USS Mount Vernon ( LSD - 39 ) USS " Mount Vernon " ( LSD - 39 ) was an " Anchorage " - class dock landing ship of the United States Navy . She was the fifth ship of the U . S . Navy to bear the name . She was built in Massachusetts in 1972 and homeported in Southern California for 31 years until being decommissioned on 25 July 2003 . " Mount Vernon " acted as the control ship for the cleanup of the Exxon Valdez oil spill . In 2005 , she was intentionally destroyed off the coast of Hawaii as part of a training exercise . History . " Mount Vernon " was awarded to General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division in Quincy , Massachusetts on 25 February 1966 . After commissioning in Boston Naval Shipyard in 1972 , she was homeported in San Diego , California . In April 1975 , " Mount Vernon " participated in Operation Frequent Wind , the evacuation of Saigon , Vietnam . Beginning 22 July 1985 , " Mount Vernon " was briefly homeported in Long Beach , California before returning to San Diego . In her 31 years of service , " Mount Vernon " completed 15 deployments in the U . S . Seventh Fleet in the Far East . Because of the remote location of the cleanup sites of the " Exxon Valdez " oil spill , there was a desperate need for floating facilities to house shoreline cleanup workers . In response , the Navy provided amphibious transport docks and dock landing ships ( LSDs ) . The arrived in Alaska on 24 April 1989 followed by the on 4 May 1989 . Over the summer months the Navy replaced the " Juneau " first with the and the , and then with the . Meanwhile , the " Mount Vernon " relieved the " Fort McHenry " and then left the cleanup operations on 18 July without a replacement , reducing the naval presence to one ship . The " Duluth " sailed without replacement on 16 September , ending the naval ship presence in the oil spill cleanup operations . The ships functioned as floating hotels , providing medical , laundry , housing , dining , and sleeping facilities for shoreline cleanup workers . They also provided communications support and functioned as command and control platforms and helipads for the forward deployment of helicopters . They supported base operations of the landing craft , providing maintenance , fuel , and docking . Deployed with the ships were Marine Corps CH - 46 helicopters and Army medical evacuation helicopters , which performed a variety of essential missions . Naval ship operations centered in Prince William Sound and were especially important in open sea areas because commercial berthing vessels could not operate in the rough water . During her career , the " Mount Vernon " accumulated many awards , including : The " Mount Vernon " was decommissioned on 25 July 2003 . Afterwards , she stayed at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility , in Pearl Harbor , Hawaii . On 16 June 2005 , she was sunk in a fleet training exercise for P - 3 Orion squadrons VP - 1 , VP - 9 , VP - 46 , and VP - 47 . The sinking was part of operation " Patrolling Thunder " and took place off the northwest coast of Kauai , Hawaii . Expended in the sinking were 3 Harpoon missile s , 4 Maverick missile s , and 18 bombs of 500 pounds apiece . Dock landing ships . Dock landing ship s support amphibious operations including landings via Landing Craft Air Cushion ( LCAC ) , conventional landing craft and helicopter s , onto hostile shores . The " Anchorage " - class combined a well - deck with a flight deck to support both small - craft and airborne operations . These ships also featured the facilities necessary to provide services to small boats , including dry docking and repairs . The " Mount Vernon " was the first West coast ship to be modified to support LCAC operations .