DEPARTMENT
OF
THE
NAVY
USS
PONCE
(LPD-151
FPO
NEW
YORK
09501
iN
REPLY
REFECt
TO
l0:wpm
5730
Ser:
239
2
1
APR
1978
From:
Commanding Officer,
USS
PONCE
(LPD
15)
To:
Director of Naval History
(OP
09841
Sub
j
:
Command Htstory [Report Symbol 5750-1
1
Ref: (a) OPNAVrNST 5750.12B
Encl
:
(1
)
USS
PONCE
(LPD
15) Comnand
His
tory 1977
1,
In accordance with reference (a), enclosure (1
)
is
submitted,
-R
c\-
R.
G.
MURPHY
1.
Command Organizatfon
.a. Cbmmanding
Off
l'cer: Captal'n James
R.
ALLINGHAM, 16 September 1976
to 12 January 1978.
b.
AmphTbious Squadron assignment: Amphibious Squadron FOUR.
2.
Chronolpgf cal Summary of 0perati:ons for 1977
With
the ringing in of the new year, 1977, the Unl'ted States Ship
PONCE
(LPD 15) was located at Pier Two, Naval Operations Base, Norfolk,
Virginia, with half the crew enjoying holiday leave and the other
ha1
f
involved in an intensive upkeep period, readying the ship for an impending
deployment to the Caribbean.
On January
13th, PONCE set sail
to
W~rehead
City,
North Carolina as
part of the Amphibious Task Group for
CARIBEX 1-77, arrived at Moorehead
City on the 14th and embarked elements
of BLT 2/8. PONCE was underway
again on the 15th of January and proceeded to anchorage off
Onslow Beach,
North Carolina, to conduct and rehearse Amphl'bi ous operations. With a minus
thirty-seven degree wind chill factor on weather decks, PONCE weighed anchor
on January 17th and steered a course for Vieqes, Puerto Rico. PONCE cut
her way through a thick rising sea smoke as she continued her journey south,
past Miami, Florida that was buried beneath several inches of snow. Upon
arrival off the coast of Puerto Rico on the 22nd of January, PONCE went to
anchorage and conducted amphibious operations until the afternoon of the
25th when she weighed anchor and set sail
for her namesake city.
On the morning
of
January 26th the "Proud Lion" arrived at Ponce,
Puerto Rico with a welcoming crowd of six hundred well wishers looking on.
During the following four days, the residents of Ponce, Puerto Rico,
opened their city to the officers and men of USS PONCE and her embarked
Marines from BLT
2/8. The Marines set up a static display on the flight
deck and the
PONCE
conducted general
visiting. In excess of twelve
thousand residents of Ponce, Puerto Rico visited their ship and a good
time was had by all.
On January 30, PONCE once again left port for the Vieques anchorage
and arrived on the 1st of February to put her Marines ashore. As time
permitted there were cookouts on the flight deck, swim call, fishing,
skeet shooting, and sailing on
PONCE1s Sun Fish sail boats.
From
3
unti 1 11 February, PONCE participated in competitive exercises, and
completing all arrived back at her anchorage on the 12th.
On the 13th
POMCE weighed anchor and sailed into San Juan, Puerto Rico on the 14th
of February and moored at
Pier Eleven Gulf Lines terminal.
After
several days of liberty the POMCE left San Juan on February 17,
for
Morehead
City,
North Carolina and arrived there after an uneventful
transit on the 21st to off load her Marine Detachment and proceed to
Naval Operations Base, Norfolk, Virginia where she arrived on February 22.
1 Enclosure
(1
--
I
On March 1, PONCE shl'fted berths to the quay wall at the Naval
Amphibious Base, Little Creek, Virginia and was moored there until she
returned to NOB for refueling on the first of April.
On April
4,
PONCE set sail for the Charleston, South Carolina
Operations area to help conduct mine warfare
operatf ons, Operations
were completed on the 7th of April and she returned to NOB the next
day, mooring at pier
three.on 8 April.
On 20 and 21 April PONCE was anchored in the Lynnhaven Anchorage to
provide services for the Amphibious School before returning to NOB on
21 April
.
On 9 May, PONCE set sail once again for Morehead City, North Carolina
as part of the
AmphEbious Task Group on Solid Shield 77.
PONCE arrived
at
Morehead
City
10 May, and embarked elements of BLT 2/8 and left port
on the
11th for Joint Evacuation Exercises off the coast of Savanna,
Georgia. After the completion of
exercisles PONCE steamed to anchorage
off
Onslow Beach, North Carolina, arriving there on 15 May. Amphibious
operations were conducted, and on the 19th of May she steamed toward
NOB,
Norfolk, Virginia and moored at Pier
7
late in the afternoon of the 20th.
On
5
July PONCE sailed to Ammo anchorage off Chesapeake, Virginia to
off load excess fuel and ammo for the impending yard period. On the
afternoon of 7 July, PONCE moored at quay wall Naval Amphibious Base,
Little Creek, Virginia until she departed for Chester, Pa. on the 19th
of July.
On 20 July PONCE arrived at Pier 1 Sun Shipbuilding and
Drydock
Company, in Chester, Pennsylvania, by the 22nd the ship's personnel and
offices were moved aboard APL 45 and the PONCE became an industrial area.
Two old School buses were acquired from a salvage yard and repaired and
painted by the ship's company for trips to Norfolk, Virginia during the
weekend. The "Blue Gooses" are also used to take liberty parties into
Philadelphia and a large number of ship's personnel to fire fighting
school.
On the 2nd of September the PONCE was moved dead plant into floating
drydock to continue repairs and was refloated again on the 29th of September.
During this docking period a crew was sent to Little Creek, Virginia to
procure a LCM-8 boat to eliminate the one mile walk to
drydock and replace
it
with a five minute boat ride. The LCM-8 was piloted up the Chesapeake
Bay safely to Chester, Pa. by a hardy crew under Ensign ,
USN.
On the 18th of December the "Sea and Anchor Detail" was once again
set to move PONCE to floating
drydock. As the closing seconds of the
year approach "The Proud
Lion" quietly rests upon her blocks, braving a
cold rainy night,
2 Enclosure (1
)
I-
