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USS La Moure County (LST-1194) underway, date and place unknown. Her retracted bow ramp can be seen on deck. Heavy transport helicopters operate from the flight deck aft of her unusual odd-sized staggered stacks. The vehicle deck in the Newport-class, as in earlier LSTs, extends nearly the length of the ship. Conventional vehicles land on the beach over the bow ramp, while amphibious types can debark offshore through a stern gate.
Career
Laid down:	22 May 1970
Launched:	13 February 1971
Commissioned:	18 December 1971
Decommissioned:	17 November 2000
Fate:	Sunk as a target
Struck:	17 November 2000
General characteristics
Displacement:	5,190 tons (light), 8,550 tons (full)
Length:	523 ft 3 in (overall)
Beam:	69 ft 9½ in (maximum)
Draft:	Max forward (full) 13 ft 6 in, max aft (full) 16 ft 3 in
Propulsion:	Six 16-cylinder ALCO 251-C propulsion diesel engines, two shafts, three engines per shaft; two controllable reversible pitch propellers, 16,000 shaft horsepower, twin rudders; one 800-hp variable-pitch bow thruster; three ALCO 251-C, 8 cylinder generator sets, 750kW
Speed:	20 knots
Depth:	8' fwd; 14'-4" aft (full load)
Complement:	14 officers, 15 CPO, 226 enlisted
Troop capacity:	18 officers, 21 SNCO, 268 enlisted
Aircraft:	Helicopter flight deck, one spot
Boats:	Two 36-foot LCPLs
Armament:	Two twin-3"/50 gun mounts (as built); two .25mm chain guns, six .50 cal machine guns, one 20mm Phalanx (CIWS) (upgraded)

The USS La Moure County (LST-1194) was the sixteenth of twenty Newport-class tank landing ships (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 Corporation 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 30 September 1995. Damaged beyond economical repair 12 September 2000 due to grounding at Caleta Cifuncho Bay, Chile, La Moure County was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register 17 November 2000 at Talcahuano, Chile.

The ship ran hard aground on the coast of Caleta Cinfucho Bay, Chile in the pre-dawn hours of September 12th, 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 a sizable spill of fuel oil only served to complicate matters. She was unable to get off of 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 of 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 mile 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 another U.S. Naval ship shortly after that. After getting underway October 28th, 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 of 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°49′08″S, 74°17′09″W, and now rests at a depth of 1,841 fathoms (850 meters).

• LST-1194 La Moure County. Amphibious Photo Archive. Retrieved on August 2, 2007.
• The Virginian-Pilot, articles by Jack Dorsey "Norfolk-based Navy ship hits reef off coast of Chile"- Sept 13th 2000, "Navy may have to scrap ship that ran aground off Chile"- October 6th 2000, Navy Chief orders one-day safety standown after accidents" Sept 16th 2000; Navy Times, articles from September to November 2000, and November 2001.

• USS La Moure County (LST-883)
• List of United States Navy LSTs

USS La Moure County (LST-1194) is seen here at anchor in Cifuncho Bay, where she lay from September 12th to October 28th, 2000.

The ex-USS La Moure County (LST-1194), sunk as a target, 10 July 2001. As part of the annual UNITAS exercise she was towed offshore and expended as a target. She is seen here during the first phase of the SINKEX, a gunfire exercise.

The ex-USS La Moure County (LST-1194): overhead view showing the ship later in the UNITAS exercise, burning after several missile hits. She was eventually finished off by submarine-launched torpedoes.