USS BARNSTABLE COUNTY (LST-1197)

USS Barnstable County (LST-1197) was a Newport-class tank landing ship commissioned by the United States Navy in 1972. Designed to transport tanks, vehicles, cargo, and troops directly onto shore without docks or piers, she played a key role in amphibious operations and training exercises throughout the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Barnstable County participated in numerous NATO exercises and supported contingency operations, including deployments during the Lebanese Civil War in the early 1980s. The ship was decommissioned in 1994 and later transferred to the Spanish Navy, where she served as ESPS Pizarro (L-42).