USS La Moure County (LST-1194)

USS La Moure County (LST-1194) was the sixteenth of twenty Newport-class tank landing ship (LSTs) built for the United States Navy in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Named after La Moure County, North Dakota, she was the second U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.

La Moure County was laid down 22 May 1970 at the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego, California; launched 13 February 1971; and commissioned 18 December 1971 at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, Long Beach, California. The ship's status was changed to Active Reserve Force on 30 September 1995. Damaged beyond economical repair on 12 September 2000 due to colliding with South America at Caleta Cifuncho Bay, Chile, La Moure County was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register 17 November 2000 at Talcahuano, Chile.

Grounding & aftermath
The ship was run aground near the coast of Caleta Cifuncho Bay, Chile in the pre-dawn hours of 12 September 2000 during a routine amphibious training operation with a sister vessel, the Chilean Valdiva. A combination of the speed of the ship at impact and the incoming tide resulted in extensive damage to the bow, keel, screws (propellers), and rudders. Extensive internal flooding and the dumping 40,000 gallons of diesel fuel only served to complicate matters. She was unable to get off the rocky point under her own power, and wave action continued to cause even more damage to the hull and keel. Eventually, the ship was towed off the rocks by a Chilean seagoing tugboat that was in the immediate vicinity.

With the ship's screws mostly missing and the rudders and steering gear destroyed, the crew continued emergency repairs in Cifuncho Bay, a few hundred yards from the impact point, to make her seaworthy for the 700 mi tow to Talcahuano, Chile. The ship's commanding officer was relieved of duty and replaced via helicopter a few days later. The attached Marine force onboard was transferred to the US naval ship USS Tortuga (LSD-46) shortly after that. After getting underway 28 October, she arrived at Talcahuano on the 31st, under tow by the Chilean icebreaker Oscar Viel Toro. This was her final port, as repairs to her severely damaged hull and machinery were judged to be uneconomical. Within a few weeks, 90% of the crew was returned to the United States. A total of forty officers and enlisted personnel remained behind to see the now-derelict ship towed to the Chilean Naval Base at Talcahuano for decommissioning.

In July 2001, having been stripped of all usable material, the damaged hulk was towed out to sea, and sunk as a target during UNITAS 2001, at -32.81889°N, -74.28583°W, about 130 nmi west of Valparaíso, and now rests at a depth of 1841 fathom.

LST La Moure County during accident was towed off the rocks by the Chilean Fleet tugboat "ATF 66 Galvarino" and received the rescue and salvage support immediately and several days after the incident from this vessel modified before for this purpose.