Ship Web site
On Thu, 7 Oct 1999
Chuck Westbrook Email address wrote:
Chester Harris has built a home for the USS Gunston Hall LSD-5.
I would like to cordially invite all of you to visit his great new site
and please sign his GuestBook so he will know you were there. I think
you will enjoy your visit and it will be worth you time to take a look,
I highly recommend it.
Web Site
Regards,
Chuck Westbrook
Ship news
On Sun, 27 Jun 1999
Chuck Wetbrook Email address wrote:
For: Chester Harris Email address
The guy that has generously donated his time and expertise on helping
me build my web site wanted me to inform you that his ship was also
involved in the Korean Conflict.
His Name is Chester Harris and his address is farmboy2@pacbell.net.
USS Gunston Hall LSD-5 is the name of his ship.
I am sending you her history. She also played a very important roll in
keeping this great nation free... Gunston Hall earned nine battle stars
for World War II service and another nine battle stars during the Korean
War.
His Name is Chester Harris and his address is farmboy2@pacbell.net
Best Regards,
Chuck Wetbrook
History
Chuck Wetbrook Email address wrote:
For: Chester Harris Email address
From Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. III (1977),
pp. 187-188.
Gunston Hall is a colonial estate in Fairfax County, Va., about 15 miles
down the Potomac River from Alexandria and not far from Mount Vernon.
Built between 1755 and 1758, it is a representative piece of Virginia's
colonial architecture and has been designated a national shrine.
Gunston Hall was the home of George Mason, one of Virginia's outstanding
Revolutionary figures. In addition to serving in the Constitutional
Convention, Mason was prominent in drafting the first constitution of
Virginia and was the author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which
served as the prototype for the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments
to the Constitution of the United States.
(LSD-5: dp. 4,490, l. 457'9"; b. 72'2"; dr. 18'; s. 15 k.; a 1 5" 12
40mm.; cpl. 326; cl. Ashland)
Gunston Hall (LSD-5) originally designated APM-5, was launched 1 May
1943 by the Moore Drydock Co., Oakland, Calif., sponsored by Mrs.
Harvey S. Haislip; and commissioned 10 November 1943, Comdr. D. E.
Collins in command.
After intensive shakedown along the California coast Gunston.Hall
prepared to sail for the Western Pacific, where she was to participate
in every major operation from February 1944 to the end of the war, 18
months later. Loading 225 men from the 4th Marine Tank Battalion and 2
amphibious units, as well as 15 LVT's, 15 tanks, 17 CM's, and 15,000
gallons of gasoline, Gunston Hall departed San Diego 13 January 1944.
On D-Day 1 February 1944 at Kwajalein Atoll, she stood offshore to
unload her cargo as the Marines stormed the beaches on Roi and Namur
Islands. Gunston Hall remained in the area to repair small craft until
6 F'ebruary, when she reembarked her former passengers and equipment and
sailed to Guadalcanal via Funa Futi. The pattern she set here held for
her participation in eight further key invasion efforts in the
Pacific as the Navy "Island-hopped" marines and Army troops ever closer
to the Japanese home islands.
Through the rest of 1944, the versatile landing ship took part in the
initial assault invasions of Emirau Island 20 March, Hollandia 22 April,
Guam 21 July, Pelelieu Island 15 September, and Leyte Island 20 October.
The last assault culminated in the momentous Battle for Leyte Gulf, one
of history's greatest naval engagements. While not actually involved in
an invasion effort, Gunston Hall trained troops and shuttled supplies
and men from the rear islands to the staging areas.
In 1945 Gunston Hall participated in the initial assault landings at
Luzon 9 January, Iwo Jima 19 February, and Okinawa 1 April. After the
first invasion waves went ashore at Okinawa -- the Pacific's largest
amphibious operation, involving over 1,200 ships and haIf a million men
Gunston Hall remained anchored at nearby Kerama Retto until 1 July to
repair small craft. She was untouched by the enemy's fierce kamikaze
attacks although she saw several other American ships hit and crippled.
Gunston Hall terminated her Pacific war duty 1 July 1945 as she sailed
for a much-needed overhaul reaching Portland, Oreg., 26 July via Guam,
Eniwetok, and Pearl Harbor. After a period of shuttling small craft
along the West Coast, she anchored at San Diego in mid-December to
repair small craft.
Gunston Hall returned to the Pacific in 1946 to participate in one of
the most sinificant series of scientific tests of the era. Departing
San Diego 17 April, she reached Bikini Atoll 6 May via Pearl Harbor for
duties in connection with Operation "Crossroads," the famous series of
atomic bomb tests. Departing Bikini 19 August, Gunston Hall returned to
San Diego 3 October via Kwajalein and Pearl.
Gunston Hall decommissioned 7 July 1947 at Terminal Island in San
Francisco Bay.
Conversion as an Arctic LSD at Puget Sound Navy Shipyard, Seattle, gave
Gunston Hall a reinforced hull and a greatly extended heating and
ventilation system which would permit her to operate efteetively in the
Arctic. She recommissioned at Puget Sound 5 March 1949 and, after
shakedown, sailed north to participate in Operation "MIKI" in the Arctic
Cirele and later returned for Operation "MICOWEX." Next training and
development operations along the West Coast occupied her until the
outbreak of war in Korea.
With elements of the 1st Marine Provisional Brigade embarked, Gunston
Hall departed San Diego 1 July 1950 and reached Pusan, Korea, via
Yokosuka 3 August. Disembarking the Marines, she took aboard 30
stretcher cases and returned to Osaka, Japan. On 10 September Gunston
Hall sailed from Japan to participate in the brilliant amphibious
operation at Inchon, Korea, 15 September. After the Marines had landed
midway up the peninsula, threatening to cut the communist supply lines
to their troops at the tip of the peninsula, Gunston Hall made several
shuttle trips to bring reinforcements.
As the Korean conflict settled into its long and bloody pattern of near
stalemate, Gunston Hall continued to shuttle troops and supplies between
Japan and Korea, occasionally also acting on fire support missions for
coastal minesweepers. During an overhaul in the summer of 1952, she was
fitted with a helicopter landing and launching platform large enough to
accommodate nine "whirly-birds," newest element in amphibious warfare.
When armistice ended the actual fighting in Korea, Gunston Hall sailed
to Cheju Do, Korea, 4 September 1953. Remaining there until 22
September, she served in Operation "Big Switeh," the exchange of
prisoners of war. She then settled into a schedule of annual cruises in
the Western Pacific, which took her from San Diego to various Asian
ports, interspersed with Arctic resupply cruises.
Gunston Hall was part of one of the Navy's greatest postwar
humanitarian efforts in 1955 as she joined TG 90 (Rear Admiral Lorenzo
S. Sabin) at Saigon, South Vietnam, for Operation "Passage to Freedom."
When the Geneva Aceord of July 1954 divided the former French Indochina,
over 800,000 North Vietnamese decided to cast their lot with the South
rather than live under a Communist government. Since badly-depleted
French forces could not hope to effect the transfer of so many people,
the U.S. Navy detailed nearly 100 ships to carry refugees and equipment
from Haiphong to Saigon in a 9-month period. Gunston Hall made five
coastal runs carrying heavy barges between 2 January and 26 February
1955. In all, the Navy evacuated 310,848 North Vietnamese as well as
68,757 tons of cargo and over 8,000 vehicles.
Hard-pressed sailors feeding and clothing the ragged refugees were
rewarded when many of the 184 children born during the Haiphong-Saigon
passage were named after Navy vessels.
Gunston Hall's pattern of WesPac cruises and Arctic resupply missions
was broken a second time in 1962. During the Cuban missile crisis, she
embarked elements of the 5th Marine Expedltionary Brigade at San Diego
and headed for the Caribbean, transiting the Panama Canal 5 November.
As the Soviets withdrew their missiles and the crisis passed, Gunston
Hall transited the Canal again returning San Diego 15 December.
The veteran LSD sailed for the western Pacific 26 March 1963. After
operations which carried her to Japan, Okinawa, Korea, Hong Kong, and
several Pacific islands she returned to the West Coast 13 November.
Following operations along the California coast, she departed San Diego
6 November 1964 for duty with the 7th Fleet. Arriving Subic Bay 30
November, she was under way again a week later for Vietnam to support
the fight to thwart Communist aggression.
Relieved 8 January 1965 she headed for Hong Kong, en route to Japan,
arriving Yokosuka on the 24th She visited Korea and Okinawa before
returning to the battle zone. She unloaded cargo at Da Nang through 18
February, then headed to Okinawa for more supplies. She continued this
pattern of duty shuttling between Pacific ports and Vietnam until
departing Yokosuka for home 6 June.
Reaching San Diego 22 June, she prepared to return to the Orient.
Sailing 6 August, she visited Hawaii, Okinawa, and Japan before
returning to the West Coast 7 October.
After operations out of San Diego, Gunston Hall again turned her prow
toward the setting sun 16 May 1966. She reached Chu Lai, Vietnam, 27
May and debarked the 9th Marine Engineers before sailing for Subic Bay
to resume shuttling between Vietnam and nearby friendly ports, bringing
war materiel to the Allies. She participated in exercises "Hilltop Vll"
and "Mudpuppy I" in the Philippines before loading three experimental
Navy Patrol Air Cushion vehicles 15 December for transportation to San
Diego. Back home early in January 1967, Gunston Hall prepared for future
action.
Gunston Hall earned nine battle stars for World War II service and
another nine battle stars during the Korean War.
