USS Duluth ( LPD - 6 ) USS " Duluth " ( LPD - 6 ) , an , is the second ship of the United States Navy named for the city in Minnesota . " Duluth " was laid down on 18 December 1963 by the New York Naval Shipyard . She was launched on 14 August 1965 and commissioned on 18 December 1965 . She was the last ship to be launched from the Brooklyn Navy Yard before it was closed . History . 1965 – 1970 . The ship sailed to Danang , Republic of Vietnam , in May 1965 to operate with Amphibious Ready Group , U . S . 7th Fleet in the Vietnam War . On 15 June 1966 , a Sikorsky H - 34 from HC - 4 made the first helicopter landing on board . In 1967 , from the months of May until November the " Duluth " operated with Amphibious Ready Group , Seventh Fleet , in South China Sea . Conducted amphibious landing operations Bear Claw and Beacon Guide at Hue ( 7 June ) , Chu Lai ( 12 June ) , Cue Viet ( 3 , 27 July ) , and Phu Loc ( 21 July ) . Took part in Operations Beacon Gate at Song Cua Dai and Chu Lai ( 7 – 16 August ) and Beacon Point off Thua Thien province . The LPD then steamed off Quang Nam and Quang Tin provinces during Operation Ballistic Charge ( 16 – 28 September ) . After refitting at Subic Bay , " Duluth " participated in helicopter - centered Operation Bastion Hill near Cua Viet ( 10 October – 1 November ) . Following vehicle ferry operations from Subic early in the month , the LPD steamed to Hong Kong , arriving there 17 November . Underway for a WestPac cruise on 1 May 1970 , " Duluth " loaded BLT 1 / 9 at Okinawa for transfer to Subic Bay at the end of the month . She then made several cargo lifts to Danang or to Yankee Station , delivering an H - 3 helicopter to , spare parts , and carried YFU - 52 back to Subic Bay before steaming to Sasebo , Japan , for rest and recreation 3 – 15 July . Returning to Subic on 19 July , she spent the next three months conducting amphibious training and logistics operations from Subic to Danang and Vung Tau . In mid - October , " Duluth " embarked 140 Philippine marines for a joint exercise near Manila , but disaster recovery efforts in the wake of Typhoon Joan forced a cancellation of the operation . Arriving in Lagoney Gulf on 22 October , " Duluth " operated as a fuel stop and ready deck ship for helicopters during three days of relief operations in a swath of devastated barrios and villages 80 by wide and including the cities of Virac and Naga . Following another month of logistics support out of Subic Bay , " Duluth " steamed for home , reaching San Diego on 10 December . 1971 – 1975 . After a restricted availability to repair a damaged rotor blade in her port turbine , " Duluth " sailed for another WestPac deployment on 1 October 1971 . The ship loaded elements of BLT 2 / 4 at Okinawa on 18 October before resuming Danang logistics support operations out of Subic Bay . The LPD delivered vehicles , equipment and humanitarian supplies to Danang and embarked deck cargo and damaged PTFs for return to Subic . The LPD remained there until through the winter , conducting the occasional amphibious exercise in the Philippines and transporting troops and supplies between Subic Bay and Buckner Bay . On 1 April , following the outbreak of the North Vietnamese “ Easter Offensive ” , " Duluth " sailed to a holding station off South Vietnam to await developments . With the North Vietnamese offensive blunted by the end of the month , the LPD steamed to Subic Bay for rest and relaxation , 8 – 21 May . Returning to Vietnam , " Duluth " embarked 300 South Vietnamese marines at Tan My and landed them at Quang Tri on the 24th , during which operation " Duluth " took desultory enemy fire from a shore battery . The LPD conducted a similar mission in early July , when Marine helicopters deployed South Vietnamese marines during Operation Lam - Son 72 , before sailing for home on 14 July and arriving in San Diego on 4 August 1972 . On 28 March 1975 , " Duluth " got underway for a WestPac deployment via Pearl Harbor , Okinawa and Subic Bay . Arriving off Vung Tau on 21 April , " Duluth " participated in Operation Frequent Wind , the evacuation of Saigon , Vietnam . On 29 April , fourteen South Vietnamese , Marine and Air America helicopters landed delivering over 900 refugees to " Duluth " alone , including the Italian ambassador . The refugees were later transferred to . The following day another 1 , 391 refugees arrived , forcing " Duluth " s crew to jettison three RVN helicopters over the side to make room for the arriving CH - 53 helicopters . The ship then steamed to Subic Bay and disembarked the refugees on 5 May . Over the next four days , working parties of volunteers reported to Grande Island to assist and process refugees . The LPD remained at Subic through the end of the month for cleaning ship . 1982 . In March , " Duluth " participated as one of many amphibious ships in Operation Team Spirit ' 82 . This was a joint training exercise between the U . S . Navy / U . S . Marine Corps and the forces of South Korea . Her specific mission was to transport the 1st Battalion , 1st Marines from Okinawa to South Korea and back . There was also an training evolution in support of a U . S . Marine Corps AV - 8 Harrier unit . This involved landing and refueling some of the jets on the flight deck . 1983 . In August , September and October 1983 " Duluth " served in support of the multi - national peace keeping mission to Beirut , Lebanon , and participated in the evacuation of Ambassador Robert Collins and family . 1987 . In June the USS " Duluth " embarked 1st Bn 9th Marines , from Camp Pendleton , California , as Battalion Landing Team One Slant Nine and set out on its six month WestPac tour . The official deployment was designated as the 13th MAU SOC ( Marine Amphibious Unit , Special Operations Capable ) . Included in this deployment were the , , and the . Aboard the USS " Germantown " , LCAC ' s ( Landing Craft Air Cushion ) 2 , 3 and 4 were carried . It was the first time that the LCAC ' s were deployed in support of Naval and Marine Corps operations . Several Humanitarian missions were executed in the Philippines and Indonesia . Marines were also deployed to the Mediterranean to assault several terrorist - held oil rigs . The Marines were also called upon to restore order and security around the Subic Naval Base after several " Sparrow teams " killed high ranking government officials in an attempted coup . The ship received a Battle " E " and the Marines a Meritorious Unit Citation for actions throughout the deployment . 1989 – 1994 . In January 1989 " Duluth " sailed on a WestPac cruise with MSSG - 13 and SEAL Team 5 embarked . In addition to port calls in Okinawa , the Philippines , Japan and Hong Kong , " Duluth " participated in Team Spirit 89 in Korea . In late May after operations with the Australian Army and Navy , " Duluth " s port call in Mackay , Australia was cut short when the Amphibious Ready Group she was attached to was recalled " at best possible speed " across the Pacific to the evolving situation in Panama . She returned to San Diego in early June . In August 1989 , " Duluth " sailed to Prince William Sound , Alaska , for oil spill decontamination operations with HMM - 268 embarked . " Duluth " housed clean - up crews , provided medical and weather forecasting services and supported decontamination barge efforts . " Duluth " was underway 21 January 1994 for WestPac operations . Arrived in Singapore 14 February and assigned to TG 76 . 5 for duty off the coast of Somalia . The ship remained in Singapore for six days before getting underway for the Indian Ocean and arriving off Mogadishu on 3 March to assist in the evacuation of American forces from Somalia . She remained there , other than a short trip to Melindi , Kenya , until 24 April when the LPD steamed to Mombasa . " Duluth " then steamed off Kipini , Kenya , holding for possible contingency operations owing to the civil war in Rwanda , until 4 June when she sailed for Fremantle , Australia . Following a five - day port visit , the LPD returned to San Diego via Pearl Harbor , arriving home on 21 July . 1996 – 1997 . Commander Donald S . Inbody assumed command of " Duluth " at 1430 on 21 May 1996 in a ceremony on the flight deck while underway in the Sea of Thailand en route Singapore . Commodore Frank Gallic ( Commander , Amphibious Squadron Three ) spoke . Colonel John Garrett ( 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit ) , Lt . Col . Bill Johnson ( MEU Service Support Group 13 ) , Commander Lee Touchberry ( ) , and other Commanding Officers and Officers in Charge from within the Amphibious Ready Group were present . During the deployment , " Duluth " participated with the other ships of COMPHIBRON Three and 13th MEU in a highly classified operation to capture Imad Mughniyah . This plan , Operation Return Ox , set sail at 1730C from Bahrain on 23 July 1996 to intercept the Motor Vessel " Ibn Tufail " , a Pakistani ship on which it was believed Mughniyah was embarked . On 24 July , after all ships were at sea and Navy SEAL s had already begun shadowing the Pakistani ship , it was canceled . Operators were told that the White House canceled the interception when they could not be given 100 % assurance that Mughniya was actually on board . 2000 – 2005 . " Duluth " was again underway 14 August 2000 for operations in the Indian Ocean as part of the Amphibious Ready Group ( ARG ) . Following stops at Pearl Harbor and Darwin , Australia , " Duluth " conducted three days of humanitarian assistance operations off East Timor ( 14 – 16 September ) before a one - day stop at Singapore on 21 September . Moving into the Indian Ocean , the ARG stopped at Phuket , Thailand ( 28 September – 1 October ) before steaming on to the Seychelles , where they arrived 9 October . Three days later , " Duluth " received word that the had been bombed in harbor at Aden , Yemen , and the LPD quickly steamed north to Aden to provide small boat and helicopter operations in support of " Cole " . Following a short cruise north to Bahrain in late December , " Duluth " sailed east , arriving in San Diego on 14 February . While en route , the LPD stopped at Iwo Jima to launch amphibious vehicles in commemoration of the World War II battle . Underway for Operation Iraqi Freedom on 6 January 2003 , " Duluth " loaded elements of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and HMM - 161 and sailed west . After a brief stop in Singapore on 29 January , the ships sailed into the Indian Ocean and arrived in the northern Persian Gulf on 10 February . The LPD operated at sea until 19 March when hostilities began in Iraq . The ship served as on - scene commander on 22 March when two helicopters from collided in the vicinity of " Duluth " . After the initial surge of Marines ashore , " Duluth " s crew conducted boat operations in support of operations around Iraqi oil pipeline terminals . Departing the Persian Gulf on 27 May , the ship stopped at Cairns , Australia and Pearl Harbor before arriving home on 23 July . While anchored at Guam on 28 December 2004 , the LPD was ordered south for Operation Unified Assistance to aid victims of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami . " Duluth " arrived off Sri Lanka on 9 January 2005 and her crew and embarked Marines cleared helicopter landing zones , removed debris and helped clean up two devastated elementary schools . During this deployment , " Duluth " delivered 210 tons of supplies to Sumatra and Sri Lanka . The amphibious transport dock ship ' s last deployment ended in June 2005 after a six - month cruise to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . Shortly after " Duluth " s final cruise , she was decommissioned at Naval Station San Diego in a ceremony on 28 September 2005 and LPD - 6 was stripped from the national ship ' s registry . The ceremony featured the crew leaving the ship in ranks and the lowering of the national colors . " Duluth " sat in San Diego for many months before being towed to the mothball fleet in Hawaii . Awards . " Duluth " won many awards in its 39 years . The most recent was the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Award for supporting Coast Guard Port Security Unit s during Operation Iraqi Freedom from March to May 2003 . Two Coast Guard units , PSUs 311 and 313 , were assigned to defend the ABOT and KAAOT gas oil platforms ( OPLATS ) off the Iraqi coast after their seizure during the opening nights of Operation Iraqi Freedom . " Duluth " provided the Coast Guard detachments support by performing significant repairs to platform power sources , quality of life upgrades , command and control system repairs and improvements . More recently " Duluth " was awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal for tsunami relief efforts in the Sri Lanka area .