USS Barnstable County
(LST-1197)

UNITAS XXXII , West African Training Cruise 1991 (WATC91) and Sail Boston '92 Cruise Book
Ship's History

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All Cruise Book Photos Courtesy James Mateychuck

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The Barnstable County (BSC) keel was laid on 19 December 1970 at the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego, California and was subsequently launched on 2 October 1971. Sponsoring the ship was Mrs. Frank R. Sanders, wife of the Undersecretary of the Navy, the Honorable Frank R. Sanders.

Following her construction phase, the ship was delivered to the U.S. Navy on May 18, 1972 at NAVSTA Long Beach, California. The BSC was commissioned on 27 May, 1972 and reported for the completion of fitting out at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. Her guns were fired for the first time on 10 July, 1972 off San Clemente Island. Her first port of call was Acapulco, Mexico on 29 July, 1972. She then transited eastbound through the Panama Canal on 7 August, 1972 and finally arrived at her home port of NAB, Little Creek, VA on 14 August, 1972

Since her commissioning, the BSC has made 10 major deployments and participated in numerous operations and exercises, including:
  • Mediterranean deployments in 1974 (operation Nimbus Star, a multi-national operation to reopen the Suez Canal), 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983 (operations for multi-national peace keeping force, Beirut, Lebannon and tactical withdrawl of U.S. Troops from Lebannon), 1985 and 1989.
  • North Atlantic deployments in 1978, 1981 and 1982 (operation Smokey Topaz)
  • Participation in operation Urgent Fury (rescue operations of Grenada, 26 October, 1983).
  • Participation in West African Training Cruise, 1987/UNITAS XXVII.
  • Participation in West African Training Cruise, 1990(operation Sharp Edge - rescue operation of civilians from Monrovia, Liberia),

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Version (01.02): June 25, 2014