Skip to main content
Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

Tags
Related Content
Topic
  • Boats-Ships--Amphibious Warfare Ships
Document Type
  • Ship History
Wars & Conflicts
  • Cold War
  • Vietnam Conflict 1962-1975
File Formats
Location of Archival Materials

Sumter III (LST-1181)

1970-2002

Named for the city and a county in the state of South Carolina.

III

(LST-1181: displacement 4,750; length 523'0"; beam 70'0"; draft 20'0"; speed 20.0 knots; complement 617; armament 2 3-inch; class Newport)

The third Sumter (LST-1181) was laid down on 14 November 1967 by the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, Pa.; launched on 13 December 1969; sponsored by Mrs. Strom Thurmond; and commissioned on 20 June 1970, Cmdr. James C. Hayes in command.

Sumter fitted out at Philadelphia and then held sea trials in the Virginia Capes area, following which she was assigned to the Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet. On 21 August 1970, she got underway for the Panama Canal, via Norfolk, Va., Charleston, S.C., and Montego Bay, Jamaica. The canal was transited on 7 September 1970; and the LST continued to Long Beach, Calif., her new homeport, after a port call at Acapulco, Mexico. She operated along the California coast until 30 April 1971 when she deployed to the Seventh Fleet in the western Pacific.

Sumter returned to Long Beach on 18 June 1971. In July and August she made a cruise to British Columbia and then resumed local operations from her home port. She had a restricted availability period at the Todd Shipyard, San Pedro, Calif., from 21 November 1971 until 7 January 1972 when she returned to sea for refresher training. The ship continued local operations until she again deployed to the western Pacific, on 31 March, for a tour that did not end until 6 December 1972 when she returned to Long Beach for an upkeep period. The tank landing ship had completed two deployments to the western Pacific in support of the U.S.  effort in Vietnam. 

Sumter sailed from Long Beach, on 6 January 1973, for the east coast of the United States. She transited the Panama Canal on 19 January; and she reached Little Creek, Va., her new home port, on the 29th.

The following six months were spent in periods of upkeep and independent steaming cruises. On 29 August 1973, Sumter sailed to Morehead City, N.C., where she embarked marines, and then steamed east to join the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. She called at ports in Spain, Turkey, Sardinia, Italy, Crete, and Greece before returning to Little Creek on 10 December 1973.

On 12 February 1974, Sumter sailed to Morehead City to transport marines for exercises in the Caribbean and returned to Little Creek on 8 March. In April she made a voyage to Boston and, the following month, held additional exercises in the Caribbean before returning to her homeport on 3 July.

Sumter stood out of Little Creek, on 16 August 1974, en route to the Mediterranean and her second tour with the Sixth Fleet. Into 1978, Sumter was alternating operations along the east coast of the United States with deployments to the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.

Decommissioned on 30 September 1993, Sumter was leased to the Republic of Taiwan, becoming Chung Ping (LST-233) and disposed-of through the Security Assistance Program on  29 September 2000. Sumter was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 23 July 2002. 

Sumter received two battle stars  for her Vietnam War service.

Updated, Robert J. Cressman

7 March 2024

Published: Thu Mar 07 18:10:57 EST 2024