Australian landing ship medium Vernon Sturdee (AV 1355)
Introduction The '''Australian landing ship medium ''Vernon Sturdee'' (AV 1355)''' was a United States Navy landing ship medium which was later sold to Australia and operated by the Australian Army.The ship was built by the Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company in Chicago, Illinois and was commissioned into the United States Navy (USN) as USS ''LSM-315'' on 13 July 1944.She was assigned to the Pacific Theater of Operations and saw action during the liberation of the Philippines during 1944 and 1945.Following the war she was decommissioned on 14 June 1946 and laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet.The ship was purchased by the Australian Army and was named ''Vernon Sturdee'' (AV 1355) in honour of the Australian World War II general Vernon Sturdee. The ship was one of four LSMs operated by the newly formed 32nd Small Ship Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers and was refitted in Japan before she arrived in Australia. From 1960 to 1970 she performed routine duties in support of the Australian Army, and carried equipment between ports in Australia, New Guinea, Malaysia and New Zealand.The ship was deployed to Vung Tau in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, where she operated in South Vietnamese waters. ''Vernon Sturdee'' was decommissioned on 30 September 1971 when the 32nd Small Ship Squadron was disbanded.
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