She was named for Point Defiance, a location in Pierce County, Washington, the site of a military reservation established by the U.S. Government in 1866.

In June 1960 she participated in "Operation Sea Hawk", a combined amphibious landing with Republic of Korea forces and returned to Long Beach in July.

In early 1963 Point Defiance carried bathyscaphe Trieste from San Diego through the Panama Canal to Boston for deep search operations into the cause of the loss of the nuclear submarine Thresher (SSN-593).

In July she landed Marines at Qui Nhơn, South Vietnam, and in early August helped salvage USS Frank Knox, aground on Pratas Reef.

In late August she took part in Operation Starlite, an amphibious raid at Van Tuong, South Vietnam, which inflicted heavy enemy casualties.

Point Defiance again departed for the western Pacific on 27 March 1966, and began transporting troops and equipment from U.S. bases in the Far East to South Vietnam.

Custody was transferred to Maritime Administration (MARAD), 18 December 1998, and she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benicia, California.

[1] Point Defiance departed the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet on 8 September to be cleaned by Allied Defense Recycling at the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard.