USS Outagamie County (LST-1073) - Korean War

Korean War

After Communist forces invaded South Korea, LST–1073 was towed from Astoria to Bremerton, Washington, on 10 October 1950 for reactivation and recommissioned 3 November 1950, Lt. Comdr. B. F. Poduska in command.

On 11 February LST–1073 departed Long Beach, California on her second tour of duty in the western Pacific, arriving at Yokosuka, Japan, 23 March 1951. On this tour she visited various ports including Kobe and Sasebo, Japan; and Pusan, Kojo Do, and Inchon, Korea. On 4 April 1951 she transported Army Signal Corps units from Camp McGill, Japan, to Inchon, Korea. During May and June LST–1073 helped to carry 17,366 prisoners of war from Pusan to Koje Do. On 29 October LST–1073 departed from Yokosuka, Japan, for San Diego, California.

LST–1073's third tour of duty in the western Pacific began 3 January 1953 when she departed fro San Diego en route to Japan. After brief stops in Yokosuka, Kobe, and Sasebo; she proceeded on to Inchon for west coast island resupply work. She took part in the Marine landing exercises at Inchon from April to June and spent June and July redeploying the 187th Regimental Airborne Combat Team and the 24th Infantry Division from Japan to Korea. In August the ship assisted in the evacuation of Cho Do Island, Korea, and in Operation Big Switch transporting North Korean POWs between various Korean ports. On 23 October the ship departed from Yokosuka, Japan, for a return voyage to San Diego.

During the next decade, the landing ship operated on the West Coast and made four West Pacific deployments. She was named Outagamie County on 1 July 1955.