The Seventh Cruise
Sudden troop deployments in Vietnam resulted in a recall to Southeast Asian waters, and Tom GreenCounty accordinglysailed for Vung Tau on 23 June. Enroute, the ship trained in riverine warfare tactics.
Tom Green
County relieved Whitfield County on
4July 1969 at My Tho, near Dong Tam, and spent the next six
weeks supporting the operations of TF 117,as it prepared to
"wrap up" its operations in the Mekong Delta region.
While at My Tho and in the "Delta," the tank landing ship
served as a floating supply base and a transient barracks
ship for members of the Army 9th Division who were being
processed for stateside duty.
Tom Green County also
gave the Viet Cong a dose of their own medicine-firing
over 3,000 rounds of 3-inch/50-caliber counter-battery
harassment and interdiction fire, while maintaining
a vigilant watch for swimmer-sappers who might attempt to
mine the ship while she lay at anchor.
On 18 August, the day before the disestablishment of the
Mobile Riverine Force, Tom Green County
departed Vietnamese waters and steamed for Subic Bay
arriving in the Philippines on the 23rd of the month.
The above represents a Naval Historians view of this part of the voyage. If you would like to read the "real history" of this voyageclick here.
Four and one-half hours later, the tank landing ship got
underway for Kin Red Okinawa, with elements of the 3d
Battalion, 12th Marines, embarked, and arrived at her
destination on the 11th, unloaded and disembarked the
troops and headed back toward Yokosuka.
En route, however, the ship was redirected to Danang for
another lift, and she took on board a full cargo of
railroad rolling stock. Her ship's historian nicknamed
Tom Green County the"Ghost Ship of
Danang" because of her nocturnal loading operation in which
she arrived after dark and was gone before the dawn.
On the night of the 25th, TomGreen County
made port at Okinawa, unloaded in just one and one-half
hours, and steamed for Yokosuka, her job completed. Four
days later, on the afternoon of 29 November, the ship
arrived at her home port in time to spend Thankgiving of
1969 at "home".
Returning to the business of transporting marines soon
thereafter, Tom Green County completed
one round-trip haul from Okinawa to Numazu before making
port at Yokosuka on 13 December for a year-end leave and
upkeep period.
For the next two years, Tom Green
County remained in the Far East serving as she had
done since she was first homeported at Yokosuka. Late in
1971, she was ordered home to the United States and her
home port changed to San Diego. The tank landing ship
departed Japanese waters on 27 October and made port at
Pearl Harbor on 12 November for a seven-day stay before
beginning the last leg of her voyage to the west coast.
Upon her arrival at San Diego on 28 November, she soon
commenced preinactivation preparations; and, on 23
December, she cruised in San Diego harbor, commencing the
training of the new Spanish crew slated to take over the
ship.
This marked the end of this cruise and the end of LST 1159
Tom Green County as a vessel of the United States Navy. It
did not however mark the end of the ship. She carried on
proudly and reliably for seven more years.
On 5 January 1972, Tom Green County was
decommissioned and transferred to Spain. Renamed
Conde de Venadito and designated L-13,
she served the Spanish Navy through 1979.
Comment from Lee Rogers
Lee Rogers FCCM(SW) ret
This is the end of the Seventh Cruise
On 2 February, the
ship made port at Yokosuka, to commence
a long repair period, after which she conducted support
operations for an assault boat school at Numazu while
undertaking independent steaming
exercises. The Tom Green Beaching at Numazu
Mess call at the My
Tho "Pink Palace"Taking on provisions after arriving, the
tank landing ship
proceeded for Keelung, Taiwan, on the 23rd, making port
four days later. 
Keelung
Harbor
Sunset at
GuamUnderway for the Marianas on 2 September, the
ship stopped
briefly at Guam. She then pressed on with a Micronesian
cruise, calling at Koror Babelthuap, and Yap, before
returning to Guam and subsequent operations transporting
men and materiel to Yokosuka.
Dancers on Yap
The Totem Pole for the Osaka Worlds Fair
On 25 October, with the ship's dependents on
boardTom Green County cruised from
Yokosuka to Tokyo unloading the dependents upon arrival and
then loading a 5-ton, 135-foot totem pole from Alaska, to
transport it to the World's Fair-Expo '70 at Osaka.
Operation"Totem Pole" proceeded to completion on 27 October
when the ship docked at Kobe and unloaded her unusual
cargo.
Danang Coast
looking
toward HueAfter a one-night liberty Tom
Green County joinedVernon
County (LST-1161), Washoe County
(LST-1165), and Westchester County
(LST-1167) in support of Operation "Keystone Lift" from
Danang, where they made port on 5,
November. 
San Diego Skyline
After leaving the Tom Green in 72 I went on to LST 1184 (Frederick) . In 1979 I went to the East coast and in the 1980's I was leaving the Med and I saw the Tom underway about 2miles away on our Port side. I was an E-7 by this time and I really impressed th CO (I was the JOOD) by telling him what ship it was. 
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