USS Terrebonne Parish ( LST - 1156 ) USS " Terrebonne Parish " ( LST - 1156 ) , originally USS " LST - 1156 " , affectionately nicknamed the " T - Bone " by her early crew , was a built for the United States Navy in 1952 . The lead ship in her class , she was named for Terrebonne Parish , Louisiana , the only U . S . Navy vessel to bear the name . The ship was later transferred to Spain and renamed SPS " Velasco " ( L - 11 ) , and was scrapped in 1994 . Construction and commissioning , 1952 . " Terrebonne Parish " was originally laid down as USS LST - 1156 on 2 January 1952 at Bath , Maine , by Bath Iron Works . She was launched on 9 August 1952 , sponsored by Miss Anne L . McCrea , and commissioned on 21 November 1952 with Lieutenant Commander Henry L . Porter in command . United States East Coast , Caribbean , and Atlantic operations , 1952 – 1957 . Following sea trial and shakedown , " LST - 1156 " underwent post - shakedown alterations at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard at Portsmouth , Virginia , before commencing operations out of Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek at Virginia Beach , Virginia , with Amphibious Forces , United States Atlantic Fleet , on 14 September 1953 . The ship then conducted training exercises out of Little Creek before entering the Norfolk Navy Yard for conversion to an LST flotilla flagship , involving the installation of much new communications equipment . " LST - 1156 " remained on operations out of Little Creek through June 1955 . On 1 July 1955 she was named USS " Terrebonne Parish " . Following operations in the Caribbean and off North Carolina and overhaul at the Charleston Naval Shipyard at Charleston , South Carolina , " Terrebonne Parish " conducted a cruise to Lisbon , Portugal , and Port Lyautey , French Morocco , before resuming local operations out of Little Creek . She continued participating in exercises and assault landings in the Caribbean and returned to Norfolk , Virginia , on 14 May 1957 to resume local operations and LST training . First Mediterranean deployment , 1957 – 1958 . On 29 August 1957 , " Terrebonne Parish " cleared Naval Station Norfolk for Morehead City , North Carolina , and , on 30 August 1957 , embarked United States Marines , vehicles , and cargo for transport to the Mediterranean . She joined units of the United States Sixth Fleet at Taranto , Italy , on 16 September 1957 . During her subsequent Mediterranean tour pf duty , she took part in North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) landing exercises at Saros Gulf , Turkey , and visited ports in Turkey , mainland Greece , mainland Italy , Crete , and Sicily before returning to the United States on 12 February 1958 and resuming local operations out of Little Creek . Second Mediterranean deployment and Caribbean and United States East Coast operations , 1958 – 1959 . Following overhaul and refresher training , " Terrebonne Parish " again deployed to the Mediterranean for duty with the Sixth Fleet in September 1958 , serving as part of Service Force , Mediterranean , before returning westward once again to the United States and operations off the United States East Coast and in Caribbean waters . Inland seas cruise , United States East Coast operations , and Mediterranean deployments , 1959 – 1961 . On 16 June 1959 " Terrebonne Parish " commenced an " inland seas " cruise , transiting the St . Lawrence Seaway and calling at Iroquois , Cape Vincent , and Port Weller , Ontario , Canada ; Ashtabula , Ohio ; Kenosha , Wisconsin ; Chicago , Illinois ; Milwaukee , Wisconsin ; Cleveland , Ohio ; Erie , Pennsylvania ; Port Colburne , Ontario ; and Rochester , New York , before returning to her home base at Little Creek on 6 August . " Terrebonne Parish " also participated in Exercise TRALEX in 1959 , one of the largest amphibious warfare exercises conducted in that year . " Terrebonne Parish " conducted yearly deployments to the Mediterranean , with periodic overhauls and exercises , through 1961 . Cuban Missile Crisis , 1962 . In late October 1962 , after the United States detected the presence of Soviet ballistic missile s in Cuba , the United States instituted a naval blockade – termed a " quarantine " by the United States Government – of Cuba , throwing a naval cordon around the island . During these emergency preparations , " Terrebonne Parish " operated with the Atlantic Fleet Amphibious Force through December 1962 , when the Cuban Missile Crisis finally subsided . United States East Coast operations and Mediterranean deployment , 1963 – 1964 . Attached to Amphibious Forces , Atlantic Fleet , Amphibious Squadron 6 , " Terrebonne Parish " conducted operations off the Virginia Capes in January and February 1963 and then was overhauled in Jacksonville , Florida , before she again departed for the Mediterranean . During her 1963 deployment with the 6th Fleet , " Terrebonne Parish " participated in MEDLANDEX , a joint American - Spanish exercise in which 3 , 000 American and Spanish Marines were landed with support from aircraft carrier - based aircraft . " Terrebonne Parish " remained in the Mediterranean until February 1964 before returning to the United States for amphibious exercises in the spring of 1964 at Onslow Beach , North Carolina , and off Cape Pendleton , Virginia . She proceeded to New York City in July 1964 to participate as an exhibit in the New York World ' s Fair before taking part in an amphibious exercise with Marines and United States Naval Academy midshipmen off Camp Pendleton . Mediterranean deployment , 1964 – 1965 . Early in the autumn of 1964 , " Terrebonne Parish " embarked the men and vehicles of " C " Company , 1st Battalion , 2nd Marine Regiment , and proceeded for Huelva , Spain , to take part in " Exercise Steel Pike , " in which she became the first LST to " marry " to an eighteen - section causeway for landing her embarked vehicles . For the remainder of her Mediterranean deployment , " Terrebonne Parish " took part in landing exercises off Sardinia and Corsica and made visits to ports in Italy , France , and Spain , spending the Christmas holidays in Barcelona , Spain , in late December 1964 and New Year ' s Eve ( 31 December 1964 ) at Valencia , Spain . Caribbean operations , 1965 – 1966 . Returning home to the United States towards the end of March 1965 , " Terrebonne Parish " transported a United States Marine Corps missile detachment to the Caribbean , and then underwent extensive overhaul for four months by the Bethlehem Steel shipyard at Baltimore , Maryland . After refresher training , " Terrebonne Parish " got underway for the Caribbean on 3 March 1966 to begin a four - month deployment to participate in exercises and operations involving beachings and landings . She next made two lifts to the Dominican Republic in late August and early September 1965 . During this Caribbean tour , a locking device was developed for the sand flaps on the ship ' s bow doors to keep them secure while underway , and it was installed on " Terrebonne Parish " in January 1966 at San Juan , Puerto Rico . Tests proved that the new devices were very efficient . As a result , this modification was approved for all LSTs . Seventh Mediterranean deployment , 1967 . " Terrebonne Parish " commenced her seventh Mediterranean deployment on 30 March 1967 . when she embarked Marines of the 1st Battalion , 6th Marine Regiment , at Morehead City and crossed the Atlantic Ocean in company with four minesweeper s of Mine Division 83 . Upon arriving at Aranci Bay , Sardinia , on 19 April 1967 , she joined Amphibious Squadron 6 , Task Force 61 , and soon participated in " Exercise Fairgame Five , " a joint French - American amphibious exercise which brought together elements of the French Army , French Navy , French Commandos , and French Foreign Legion , and a joint United States Navy - United States Marine Corps team . " Terrebonne Parish " then headed for the western half of the Mediterranean and proceeded to Italy and Crete for further exercises . While she was at Taormina , Sicily , in late July 1967 , volunteers from her ship ' s company and embarked Marines went ashore to battle a raging brush fire threatening the town of Giardini . Leaving Taormina on 7 August 1967 and arriving at Porto Scudo , Sardinia , on 12 August 1967 , " Terrebonne Parish " took part in further amphibious exercises before she re - embarked her Marines after field exercises and proceeded to Malaga , Spain , for further amphibious training operations . She subsequently departed Rota , Spain , on 2 September 1967 for her return voyage to the United States . Eighth Mediterranean deployment , 1969 , and Caribbean deployment , 1970 . " Terrebonne Parish " deployed to the Mediterranean in 1969 , then deployed to the Caribbean early in 1970 as part of the Caribbean Ready Group in Exercise " Carib 1 – 70 , " which also included amphibious assault ship USS " Guadalcanal " ( LPH - 7 ) , dock landing ship USS " Spiegel Grove " ( LSD - 32 ) , attack cargo ship USS " Vermilion " ( AKA - 107 ) , and tank landing ship USS " Suffolk County " ( LST - 1173 ) . During this deployment , she visited Vieques Island , Puerto Rico , periodically to practice amphibious operations . Other ports visited during this cruise were Mayaguez , Puerto Rico , where the ship ' s company built playground equipment at a local school ; San Juan , Puerto Rico ; St . Croix , United States Virgin Islands ; Martinique , French West Indies ; Colon , Panama ; Aruba , Netherlands West Indies ; Guantanamo Bay , Cuba ; and Roosevelt Roads , Puerto Rico . " Terrebonne Parish " also participated in an emergency deployment of the Caribbean Ready Group from San Juan , steaming out of sight of land between the islands of Trinidad and Tobago following an attempted " coup " against the government of Trinidad and Tobago . En route from Aruba , she participated in joint naval exercises with the Venezuelan Navy . United States East Coast operations , 1970 . Following return from Carib 1 – 70 , " Terrebonne Parish " participated in riverine operations in St . Helena Sound , South Carolina . As one of the ships in Amphibious Forces , Atlantic , she earned more Battle E awards than most of the other ships in that command . In September 1970 , " Terrebonne Parish " steamed in company with the flagship of Commander , Amphibious Forces , Atlantic – amphibious force command ship USS " Pocono " ( AGC - 16 ) – and USS " Spiegel Grove — to Halifax , Nova Scotia , Canada , and encountered a confluence of two storms in which she took " green water " on occasion 25 feet , ( 7 . 6 meters ) over her bows , heavily damaging many weather deck fixtures and equipment . During one 24 - hour period , the formation of ships was only able to make one nautical mile ( 1 . 85 kilometers ) good over the ground . Ninth Mediterranean deployment , 1970 – 1971 , and Caribbean deployment , 1971 . " Terrebone Parish " returned to the Mediterranean in late 1970 for her ninth deployment . In 1971 , still homeported at Little Creek , Virginia and operating under command of Amphibious Forces , Atlantic , " Terrebonne Parish " deployed to the Caribbean for exercises and training activities . These included an operation from 5 to 10 August 1971 in which United States Army and Panamanian National Guard units participated . Transfer to Spain , 1971 , and Spanish Navy career , 1971 – 1994 . Soon after returning from Panama , " Terrbonne Parish " began preparations for her upcoming transfer to the Spanish government . On 29 October 1971 the ship was decommissioned and loaned over to the Spanish Navy at Little Creek the same day . " Terrebonne Parish " was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 November 1976 and sold outright to Spain on 17 May 1978 . Renamed " Velasco " ( L - 11 ) , the ship served Spain until decommissioned by the Spanish Navy and used as a training hulk for UOE ( " Unidad de Operaciones Especiales " , a Naval Special Operations Unit ) at La Carraca shipyard , Cádiz , Spain . " Velasco " was scrapped in 1994 .