USS ST. Louis LKA-116
"St. Lou Can Do" 

Ship's Patch

The St. Louis was my third ship, a "Gator Freighter". We hauled the valiant U. S. Marines and their equipment (i.e.. trucks, jeeps, tanks, etc.) all around the western Pacific. We'd pick them up at Bruckner Bay, Okinawa and drop 'em off by our boats at Iwakuni, Japan. Then we'd pick more up at Yokosuka, Japan and drop them off at Pusan, Korea and the cycle continued throughout each deployment. I reported aboard in November of 1977 after completing training on a satellite communications system that was being installed on board. I was not only the satellite communications technician, I was also the OE Division Leading Petty Officer (LPO). Again my technicians served me well, keeping all the electronics equipment humming, as we made several short hops and one West Pac together. In March of 1979 it was time for an extended shore duty period. So I left the "Lou" and went to teach at Advanced Electronics School in San Diego. 

EPILOGUE

After leaving the St. Louis, I sort of lost track of her until a few years later. By that time she had changed homeports from San Diego to somewhere in Japan. She currently is residing in Hawaii, as a member of the mothball fleet. That just means she's no longer in service but has been preserved so that sometime in the future she may be called upon again to serve her country, unless the powers that be decide to scrap her. 

Many thanks to the following:

Marine Photos
(ship pictures)

USS St. Louis Ship's Store
(Ship's Patch)

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