FEB – DEC 1964 “EXERCISE CHERRY TREE”
During February-March 1964,
CAVALIER was flagship of an amphibious task force participating
with Marines in the conduct
Soft "Exercise Cherry
Tree" off Camp Pendleton, California. In May 1964, Captain D.C. Kendrick took
command of the CAVALIER. Two
other major amphibious warfare exercises were carried out before
she sailed on 18 June 1964 for Pearl Harbor. After
conducting amphibious assault
training off Oahu, she steamed to Okinawa to embark a Marine Battalion Landing
Team. From there, she proceeded to Subic Bay for final preparations
to serve as a
"Ready Ship" off Vietnam. Following the Ton kin
Gulf attacks on U. S. Navy
destroyers, she patrolled the coastal waters for 57 continuous days. She was relieved as
"Ready Ship" on 8 November
1964, made a liberty call at Hong Kong, and then proceeded
to Subic Bay to prepare for
the voyage home. She returned to San Diego,
18 December 1964.
FEB 1954 – “EXERCISE SILVER LANCE”
During February 1965, CAVALIER
joined the FIRST Fleet in "Exercise Silver
Lance,, which included more than
sixty participating warships and
50,000 Marine Corps and Navy men in the exercise against a simulated aggressor off
Camp Pendleton, California.
In May 1965, Captain H. 0. Anson took command of the CAVALIER and she overhauled in the Long Beach Naval
Shipyard (2 June - 29
October 1965) and departed San Diego on 11 February 1966 to again serve the SEVENTH Fleet.
FEB 1966 CHU LAI, VIETNAM, TAIWAN, DA NANG, KEELUNG, YOKOSUKA
CAVALIER called
at Pearl Harbor, then steamed for Buckner Bay, Okinawa, where she embarked 226
Marines of Embark Team Echo for transport with their military
cargo to Chu Lai, Vietnam. She remained at Chu Lai for six days, then participated in
a series of
amphibious exercises, which took her from ports of Japan
to Okinawa and the
Philippines. She also provided "WET-NET" and "SHIP-TO-SHORE" training for more
than 3,000 Korean Marines at Po
Hang, Korea, and conducted similar training for men of
Republic of Korea naval
units. In May 1966, Captain J. R. Faulk took command of the CAVALIER and she made a
liberty call at Keelung, Taiwan,
then steamed into Da Nang Harbor on 10 June 1966 to serve as a station ship for 58
days. During this period, she was a source of hot meals, warm showers, air-conditioned living
spaces, movies, and other similar
facilities to men stationed at Da Nang.
Following this duty she cruised off Okinawa
and prepared at
Yokosuka for the voyage home. She returned to San Diego
on 10 September 1966.
JUL 1967 – “CORAL SAND II” – OCT 1967 FAR EAST
CAVALIER
conducted amphibious warfare training
along the California
seaboard until 21 July 1967, when she departed for Honolulu. After participating in the
amphibious assault Exercise
"CORAL SAND II" in Hawaiian waters, she departed
Honolulu on 11 August and
returned to San Diego on 18 August 1967. Captain P. F. Hussey relieved Captain Faulk in
September 1967 and Western
seaboard operations were resumed until 18 October when she
again sailed for the Far East.
CAVALIER arrived at Pearl Harbor on 27 October 1967, spent a week training in Hawaiian waters, then got
underway for Buckner Bay,
Okinawa. She reached her destination on 22
November, loading
185.5 tons of Marine Landing
Force Reserve cargo before proceeding to Sasebo, Japan, arriving on 24 November
1967. The remainder
of the year was spent in amphibious training with the Republic of Korea Navy and Marine personnel
at Yang Po Ri, Korea; and in
exercises ranging to Okinawa. She arrived in Subic Bay, Philippines islands, 21 December 1967 for a
period of liberty for her crew and
voyage repairs.
JAN 1968 – HONG KONG, DA NANG, VUNG TAU, NHA TRANG, QUI HOHN CAM RAHN BAY,
SUBIC BAY
CAVALIER departed Subic Bay on 8 January 1968,
bound by way of Hong Kong
to Da Nang, South Vietnam, arriving on 20 January 1968. After transporting men and combat
cargo along the coast to Vung
Tau, Nha Trang, Qui Nohn and Cam Rahn Bay; she departed Da Nang on 4 February for return to Subic Bay
on 7 February l968. She
again sailed from Subic Bay, 24 February 1968, with an amphibious assault task group, which conducted
amphibious readiness exercises
with units of the Chinese Nationalist Navy off the Pescadores and Taiwan. These operations concluded on
7 April when CAVALIER departed Kaosiung, Taiwan, to call at Ching Wan,
Okinawa, before proceeding to
Yokosuka, Japan, arriving 14 April 1968.
APR 1968 – YOKOSUKA, DA NANG, MY THUY, QUE NOHN
CAVALIER stood out of
Yokosuka, 26 April 1968, to again transport
troops and military cargo among the South Vietnamese ports of
Da Nang, My Thuy, Qui Nohn, and
sailed on the 15th to Yokosuka to
prepare for the voyage home. She departed Yokosuka on 20 May
in company with the dock landing
ships COMSTOCK (LSD-19), COLONIAL
(LSD-18), and WHITESTONE (LSD-27).