USS Monticello (LSD-35)

• Namesake: USS Monticello (LSD-35) was named after Thomas Jefferson's estate, Monticello, in Virginia, reflecting the tradition of naming dock landing ships after prominent American landmarks. • Class and Purpose: She was a Thomaston-class dock landing ship, designed to transport and launch landing craft, vehicles, and troops during amphibious operations. • Commissioning: USS Monticello was commissioned on March 29, 1957, at the New York Naval Shipyard, entering service during the Cold War era. • Vietnam War Service: Monticello played a crucial role in the Vietnam War, participating in multiple amphibious assaults and supporting U.S. Marines and Army troops in Southeast Asia. • Operation Silver Lance: In 1965, the ship participated in Operation Silver Lance, one of the largest peacetime amphibious exercises in history, held off the coast of California. • Apollo Program Support: USS Monticello supported the recovery of Apollo spacecraft and astronauts as part of NASA's manned space program, highlighting her versatility. • Humanitarian Missions: The ship was involved in several humanitarian missions, including disaster relief and evacuation operations throughout the Pacific and Southeast Asia. • Longest Deployment: One of Monticello’s notable records was a deployment in 1966-1967, which lasted nearly 10 months, one of the longest for a ship of her class during the Vietnam War. • Decommissioning: She was decommissioned on October 1, 1985, after nearly 30 years of active service. • Final Fate: After decommissioning, Monticello was sunk as a target during a training exercise in 2010, serving the Navy one last time as a live-fire exercise ship.