USS '' Mount Vernon '' ( LSD-39 ) was an of the United States Navy . She was the fifth ship of the U.S. Navy to bear the name . She was built in Massachusetts in 1972 and homeported in Southern California for 31 years until being decommissioned on 25 July 2003 . '' Mount Vernon '' acted as the control ship for the cleanup of the Exxon Valdez oil spill . In 2005 , she was intentionally destroyed off the coast of Hawaii as part of a training exercise
Exxon Valdez oil spill
Exxon Valdez oil spill
USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39)