USS Harlan County ( LST - 1196 ) USS " Harlan County " ( LST - 1196 ) was a United States Navy tank landing ship of the " Newport " - class . " Harlan County " ( LST - 1196 ) was named after Harlan County , Kentucky as reflected in her unit patch . Her keel was laid on 7 November 1970 at San Diego , California by the National Steel & Shipbuilding Co . She launched on 24 July 1971 , was sponsored by Mrs . Richard Capen , and was commissioned on 8 April 1972 with Commander Vernon C . Smith in command . Service history . Following commissioning , " Harlan County " was assigned to the Amphibious Force , Atlantic Fleet , and transited the Panama Canal en route to her home port at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek . The crew of the " Harlan County " affectionately nicknamed her the " Darlin ' Harlan " , " Supergator " , and " the Golden Gator " . Over her career , the " Harlan County " routinely deployed to the Mediterranean , Western Africa , and South America , while also conducting amphibious training operations along the east coast of the United States and in the Caribbean . The " Harlan County " served during several notable actions during her career : she was stationed off the coast of Lebanon in 1983 when the Marine barracks in Beirut was bombed ; several of her crew volunteered for a " Search and Rescue Detail . " She served in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm / Desert Shield . In 1990 the USS " Harlan County " helped reestablish US Navy cooperation with Argentina ; she was the first US Navy ship to make an official port visit to Buenos Aires since the Falklands War . On 11 October 1993 , the " Harlan County " was sent to Port - au - Prince , Haiti to pave the way for an agreed - upon UN intervention . However , she was ordered back to sea a day later in the face of protests . The " Harlan County " was decommissioned on 14 April 1995 and was temporarily leased to Spain , where she was re - christened as the " Pizarro " ( L - 42 ) in the Spanish Navy . In 1999 the US Government finally sold the " Harlan County " to Spain ; the ship was decommissioned by the Spanish Navy on 14 December 2012 . Design and capabilities . USS " Harlan County " , one of the " Newport " class of LSTs , was designed as a modernized " battle - group " version of the Tank Landing Ship s ( LSTs ) of World War Two . The major difference ( among many ) being these new ships had a v - shaped bow to allow for greater speed ( 20 + knots ) , versus the blunt bow LSTs of World War II and later . The " Harlan County " had a light weight of , but almost doubled in weight to at full load . The ships of the class had the ability to transport of cargo or for beaching on of deckspace . The ships had the capacity to transport twenty - three AAV - 7A1 armored personnel carriers ( APCs ) , or twenty - nine M - 48 tanks ( used by the Marines ) , or forty - one 2½ ton cargo trucks ( deuce and a halfs ) on the tank deck , which had turntables both fore and aft . They could also carry twenty - nine 2½ ton trucks on the upper deck . The " Harlan County " normally carried two LCVP s on the port Welin davit , and another LCVP and an LCPL ( Captain ' s Gig ) on the starboard davit . The " Harlan County " carried of marine diesel , of vehicle fuel , of gasoline ( mogas ) , and of JP - 5 aviation fuel . The ship also had below deck berthing in the forward hull for a small battalion of Marine ground forces . A bow thruster and stern anchor was used for ship positioning during bow ramp operations , stern gate launchings , and beaching evolutions . The bow ramp itself was long , and weighs constructed from aluminum . The ramp was rated at capacity ( an M1A1 Tank weighs ) and when deployed , the aft end fits onto a " king post " , upon which it could swivel to a limited degree . The bow ramp ( when deployed ) is supported by a set of derrick arms , giving the ship its distinctive cross section . Aft of the bow ramp ( when extended ) is a vehicle ramp ( known as the " ' tween decks ramp " ) which allows vehicles to proceed directly from the tank deck to the bow ramp , thence to the deployment site , beach or causeway . When the bow ramp is retracted , the ' tween decks ramp is located directly below and is raised and sealed to ensure water tight integrity between the main deck and the tank deck . A forward turntable facilitates maneuvering of various Marine and Seabee vehicles . At the aft end of the tank deck , another turntable likewise facilitates maneuvering of these vehicles and allows AAV ( Marine " LVTs " - Tracked Landing Vehicles ) to launch directly into the water via the sterngate , which opens directly to the sea during " launching operations " . Four causeway sections could be mounted aft ( two on the port side and two on the starboard ) of the superstructure directly adjacent the flight deck ; these were linked together to form a pontoon bridge which allowed offloading of vehicles when the ship was not to beach herself . These causeway sections were also lashed to the stern gate as needed ; " steel beach " was a popular recreational activity for the crew while she was deployed . Causeway sections were married to the stern gate and the crew could enjoy barbecue , beer , and an occasional swim call . For helicopter operations , the ship had a landing pad aft of the smoke - stacks and twin capacity cargo winches . A power - driven cargo hatch leads from the flight deck to the tank deck .