USS Harnett County (LST-821)

USS Harnett County (LST-821) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after Harnett County, North Carolina, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.

USS LST-821 was laid down on 19 September 1944 at Evansville, Indiana by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Company; launched on 27 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Hugh Robertson, Sr.; and commissioned on 14 November 1944 with Lieutenant C. J. Rudine, USNR, in command.

Service history
During World War II, LST-821 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto from April through June 1945. Following the War, she performed occupation duty in the Far East until early December 1945. LST-821 returned to the United States and was decommissioned in March 1946 and assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet. On 1 July 1955 all remaining LSTs were given names of U.S. counties; LST-821 was named USS Harnett County (LST-821). Recommissioned on 20 August 1966, Harnett County saw extensive service in the Vietnam War, participating in the following campaigns: the Vietnamese Counteroffensive – Phase II (12 January to 31 May 1967); the Vietnamese Counteroffensive – Phase III (1 June to 12 July 1967 and 17 August 1967 to 29 January 1968); the Tet Counteroffensive (30 January to 27 February 1968); the Vietnamese Counteroffensive – Phase IV (9 April to 30 June 1968); the Vietnamese Counteroffensive – Phase V (1 July to 1 November 1968); the Vietnamese Counteroffensive – Phase VI (2 to 4 November 1968 and 8 December 1968 to 22 February 1969); the Tet/69 Counteroffensive (23 February to 7 May 1969); Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969 (4 August to 31 October 1969); Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970 (1 November 1969 to 22 January 1970 and 17 February to 30 April 1970); the Sanctuary Counteroffensive (1 May to 30 June 1970); and the Vietnamese Counteroffensive – Phase VII (1 to 21 July 1970).

Redesignated a Patrol Craft Tender, USS Harnett County (AGP-821) in the spring of 1970, she was decommissioned 12 October 1970 at Guam. The ship was transferred to South Vietnam under the Security Assistance Program on 12 October 1970 and renamed RVNS My Tho (HQ-800). My Tho was one of the flotilla of thirty-five Republic of Vietnam Navy ships that sailed for Subic Bay after the fall of Saigon in April 1975. She was transferred to the Philippines on 5 April 1976, was named BRP Sierra Madre. In 1999, it was run aground Ayungin Reef (Second Thomas Reef) in the Spratly Islands, and has since then been an advance outpost of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

LST-821 earned one battle star for World War II service. Additionally, Harnett County earned nine battle stars, two awards of the Presidential Unit Citation, and three awards of the Navy Unit Commendation for the Vietnam War.

In 2013, the New York Times reported on the life of the marines stationed on board the Sierra Madre at Ayungin and its role in the geopolitics of the South China Sea.