She cleared Norfolk, Virginia, on 11 April 1955, bound for the Caribbean, and took part in amphibious warfare exercises at Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, with a reconnaissance team embarked.

Renamed USS Whitfield County (LST-1169) on 1 July 1955, she remained engaged in local operations into 1956, a year in which she underwent an overhaul at Norfolk Navy Yard between 21 January 1956 and 23 May 1956.

Whitfield County arrived at Dingalan Bay, Luzon, the Philippines, on 30 November 1957 and served as the base for a reconnaissance team during amphibious exercises that lasted until 10 December 1957.

Embarking the elements of the 7th Cavalry at Inchon soon after her arrival on 12 August 1959, Whitfield County sortied for Pohang Dong, on the coast of South Korea, to take part in Operation Seahorse.

She steamed between Naha and Buckner Bay during that time and also conducted routine training evolutions, making one transit of the Taiwan Strait and evading five typhoons.

Reaching Singapore on 30 September 1960, the two landing ships tank embarked 600 Malayan troops and their gear, part of a United Nations (UN) force assigned peacekeeping duties in the turbulent Belgian Congo.

She next conducted type training, made a troop lift from Numazu to Okinawa, and underwent more upkeep in November and December 1964, before rounding out the year in readiness to operate in South Vietnamese waters once more if the situation demanded it.

Following that yard work and the ensuing refresher training, Whitfield County remained at Yokosuka through much of the summer[2] before sailing for Iwakuni, Japan, and arriving there on 27 August to load equipment and embark men of Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 13 for transfer to South Vietnam.

The normally short trip became a four-day voyage after she ran into heavy weather soon after leaving Phan Rang, but she finally reached Da Nang on 5 December, and took on board equipment for lift to Okinawa.

A port visit slated for 11 April 1967 at Keelung, Taiwan, was cancelled due to the urgent need for landing ships tank for the impending Operation Oregon.

She then took on board 92 tons of vehicles, 200 officers and men, and the cargo of a Marine Corps headquarters battalion; and proceeded to Da Nang, where she arrived on 16 April 1967.

Released from Operation Oregon on 23 April 1967, Whitfield County departed Chu Lai and headed toward the Philippines for type training and a visit to Manila.

Reaching Da Nang on 11 May 1967, Whitfield County returned to Amphibious Ready Group "Alfa" on the morning of 13 May 1967, again landed passengers and delivered mail, refilled oxygen bottles, ice cream and other dairy products to Sanctuary.

Upon the termination of Operation Beaver Cage that afternoon, the enemy having fled, Whitfield County' proceeded to a holding area at sea northeast of Da Nang and rendezvoused with the other ships of the amphibious ready group that evening.

On the morning of 17 May 1967, the task group rendezvoused with stores ship USS Regulus for replenishment and, during the early evening hours, began its approach to the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

The largest concentration of naval gunfire support ships since the Korean War (1950–1953) softened the DMZ prior to Amphibious Ready Group Alpha's assault, which was aimed at destroying enemy forces and supplies and evacuating non-combatants.

Pronounced resistance came at helicopter landing zones, but despite that, the helicopter-landed Marines linked up with tank units and initiated search and destroy operations that lasted through the next week.

Whitfield County returned to Vietnamese waters in the summer of 1967 to resume her support operations for riverine activities in the Mekong Delta region of South Vietnam, basing again at Vũng Tàu.

She supplied ammunition, water, and rations to the troops in the field, was the focal point of helicopter support operations, served as combat store warehouse, and provided mortuary services for the killed in action periodically brought to the ship.

Whitfield County worked in that locale until 1 October 1967, when the Mobile Riverine Base was shifted back to Dong Tam to support projected strikes into the Western Ben Zong secret zone, Dinh Troung Province, to destroy PAVN/VC forces in that area.

Whitfield County subsequently supported mobile riverine operations at Vũng Tàu and back at the junction of the Soirap and Vam Co Rivers into late October 1967.

Underway on 22 January 1968 with a cargo of two pontoon causeway sections, the vehicles and men of BMU-1, and a CH-46 helicopter, with its accompanying Sea Van — an experimental housing seeing its first operational test and evaluation aboard Whitfield County — the ship headed for Vietnam.

Subsequently, visiting Bangkok, Thailand, for rest and recreation, Whitfield County then headed for Da Nang, where she side-loaded two causeway sections for transportation to Okinawa.

That night, communist forces attacked the Mobile Riverine Group and the base at Dong Tam with rockets and mortars; Whitfield County went to general quarters at 21:59 and, between 22:50 and 23:00, expended 12 rounds against the enemy artillerymen.

After loading vehicles and nine men from Beachmaster Unit 1, Western Pacific Detachment, at Red Beach 1, Chin Wan, Okinawa, Whitfield County proceeded on to Yokosuka, reaching that port on the morning of 17 February 1969.

Whitfield County subsequently returned to Yokosuka for more upkeep before she sailed, via Subic Bay, for Vietnamese waters where she loaded side-protection causeway sections.

Arriving at Dong Tam on 8 May 1969, she there relieved Windham County as support landing ship tank for River Assault Flotilla 1, Task Force 117.

At 02:05 on 6 June 1969, while Whitfield County was at Dong Tam, four rounds of hostile fire landed between 50 and 300 yards (46 and 274 meters) from the ships of the Mobile Riverine Force.

While she lay anchored there, Storekeeper 3rd Class L. E. Smith, assigned as roving sentry on the port side of the ship, spotted a swimmer in the water at 01:00 on 15 June 1969.

Between 8 May 1969 and 4 July 1969, Whitfield County had expended some 2,982 rounds of 3-inch (76.2-millimeter) projectiles on call-fire and counterbattery fire, conducted some 850 helicopter landings, and travelled 394 nautical miles (730 km; 453 mi) within the Mekong Delta.