at Little Creek undergoing tender availability. 1971–1972 On 18 January 1971, the ship got underway for Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, to participate in the "Firex" exercises. She continued to operate in the Caribbean until 22 February when she arrived at Miami for two days of liberty. the ship returned to Little Creek on 27 February and immediately went alongside for tender availability which lasted until 17 March. After completing fire-fighting training in Philadelphia, York County remained at Little Creek until 25 April except for loading ammunition and gasoline at Craney Island, Virginia. During this time, the crew prepared the ship for Exercise "Exotic Dancer," which commenced on 26 April and lasted through 14 May 1971. Upon her return home, York County operated in the Virginia coastal area and got ready for a month-long cruise in the Caribbean. York County returned to Virginia on 6 August for tender availability followed by type training exercises. On 9 September, the ship was again deployed to the Caribbean and returned to Little Creek on 28 October where she spent the rest of 1971. She spent January 1972 preparing for an upcoming Caribbean and eastern Pacific cruise. On the last day of the month, York County got underway for the Panama Canal Zone. She left Cristobal on 8 February and, for the first time in her history, transited the Panama Canal and entered the Pacific. Following operations off the coast of Panama, York County reentered the Atlantic; proceeded to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; spent two days there; then moved to the Bahamas to onload dredging equipment at Andros Island before returning to Little Creek on 20 March 1972. She remained at Little Creek until 12 April when she sailed for Wilmington, North Carolina, for the annual Azalea Festival. From 18 April to 8 May 1972, the ship remained in port at Little Creek; and on 9 May, she got underway for Exercise "Exotic Dancer V." She returned to her home port on 24 May. Decommissioning and transfer York County was decommissioned on 17 July 1972 and transferred to the Italian government. She served the Italian Navy as Caorle (L 8991) until finally being sold for scrap at Naples, Italy, date unknown. The ship was struck from the Naval Vessel Register 5 August 1992. See also List of United States Navy LSTs References External links USS York County Reunion Group De Soto County-class tank landing ships De