USS New London County ( LST - 1066 ) USS " New London County " ( LST - 1066 ) was an in the United States Navy . Unlike many of her class , which received only numbers and were disposed of after World War II , she survived long enough to be named . On 1 July 1955 , all LSTs still in commission were named for US counties or parish es ; " LST - 1066 " was given the name New London County , after the county in Connecticut . " LST - 1066 " was laid down on 18 January 1945 at Hingham , Massachusetts , by the Bethlehem - Hingham Shipyard , Inc . ; launched on 21 February 1945 , sponsored by Miss Cynthia L . Rowan ; and commissioned on 20 March 1945 , Lt . E . J . Gilman in command . World War II Service . Following shakedown the newly designated flagship of LST Group 99 departed New York 11 May 1945 in convoy for the Western Pacific . Three months later , having transited the Panama Canal , " LST – 1066 " reached Leyte , Philippines via the Marshall and Caroline Islands . After transferring ammunition to fleet ships , she sailed 18 October from Lingayen Gulf , Luzon , on the first of two voyages transporting elements of the 6th Army to the Japan ese home islands of Honshū and Shikoku for occupation duty . Reserve . On 30 November she joined the procession of ships old and new steaming homeward and arrived San Pedro , California , 13 January 1946 . In March 1946 , placed out of commission in the reserve , " LST – 1066 " joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet in Puget Sound . Though given a name , " New London County " ( LST 1066 ) , on 1 July 1955 , the ship remained inactive until the aftermath of the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 . The Navy placed several LSTs in commission in reserve and created ResLSTRon TWO at Little Creek , Virginia . " New London County " joined this squadron 19 June 1963 . Beaching and other training exercises commenced in the fall of 1963 and found real application during the Dominican Republic crisis in the spring of 1965 . The escalating war in Vietnam , a country with limited port facilities , caused " New London County " and her sister ships to be placed in full commission 21 December 1965 . After a brief yard period and some intensive refresher training at Pearl Harbor the squadron reached the Western Pacific in April 1966 . Vietnam War . Home ported at Sasebo , Japan this landing ship spent much of her time unloading supplies , especially cement , along the central coast of South Vietnam . In February 1967 new orders directed the ship to Pusan , Korea . There she decommissioned on the 27th and was turned over to the Military Sea Transportation Service in whose service she continued to sail during 1969 . On 13 January 1970 , while back off the Vietnamese coast , she was damaged by an underwater explosion . She was subsequently towed to Da Nang for repairs . " LST - 1066 " earned two battle star s for the Vietnam War . " Comandante Hemmerdinger " . In August 1973 , " New London County " was sold to Chile where she served as " Comandante Hemmerdinger " ( LST - 88 ) . She was taken out of service on 14 October 1983 and sold for commercial service , 19 January 1984 , renamed M / V " Maquiserv " , Chilean flagged , out of Valparaiso . Her fate from that point is unknown .