USS Kemper County ( LST - 854 ) USS " Kemper County " ( LST - 854 ) was an built for the United States Navy during World War II . Named after Kemper County , Mississippi , she was the only U . S . Naval vessel to bear the name . Originally laid down as USS " LST - 854 " by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company of Seneca , Illinois on 30 August 1944 ; launched on 20 November , sponsored by Mrs . M . A . Menkol ; and commissioned on 14 December with Lieutenant E . J . Robeson in command . Service history . World War II , 1945 . After shakedown off Florida , " LST - 854 " departed New Orleans for the Pacific Ocean on 15 January 1945 . Steaming via the Panama Canal , the West Coast , and Pearl Harbor , she reached Ulithi , Caroline Islands on 1 April . There she prepared to support the invasion of Okinawa ; then , with an Army Aviation Engineer Battalion on board , she sailed on 12 April for that strategic island which lay at the gateway to the heart of the Japanese Empire . The campaign was well underway when " LST - 854 " arrived at Nago Wan , Okinawa six days later . Despite heavy enemy air raids , she unloaded troops and equipment , then returned Ulithi on 5 May . During the remaining months of the war , she shuttled troops and equipment among the Philippines and Okinawa in preparation for a possible invasion of Japan . 1945 – 1949 . Following the end of World War II , she operated in the Far East , transporting occupation forces until November . " LST - 854 " arrived at Seattle , Washington on 16 December , then after overhaul and training returned to the Far East on 27 June 1946 . From 1946 to 1949 she transported Navy and Marine Corps troops and cargo among Chinese ports and the Marianas . The veteran landing ship returned to the United States on 6 June 1949 , and decommissioned on 21 October at Puget Sound Navy Yard . Korean War , 1950 – 1953 . On the outbreak of the Korean War , the United States responded by sending forces to aid South Korea . To assist in the transportation of troops and cargo , " LST - 854 " was re - commissioned on 20 November 1950 ; then , after training , she departed San Diego on 17 March 1951 . Three months later she commenced operations in the War Zone , and from June to December operated between Japan and Korea . Her duties in Korea were transporting prisoners - of - war from Pusan to Koje Do , furnishing logistics support for troops at Koje Do , and rotating cargo and troops among Korean ports . During early January 1952 " LST - 854 " participated in the landing of the 40th Division at Inchon and provided refugees lifts along the Korean coast . Departing Yokosuka on 25 February , the landing ship arrived at San Diego on 16 March . After overhaul and training along the West Coast , she was back in Japan on 26 November . For the remaining months of the conflict , " LST - 854 " shuttled troops and cargo in support of United Nations Command forces engaged in fierce combat on the Asian mainland . Following the truce which ended hostilities , the veteran landing ship transported pro - and anti - Communist prisoners to await repatriation . 1953 – 1965 . " LST - 854 " returned San Diego on 17 October and , following overhaul , performed training exercises along the West Coast . From May 1954 to May 1960 she sailed on four WestPac cruises in which she supported the 7th Fleet . " LST - 854 " was named USS " Kemper County " ( LST - 854 ) on 1 July 1955 . After returning from her WestPac cruise on 6 May 1960 , " Kemper County " spent the next five years performing amphibious training exercises along the California coast and in the Hawaiian operating area . Vietnam War , 1965 – 1969 . In the early 1960s the United States expanded efforts to protect the integrity and independence of South Vietnam . To aid in the vast logistic demands created , " Kemper County " departed San Diego on 11 October 1965 , arriving Subic Bay , Philippines on 12 November . Ten days later she arrived at Da Nang , and operated along the coast of South Vietnam for the rest of the year . She operated primarily in the rivers of the Mekong Delta transiting enemy - controlled territory to carry supplies to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam Headquarters at Can Tho . Four times she ascended these streams as far as inland . On 3 March 1966 she assisted tanker SS " Paloma " which lay burning and adrift in the Saigon River after a Viet Cong attack . On reaching the scene , she shelled the river bank from which the attack had been launched while fighting the conflagration on the tanker . During this deployment " Kemper County " carried over 10 , 000 tons of military cargo and vast quantities of food and clothing for the war - stricken civilian population of South Vietnam before returning to San Diego on 28 May 1966 . Her services won her the Battle Efficiency " E " of 1966 . She operated off the West Coast into 1967 preparing for future action . Decommissioning and transfer . Decommissioned on 28 May 1969 , " Kemper County " was subsequently struck from the Naval Vessel Register ( date unknown ) . Transferred to the Government of Barbados in July 1975 and renamed Northpoint , she was later sold to the Government of Panama ( " c . " early - 1980s ) and renamed El Gato Blanco . Her final fate is unknown . Awards . " LST - 854 " received one battle star for World War II service , five battle stars for service in the Korean War , and one award of the Navy Unit Commendation and six campaign star s for Vietnam War service .