| Career (United States) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Hermitage |
| Namesake: | The Hermitage |
| Awarded: | 14 October 1954 |
| Builder: | Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi |
| Laid down: | 11 April 1955 |
| Launched: | 12 June 1956 |
| Commissioned: | 14 December 1956 |
| Decommissioned: | 2 October 1989 |
| Fate: | Transferred to Brazil, 2 October 1989 |
| Struck: | 24 January 2001 |
| Career (Brazil) | |
| Name: | Ceará (C30) |
| Acquired: | 2 October 1989 |
| Status: | in active service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Thomaston-class dock landing ship |
| Displacement: | 8,899 long tons (9,042 t) light 11,525 long tons (11,710 t) full load |
| Length: | 510 ft (160 m) |
| Beam: | 84 ft (26 m) |
| Draft: | 19 ft (5.8 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × steam turbines, 2 shafts, 23,000 shp (17 MW) |
| Speed: | 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) |
| Boats and landing craft carried: |
21 × LCM-6 landing craft in well deck |
| Troops: | 300 |
| Complement: | 304 |
| Armament: | • 4 × twin 3"/50 caliber guns • 6 × twin 20 mm AA guns |
| Aircraft carried: | Up to 8 helicopters |
| Aviation facilities: | Helicopter landing area |
USS Hermitage (LSD-34) was a Thomaston-class dock landing ship of the United States Navy. She was named for The Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson's famed estate just outside of Nashville, Tennessee.
Hermitage was laid down on 11 April 1955, by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp., Pascagoula, Miss.; launched on 12 June 1956; sponsored by Mrs. Alfred M. Pride, wife of Vice Admiral Alfred M. Pride, and commissioned on 14 December 1956, Captain Leonard A. Parker in command.
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While on shakedown in the Caribbean, Hermitage was informally inspected by Admiral Arleigh Burke, then Chief of Naval Operations. After training operations out of Norfolk, she sailed for the Mediterranean in late August to join the 6th Fleet. Hermitage participated in exercises with NATO units and visited Sicily, Crete, Turkey, Italy, Greece, and Spain before returning to the States on 16 November 1957. Operations primarily with fast amphibious helicopter assault equipment and tactics occupied her until November 1959. With a cargo of Presidential helicopters embarked, Hermitage sailed to Karachi on 2 December via the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Suez Canal, and Red and Arabian Seas to furnish quick and safe transportation for President Dwight D. Eisenhower on his Asian and European tour. Mission successfully completed, she returned home via Barcelona on 17 January 1960.
Foreign waters called Hermitage by the end of the year as she sailed on 28 November as flagship for Admiral A. L. Reed, COMSOLANT, for a good will cruise to South America and Africa. In the midst of this important cruise, Hermitage was diverted on 19 January 1961 to carry grain to the Congo to help the United Nations combat starvation in that revolution-torn country. Relieved as flagship on 3 May by Spiegel Grove (LSD-32), Hermitage returned to Virginia on 16 May and soon resumed her pattern of operations and exercises off the Virginia Capes and in the Caribbean.
When the presence of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba threatened war in October 1962, Hermitage sailed to Guantanamo Bay to transport Marines to that threatened base and underline America's determination to maintain her position there. A second cruise to the Mediterranean from May to October 1963 took Hermitage to Naples, Athens, Genoa, Cannes, Sardinia, Malta, and Rota as well as other ports in the 6th Fleet's continuing role of peace-keeping and protection of American interests in that crucial area.
After an assignment in February 1964 to the Caribbean Ready Squadron 12 based in Panama, early in May Hermitage undertook a logistics lift to Bermuda, and Sydney and Halifax, Nova Scotia, and in the fall took part until late November in the Navy-Marine Corps peacetime exercise "Operation Steel Pike I", visiting ports of Málaga and Gibraltar. In June 1965 she participated in a three-month deployment to the Caribbean area during the later stages of the Dominican Republic crisis, making practice amphibious landings at Vieques Island. After completion of overhaul in February 1966 followed by refresher training and amphibious training, Hermitage transported a marine battalion to the Caribbean in May. Through 1967 she continued in her assignment to the Atlantic Fleet. On 14 April 1967 Captain H. Spencer Matthews, Jr. relieved Captain J. E. McCauley as the eleventh Commanding Officer of HERMITAGE. On 25 April HERMITAGE departed Little Creek for a WESTPAC deployment. Enroute, HERMITAGE picked up 10 MSB's in Charleston for deliver to Long Beach, California.
On 30 April 1967, about 300 miles from Panama, HERMITAGE received a message that a small pleasure craft was sinking. She was directed to proceed to the area and conduct a search and rescue operation. HERMITAGE arrived on the scene, took the eight (8) passengers aboard and towed "Billy H" to Panama. HERMITAGE transited the Panama Canal and on 1 May and proceeded to Long Beach where the 10 MSB's were off-loaded. In San Diego, HERMITAGE embarked Marine Air Control Squadron FOUR and proceeded to Danang, Republic of Vietnam. We arrived there on 2 June and left the following day to relieve the USS POINT DEFIANCE LSD-29 at sea. On 4 June, HERMITAGE relieved USS POINT DEFIANCE at sea and became a member of Amphibious Ready Group ALFA (TG 76.4). "Operation Bear Claw" was in progress at the time and was the first of six combat operations in which HERMITAGE participated as Primary Control ship for the waterborne assaults and Area Defense Control Ship.
HERMITAGE completed her first period of operations on 12 June and sailed for Subic Bay, Philippines for 12 days of upkeep and rest. The first tow days in port were spent participating in various sporting events with the men from the other ships of the Amphibious Ready Group: USS OKINAWA, USS DULUTH and USS SEMINOLE.
HERMITAGE departed Subic Bay, Philippines on 26 June 1967 for South Vietnam for more combat operations.
HERMITAGE arrived at Chu Lai, Vietnam just two days later and backloaded marines. On 3 July, the ship proceeded to the DMZ and landed the Marines beginning "Operation Bear Bite". This operation lasted until 18 July when Marines were re-embarked. Just three days later, "Operation Beacon Guide" began with the landings of the landing force some twenty miles north of Danang. On 26 July 1967, HERMITAGE hosted the village chief, officials, school teachers and 45 school children of the village of Thon Dong Am. A demonstration of well deck operations was provided, followed by the showing of cartoons and refreshments for the children. The adults were given rides over their village in helicopters. Upon returning to the ship, all were given gifts and the school children were given paper and pens.
A few days later, Robert Stack, the movie and TV star visited HERMITAGE.
The first week in August found the ship in Danang preparing for another landing which took place on 7 August, thirty miles to the north. Operation "Beacon Gate" lasted a week and on 15 August the ship sailed for Subic Bay, arriving two days later, having been at sea almost two months. While in Subic, necessary maintenance and repairs were conducted. HERMITAGE remained in Subic until 27 August and on 1 September landed the Marines near the DMZ in Operation "Beacon Point". Rear Admiral Vannoy, Commander Amphibious Forces, Seventh Fleet and Rear Admiral Lacey, Commander Naval Support Activity, Danang were aboard HERITAGE to observe the landing.
On 3 September HERMITAGE suffered a material casualty which caused the complete flooding of the after engine room. In an all hands effort, the engine room was dewatered then cleaned to save as much machinery as possible. Upon arrival in Subic bay on 10 September, all hands assisted the ship repair facility personnel to return HERMITAGE to the Amphibious READY Group as quickly as possible. On 6 October, HERMITAGE, fully repaired and ready for sea, departed Subic Bay enroute Vietnam as a member of Amphibious Ready Group BRAVO (TG 76.5). HERMITAGE then began her last combat operation, "Formation Leader". On 8 November she was relieved by a Pacific Fleet LSD and proceeded to Hong Kong for liberty. After five days in Hong Kong, HERMITAGE sailed for Yokosuka, Japan, but was diverted two days for typhoon evasion. HERMITAGE arrived in Yokosuka on 21 November for a restricted availability. HERMITAGE departed Yokosuka enroute Peal harbor, arriving 3 December. The ship stayed long enough for refueling and sailed for Panama. After transiting the canal, HERMITAGE set course for Little Creek, Virginia, arriving on 19 December.
Hermitage was decommissioned on 2 October 1989. She was transferred to the Brazilian Navy as NDD Ceará (G30) the same day. The ship was sold outright to Brazil and struck from the US Naval Vessel Register on 24 January 2001.
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