Johnny Banks

USS Hermitage (LSD-34) was a Thomaston-class dock landing ship commissioned by the United States Navy in 1956. Designed to transport and launch amphibious craft and vehicles, Hermitage played a vital role in numerous amphibious operations and training exercises during the Cold War. The ship supported U.S. military operations in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Atlantic, and participated in contingency operations such as the Cuban Missile Crisis response. After nearly three decades of service, USS Hermitage was decommissioned in 1989 and later transferred to the Brazilian Navy, where she served as Ceará (C-30).