USS Chincoteague (AVP-24)

USS Chincoteague (AVP-24) was a United States Navy seaplane tender in commission from 1943 to 1946.

Construction and commissioning
Chincoteague was launched on 15 April 1942 by Lake Washington Shipyard at Houghton, Washington, sponsored by Mrs. G. Rowe. She was commissioned on 12 April 1943 with Commander I. E. Hobbs in command.

New Guinea campaign
Chincoteague departed from San Diego, California, on 13 June 1943 for Saboe Bay in the Santa Cruz Islands, where she arrived on 6 July 1943 to support the New Guinea campaign as tender for Fleet Air Wing 1 (FAW-1). On 16 July 1943 the Japanese launched eight air attacks at Saboe Bay, killing nine of Chincoteague's crew and damaging the ship badly through one direct hit and two near misses. Taken in tow by seaplane tender USS Thornton (AVD-11), and then by tug USS Sonoma (AT-12), Chincoteague reached Espiritu Santo on 21 July 1943 for emergency repairs, and later was towed to San Francisco, California, for thorough overhaul.

Central and Southwest Pacific operations
Chincoteague put out from San Diego on 27 January 1944 for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and operations in support of the consolidation of the northern Solomon Islands, the occupation of the Marshall Islands, and air action in the Treasury Islands. She tended seaplanes at Kwajalein, Eniwetok, in the Treasury Islands, and at Green Island. In addition, she carried freight, mail and passengers among the Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands, Gilbert Islands, Mariana Islands, New Hebrides, and Phoenix Islands, and voyaged from Guadalcanal to Auckland, New Zealand, returning with aircraft engines. Escorting a convoy, Chincoteague sailed from Eniwetok on 24 September 1944 for Pearl Harbor, and overhaul. She returned to active operations on 6 December 1944 at Kossol Roads in the Palau Islands, where she conducted salvage and rescue operations for the next two months.

Iwo Jima campaign and operations at Ulithi Atoll
Chincoteague arrived at Guam on 13 February 1945 to join the assault force bound for Iwo Jima, and on 20 February 1945, arrived off the bitterly contested island to tend seaplanes until 8 March 1945. Similar operations at Ulithi Atoll followed until 8 June 1945, when she sailed for an overhaul on the United States West Coast, where she was when World War II ended with the cessation of hostilities with Japan on 15 August 1945.

Awards
Chincoteague received six battle stars for World War II service.

Post-World War II U.S. Navy service
On postwar occupation duty, Chincoteague sailed to the Far East to care for seaplanes at Okinawa and Tsingtao, China, between 18 October 1945 and 16 March 1946. She then sailed for San Diego; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Beaumont, Texas.

Decommissioning and reserve status
On 21 December 1946, Chincoteague was decommissioned and placed in reserve.

U.S. Coast Guard service
On 7 March 1949, Chincoteague was lent to the United States Coast Guard, in which she was commissioned that day as the Coast Guard cutter USCGC Chincoteague (WAVP-375). She was reclassified as a high endurance cutter and redesignated WHEC-375 on 1 May 1966, and was transferred permanently from the Navy to the Coast Guard on 26 September 1966. Her primary duty was to patrol ocean stations in the North Atlantic Ocean, providing weather data and engaging in search-and-rescue and law-enforcement operations. The Coast Guard decommissioned her in June 1972 and returned her to U.S. Navy custody.

Republic of Vietnam Navy service
Chincoteague was transferred to South Vietnam on 21 June 1972; renamed RVNS Ly Thuong Kiet (HQ-16), she entered service in the Republic of Vietnam Navy as a patrol vessel. In 1974, she participated in the Battle of the Paracel Islands.

When South Vietnam collapsed at the end of the Vietnam War in April 1975, Ly Thuong Kiet fled to the Philippines.

Philippine Navy service
Transferred to the Republic of the Philippines on 5 April 1976, she was commissioned in the Philippine Navy as frigate RPS Andres Bonifacio (PF-7). She was decommissioned by around 1993.