1985 proved to be a busy year for Saginaw . Prior to a June deployment , Saginaw underwent an Operational Propulsion Plant Examination , Amphibious Refresher Training , and participated in Operation Solid Shield 85 . On 14 June , Saginaw commenced the six - month UNITAS XXVI / WATCC 85 deployment , making port calls through South America and West Africa . Saginaw arrived home in December , and commenced a much needed drydocking and Phased Maintenance Availability in January . During September 1986 , the ship underwent a highly successful INSURV . October saw the ship undergo Intermediate Refresher Training in GTMO where an OPPE ( Operational Propulsion Plant Examination ) certification was achieved . After GTMO , Saginaw completed a successful Amphibious Refresher Training . It was during AMPHIBREFTRE that she received the highest grades by an LST ever recorded . In late spring of 1987 , Saginaw again deployed to the 6th and 7th fleets with MARG 3 – 87 . Steering in both the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean , Saginaw participated in amphibious exercise Eastern Wind 87 and Bright Star 87 . Ports visited included Mombasa , Kenya ; Alexandria , Egypt ; and Naples , Italy . During this cruise , Saginaw suffered a main space fire in engine room No . 1 ( Main Control ) . Saginaw returned to Little Creek , and entered Jonathan Shipyards for extensive repairs . In 1988 , Saginaw participated in Teamwork 88 with NATO forces . Following the exercise Saginaw conducted a port visit in Ronne , Denmark on the island of Bornholm . Saginaw was the 1st U . S . Naval ship to visit Bornholm in 26 years . Saginaw finished 1988 at Jonathan Shipyards in a Phased Maintenance Availability . Following PMA , Saginaw began an extensive work - up schedule to prepare for her fall Mediterranean deployment as part of MARG 1 – 90 . This included a Damage Control Training deployment to Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , followed by an OPPEE in which Saginaw earned a " clean sweep " . The MARG 1 – 90 deployment included many Joint Amphibious Exercises . Saginaw participated in exercises with troops from the countries of Spain , Tunisia , France , and Egypt . In 1990 , " Saginaw " completed a successful Supply Management Inspection , Operational Propulsion Plant Examination , and INSURV inspection , before seeing duty in both Operation Desert Shield , and Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf . In August 1990 , Saginaw left Little Creek , VA . en route to the Persian Gulf , and entered the Gulf area on 14 Sep , as part of the amphibious force in the area with a full complement of Marines from Camp Lejuene 2nd Mar Div and 3 / 2 . During her stay , she visited ports in Oman , and the United Arab Emirates before the commencement of the ground war . During the hostilities , Saginaw participated in several practice landings just south of Kuwait City , Kuwait . Saginaw left the Persian Gulf after cessation of hostilities on 24 March 1991 . After which , she entered dry - dock for much needed repairs . In the spring of 1991 , it was decided that most of the U . S . LSTs were no longer needed by the Navy , and were to be decommissioned and sold to other countries . In March 1992 , the next six - month Mediterranean Deployment commenced , and " Saginaw " as part of MARG 2 – 92 with a full crew of approx 14 officers and 210 enlisted , plus several platoons of US Marines with Humvees , Amtraks , Amphibious assault vehicles , etc . The ship participated in numerous amphibious training exercises with forces from Spain , France , Greece , Turkey , and others while also conducting operations in the Adriatic supporting US involvement in the former Yugoslavia . After deployment the ship entered into an expedited turn around of industrial work , training , inspections and pre - deployment preparations . " Saginaw " completed a successful Supply Management Inspection and INSURV inspection . This training also included a Damage Control Training deployment to Guantanamo Bay , Cuba and a complete Amphibious Refresher Training period off the coast of Virginia and North Carolina . Late in this aggressive work up period , on the eve of the Operational Propulsion Plant Examination , the decision to sell the ship to the Australians in a " hot - ship " transfer was approved . The ready crew and ship were told to stand down from deployment preparations and begin training a full Australian crew in LST operations and maintenance . After several months of much Congressional and State Department activity , the ship was decommissioned in Little Creek , Virginia on 29 August 1994 and at the same ceremony transferred to the Royal Australian Navy . In Australia , the ship was converted into an Amphibious Troop Transport to meet the needs of the Australian Navy ' s mission . Fate . " Saginaw " was sold to Australia for use as a transport , and was renamed . The ship is now too rusty to be seaworthy , and is likely to be scrapped . http : / / www . smh . com . au / national / neglect - of - amphibious - fleet - triggers - defence - inquiry - 20110215 - 1av7r . html