USS Suffolk County ( LST - 1173 ) USS " Suffolk County " ( LST - 1173 ) was a built for the United States Navy during the late 1950s . Named after counties in Massachusetts and New York , she was the only U . S . Naval vessel to bear the name . " Suffolk County " was laid down on 17 July 1955 by the Boston Naval Shipyard , Boston , Massachusetts ; launched on 5 September 1956 ; sponsored by Mrs . Thomas P . O ' Neill , Jr . ; and commissioned on 15 August 1957 with Lieutenant Commander James E . Brown in command . Service history . 1957 – 1959 . " Suffolk County " fitted out at Boston and sailed for Norfolk , Virginia on 1 October to hold shakedown training and exercises in beaching . She returned to Boston from 5 December 1957 to 3 February 1958 for post - shakedown availability . The ship was back at Norfolk three days later and began local training exercises . From 19 July to 7 August the LST participated in amphibious training exercises off Puerto Rico . " Suffolk County " departed Norfolk on 8 September and , after embarking marines at Morehead City , North Carolina sailed for the Mediterranean and her first tour with the 6th Fleet . She was part of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Group at Beirut , Lebanon from 29 September to 18 October 1958 . Between fleet maneuvers that included amphibious assault landing exercises on Crete , Sardinia ( twice ) , Libya and Almeria , Spain she called at ports in Gibraltar , Lebanon , Crete , Greece , Turkey , Italy , Spain and France . The ship stood out of Rota , Spain on 12 March 1959 . After disembarking the marines at Morehead City on 24 March , she returned to Norfolk on the 26th . In June , she participated in " Operation Inland Seas " which was the formal opening of the St . Lawrence Seaway for ocean - going ships . 1960 – 1961 . " Suffolk County " returned to Norfolk in August and was assigned to Amphibious Squadron ( PhibRon ) 8 which promptly deployed to the Mediterranean until 12 June 1960 when it returned to Norfolk . After a leave and upkeep period , she moved to Charleston , South Carolina for her first overhaul which lasted from mid - July to 15 September . As a unit of PhibRon 8 , the ship participated in a landing demonstration off Onslow Beach , North Carolina from 29 October to 3 November . The following month found her in the Caribbean on a two - month deployment , ending at Norfolk on 17 January 1961 . " Suffolk County " returned to the Caribbean in April on a normal deployment . However , she was called upon to operate off Guantánamo Bay from 25 April to 5 May and off the Dominican Republic from 1 to 13 June because of the international tension those two countries were creating . She returned to Norfolk and operated from there until 15 September when she sailed on " SoLant Amity III " deployment . After loading marines and equipment at North Carolina , she proceeded to Trinidad . " Suffolk County " was attached to Task Force ( TF ) 88 for the remainder of the cruise which included port calls at South Africa , French Equatorial Africa , Sierra Leone , Guinea , and Liberia . She returned to Little Creek , Virginia on 16 December 1961 . 1962 – 1972 . " Suffolk County " operated along the east coast , participating in various operations , deployments , and exercises which took her as far south as the Caribbean , Panama , and the Dominican Republic . From September to December 1964 she was involved in the cross Atlantic operation , " Operation Steel Pike " , the largest amphibious operation since the World War II Normandy Landings . Elements of the 2nd Marine Division were landed at several locations along the Spanish coast . " Suffolk County " , in addition to her ship ' s company , carried several companies of Marines and she also served as the " home base " for the U . S . Naval Cargo Handling Battalion One ( CHBONE ) . She was at Guantanamo on 26 September 1966 when Hurricane Inez struck the Caribbean and left a path of destruction in Hispaniola . " Suffolk County " aided the inhabitants of Cayes - Jacmel , Anse - à - Pitres , and Marigot , on the southern coast of Haiti , until 7 October . The LST then continued her routine operations until early 1968 . On 16 April 1968 " Suffolk County " sailed for another deployment period with the 6th Fleet which lasted until 4 June . Normal peacetime , east coast operations were resumed until September 1970 when she steamed to the Mediterranean to partake in a two - month exercise with North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) fleet units which ended on 18 November 1970 . Her normal routine was next broken in September 1971 when she deployed to the 6th Fleet for her longest tour in years which lasted until mid - March 1972 . Decommissioning . When " Suffolk County " arrived at Norfolk , she was ordered to prepare for inactivation . A " stand - down " phase was begun on 24 May 1972 which lasted until 1 July when she was placed in commission , in reserve . On 25 August " Suffolk County " was placed out of commission , in reserve . Disposed of by transfer to the Maritime Administration ( MARAD ) on 15 April 1992 for lay - up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at James River , Fort Eustis , Virginia , the ship was sold for $ 500 to Transforma Marine of Brownsville , Texas for scrapping , 31 March 1999 . " Suffolk County " was removed from the Reserve Fleet 23 November 1999 and scrapped .