World War Two, Cold War & Beyond: The many lives of LST-786

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Landing Ship Tank (LST) 786 was born in 1944, in Pennsylvania, and operated by the U.S. Coast Guard to support actions against Imperial Japan, in the Pacific Ocean during World War Two.

This is just one of thousands of pages of LST-786’s War Dairy stored in the National Archives. LST-786 was part of the LST-542 class of landing ships.

LST-786 was decommissioned and placed in reserve in 1946, Columbia River Group, Oregon. In 1955, LST-786 was named USS Garrett County (Maryland).

Recommissioning acceptance trials, San Francisco, California. LST-786 was recommissioned in 1966, for action in Viet Nam. Garrett County was one of four World War Two LSTs recommissioned for action as riverine mother ships.

Now Patrol Craft Tender AGP-786 at Guam, on its way to Viet Nam. Garrett County arrived on-station in March 1967.

On the Co Chien River, Viet Nam, in June 1968. Serving as a Patrol Boat River(PBR)/Seawolf (USN Huey gunship) mother ship, officially known as a Game Warden ship.

AGP-786 on the Mekong Delta, Viet Nam, Autumn 1968

UH-1B Seawolf (Huey gunship) on the deck of AGP-786, Mekong Delta, 1969.

Despite that supposedly/officially LST-786 became AGP-786 for the Viet Nam conflict, this log book title page shows the USS Garrett County was still being referred to as LST-786 in April 1969.

In 1971, AGP-786 was given to the Republic of Viet Nam (South Viet Nam) and became Republic of Viet Nam Ship (RVNS) HQ-801 Can Tho.

In 1975, South Viet Nam was overrun by North Viet Nam. The crew of HQ-801 fled to Philippines, where the old ship became Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas (BRP) Kalinga Apayao LT-516.