USS Thomaston (LSD-28)

• Namesake: USS Thomaston (LSD-28) was named after Thomaston, Maine, a town with a rich shipbuilding history and the site where the USS Ranger, John Paul Jones’s flagship, was constructed during the Revolutionary War. • Class Leader: She was the lead ship of the Thomaston-class dock landing ships, a class of eight designed to support amphibious operations by carrying landing craft and troops. • Commissioning: USS Thomaston was commissioned on 17 September 1954, at the New York Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn, New York, with Captain William H. Rowen in command. • Innovative Design: Unlike her predecessors, the Thomaston-class featured a longer well deck and improved accommodations, enabling the transport of heavier and more numerous landing craft, vehicles, and troops. • Vietnam War Service: Thomaston played a significant role during the Vietnam War, participating in multiple amphibious assaults and support missions, including Operation Deckhouse IV and the famous Operation Double Eagle in 1966. • Apollo Recovery: In 1966, the ship served as a secondary recovery vessel for the Gemini X and Gemini XI space missions, ready to assist if the primary recovery ships could not reach the returning capsules. • Humanitarian Missions: In addition to combat duties, Thomaston supported humanitarian efforts in the Pacific, providing disaster relief and medical assistance to island communities struck by typhoons and other emergencies. • Arctic Operations: The ship participated in Operation Blue Nose, crossing the Arctic Circle and supporting supply missions to remote northern bases, earning her crew the rare “Blue Nose” designation. • Decommissioning and Fate: After a distinguished career, USS Thomaston was decommissioned on 3 September 1984 and later struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1992. She was sold for scrap in 2011, concluding her nearly 30-year service history. • Legacy: USS Thomaston received eight battle stars for her Vietnam War service, a testament to her crew’s valor and the ship’s crucial role in amphibious warfare and naval history.