USS Raleigh ( LPD - 1 ) USS " Raleigh " ( LPD - 1 ) , the lead ship of her class of amphibious transport dock s , was the fourth ship of the United States Navy named for the capital of North Carolina , which in turn honors the English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh , the first to attempt the establishment of an English settlement in North America . Her keel was laid down by the New York Naval Shipyard of Brooklyn , New York , on 23 June 1960 . She was launched on 17 March 1962 sponsored by Mrs . Terry Sanford , wife of the Governor of North Carolina , and commissioned on 8 September 1962 with Captain A . W . Whitney in command . She was decommissioned in 1991 after deploying for the Gulf War . Service history . 1962 – 1969 . After fitting out through mid - December , " Raleigh " steamed to Norfolk , Virginia for the holiday season . In January 1963 , she steamed for shakedown to Guantánamo Bay , Cuba , but returned to the building yard in late February for the correction of design deficiencies in her aviation gasoline system . Returning to Guantánamo in April , she completed shakedown , then assisted Commander , Amphibious Force , Atlantic in hosting the Navy League national convention in San Juan , Puerto Rico . Returning to Norfolk on 1 June , " Raleigh " completed a week ' s amphibious training at Little Creek , Virginia , and then deployed to the Caribbean Sea in July with Amphibious Squadron 8 . " Raleigh " proved herself during this deployment by simultaneously landing troops and equipment by means of boats and amphibious vehicles from her well and by helicopters from her flight deck . During this cruise she made one trip to Haiti as tension there rose . " Raleigh " returned to Norfolk on 1 October and then underwent post - shakedown availability at New York City from 7 January 1964 through 13 March . During the spring she conducted amphibious training operations off Onslow Beach , North Carolina . Steaming for Europe on 12 October , " Raleigh " arrived off the coast of Spain and took part in " Operation Steel Pike " . She then called at Porto , Portugal , and Vigo , Spain , before returning to Norfolk on 27 November . After a yard period at the U . S . Naval Shipyard , Portsmouth , Virginia , she deployed to the Caribbean on 1 April 1965 with the Amphibious Ready Squadron . From 25 April through 6 June , she operated off the Dominican Republic , evacuating 558 refugees who were later transferred to for transit to San Juan . For her part in the endeavor " Raleigh " and her crew received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal . She returned to Norfolk on 29 June . After upkeep and coastal training operations , " Raleigh " steamed for northern Europe on 27 August to participate in " Bar Frost 65 , " a NATO amphibious exercise featuring a landing in Norway ' s fjords north of the Arctic Circle . Returning to Norfolk on 23 October , she underwent a yard period through 4 April 1966 , and then steamed for refresher training at Guantánamo Bay . In April 1966 , the Marines operated a Hawker Siddeley Kestrel off the commando assault ship and were impressed with the aircraft . This then led to the Marines obtaining the Harrier AV - 8A jump jet for use from their assault ships . " Raleigh " s deployments to the Caribbean from Norfolk as a unit of the Amphibious Ready Squadron averaged two per year up until 1970 . 1970 – 1979 . In July 1970 she began the first of a series of Mediterranean cruises , averaging one a year . During the summer of 1971 , the " Raleigh " embarked Midshipman from the U . S . Naval Academy for a NATO / Training deployment to the North Atlantic . Ports of call were Lisbon , Portugal , Portsmouth , England and Copenhagen , Denmark . Returning to Norfolk , the " Raleigh " upgraded and refitted for her next deployment to the Mediterranean in February 1972 . During that deployment , the " Raleigh " and her Marines participated in a number of amphibious landing operations with British , Greek and Italian naval units . Returning to CONUS ( Continental United States ) in August 1972 , the " Raleigh " participated in several " transportation " deployments to various Naval Bases on the East Coast before her entry to the Berkley Shipyards in Norfolk , Virginia , for overhaul . " Raleigh " departed Berkeley and went through refresher training at Guantanamo Bay in the spring of 1973 . However a boiler casualty in No . 2 Engine Room forced her return to Norfolk . During transit from Cuba to Norfolk , the " Raleigh " was harassed by Cuban and Soviet aircraft for several days . During the late fall of 1973 , Captain Eugene Geronime relieved Captain Robert Crispin . In November of that year " Raleigh " deployed again to the Mediterranean , this time to link up with the Marine Amphibious Group sortied at Souda Bay , Crete . The combined Groups saw the largest Marine Force ever assembled in the Mediterranean up to that time . This was in response to the 1973 Arab - Israeli War in October . Following the cease fire , the " Raleigh " maintained station in the Eastern Mediterranean to prevent Soviet expansion in that area . " Raleigh " returned to Little Creek , Virginia , in June 1974 for one of the biggest homecomings the ship ever received . During the summer of 1974 , " Raleigh " prepared for an extensive overhaul in Baltimore , Maryland , and following its first phase , she ran aground in Chesapeake Bay and returned to her homeport in Norfolk . During her second phase in the General Dynamics Shipyard in Quincy , Massachusetts , a fire further disrupted her return to the Fleet . On 18 April 1975 Captain John McIntyre took command and took Raleigh through an extended shakedown and two overseas deployments , including the evacuation of Americans from Beirut in May 1976 , for which the ship and crew received the Humanitarian Service Medal . During the standup for the evacuation , " Raleigh " spent 105 consecutive days at sea in the Eastern Mediterranean in early 1976 . Later that year , she participated in a Northern Europe amphibious demonstration deployment to Norway , after which Captain McIntyre and crew were feted upon their return to their Norfolk home port following almost two years of extensive operations . 1980 – 1989 . In 1984 The Raleigh participated in JLOTs ( Joint Logistics Over the Shore ) which was a test of the Navy ' s ability to supply troops on the beach from container ships off shore . In 1985 she went into the ship yards in Charleston S . C . and then to Guantanamo Bay for training exercises . In 1986 she went to the North Atlantic , steaming by Iceland and then to Norway ' s fiords to practice amphibious assaults and transit exercises . In the same year she was part of an operation in the Mediterranean Sea . In 1987 and again in 1988 – 89 , " Raleigh " cruised the Persian Gulf as part of a mine countermeasures group . First Gulf War , 1990 – 1991 . The USS " Raleigh " cruise book ( USN ships often produce one ) for Operations Desert Shield / Desert Storm has it that the ship completed the operation on 17 April 1991 . She left Morehead City , North Carolina in August 1990 . The ship ' s CO was Capt Richard J McCarthy , the XO was Lt Cmdr Robert Baker , and the CMC was Ronald G Crittenden . The assigned LCU was " LCU - 1663 " . Embarked Marine units included the command staff of 1st Bn , 10th Marines , the command staff of 3rd Bn , 2nd Marines , and significant combat elements that included combat engineers , LAADs , AAVs , TOWs , tanks of 2nd Tk Bn , and I Btry 10th Marines , among others . " Raleigh " transited the Suez Canal in late August or early September . The initial watch was to stay in the North Arabian Sea . She was involved in a number of exercises in Oman under the name " Sea Soldier " . Subsequently , she supported mine countermeasures missions operations off Kuwait City , and used six AH - 1W Sea Cobra attack helicopters in CAP missions . Decommissioning and fate . " Raleigh " was decommissioned on 13 December 1991 , was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 25 January 1992 , and disposed of as a target on 4 December 1994 .