USS LST - 987 USS " Millard County " ( LST - 987 ) was an built for the United States Navy during World War II . Named after Millard County , Utah , it was the only U . S . Naval vessel to bear the name . Originally laid down as " LST - 987 " on 2 February 1944 at the Boston Navy Yard ; launched on 5 March 1944 ; and commissioned on 19 April 1944 with Lieutenant William H . Pennington in command . Service history . World War II , 1944 – 1945 . After shakedown along the east coast , " LST - 987 " began duty under Commander , Amphibious Training Command , Atlantic Fleet . Assigned to LST Group 25 , she operated out of Little Creek , Virginia during the next year as an underway training ship in Chesapeake Bay . She trained LST officers and crews in procedures of beaching , gunnery , ship handling , and tactics . In addition , she trained with Army tanks and equipment and carried out pontoon beaching exercises . During this period she completed three cruises for officers and 23 cruises for crews . On 19 April 1945 " LST - 987 " entered Portsmouth Navy Yard for a two - week overhaul ; thence , after loading rolling stock and , she sailed on 16 May for the Pacific . Arriving Pearl Harbor on 13 June , she unloaded equipment and embarked soldiers of the 545th Field Artillery . The LST then sailed for the western Pacific on 21 June . Steaming via the Marshalls and Marianas , she reached Leyte Gulf , Philippines on 15 July , debarked troops , and on the 16th reported for duty with ServRon 10 . Between 26 and 29 July , " LST - 987 " steamed into Subic Bay , Luzon . There she embarked units of the 479th Air Service Squadron with rolling stock and cargo , and on 1 August she sailed for Okinawa . She reached Hagushi on 6 August and , after discharging men and equipment at Ie Shima from 12 to 16 August , she sailed for the Philippines the 21st . Steaming via Subic Bay , she reached Leyte Gulf on 30 August . Post - war activities , 1945 – 1949 . Assigned to occupation operations , " LST - 987 " steamed to Panay , Philippines on 6 September where she embarked troops of the 40th Infantry . Between 17 and 27 September she steamed to Inchon where she off - loaded equipment , thence she sailed to Pusan on 2 to 4 October and debarked troops . She returned to Inchon on 8 October , embarked 1 , 000 Japanese POWs , and sailed for Japan on 11 October . Arriving on 14 October , she debarked the Japanese and three days later got underway for the Philippines . She lost her port propeller on 18 October , but with assistance from reached Subic on 23 October . " LST - 987 " continued to support the lifting of occupation forces in the Far East during the remainder of the year , and runs carried her from the Sea of Japan to the East China Sea . Early in 1946 she returned to the United States from the western Pacific , and in May she was assigned duty as a Naval Reserve training ship . She decommissioned on 3 September 1946 , but continued service training Naval Reserves ; and for over three years operated under command of the Potomac Naval River Command . Decommissioning . " LST - 987 " entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Green Cove Springs , Florida in May 1950 . Named USS " Millard County " ( LST - 987 ) on 1 July 1955 , she remained in her Florida berthing area until mid - 1960 . Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 June 1960 . In commercial service . In August 1961 she was sold to the German Navy for conversion into a battle damage repair ship ( ARB ) . However , this conversion was never undertaken and she never saw commissioned service in the " Bundesmarine " . Struck from the German Naval List in early 1968 , she was sold for scrap in November of that year . Sold again in 1972 to Zandzuig & Transportbedrijf H . G . & G . D . Blomberg B . V . of Berkel en Rodenrijs , The Netherlands , flagged Panamanian . On 22 September 1972 she was docked on the railway at " de Merwede " shipyard in The Netherlands and conversion to trailing suction hopper dredge commenced . She was renamed " Esperance III " and subsequently dredged gravel in the North Sea . Resold in 1978 to Cdeco Maritime Construction Inc . of Wilmington , Delaware , she was reflagged U . S . Sold again in 1980 to American International Dredge Corporation . The vessel was resold in 1986 to B & B Dredging Corporation of Crystal River , Florida and renamed " Columbus " . She was sold again in 1996 to Proteus Co . , Chicago , Illinois and is currently operated by B + B Dredging Company of Chicago , Illinois . She primarily performs maintenance dredging of federal navigation channels for the United States Army Corps of Engineers . Renamed " Columbia " in 2002 . Sold to The Dutra Group of San Rafael , California in December 2009 .