>From the "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships," (1976) Vol. 6, pp.544-545 SOLANO COUNTY A county in California named for a chief of the Suisun Indians. LST-1128 Displacement: 3,960 t. Length: 328' Beam: 50' Draft: 11’2” Speed: 11.6 k. Complement: 119 Armament: 8 40mm Class: LST-542 SOLANO COUNTY (LST-1128) was laid down on 23 November 1944 by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, Ill.; launched on 19 February 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Marie Staat; and commissioned on 9 March 1945. SOLANO COUNTY sailed down the Illinois and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans; moved to Mobile, Ala., on 16 March, to have a propeller changed; and then conducted her shakedown training at Panama City, Fla., from 23 March to 5 April. Her tank deck was loaded with overseas cargo at Gulfport, Miss., from 6 to 9 April, after which she moved to New Orleans for repairs and supplies. On 19 April, the LST sailed for Hawaii via the Panama Canal and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 15 May. SOLANO COUNTY got underway for Guam on 5 June and proceeded via Kwajalein, Marshall Islands. She unloaded the tank deck cargo at Guam from 25 June to 30 July and then moved to Saipan on the 31st. The war ended with the LST at anchor there, so she loaded Army troops and equipment destined for Okinawa and sailed on 21 August. She unloaded at Buckner Bay and reloaded with trucks and equipment for Korea. SOLANO COUNTY arrive at Jinsen on 12 September, offloaded cargo, and began the return voyage to Okinawa on the 23d. SOLANO COUNTY remained at Okinawa from 27 September through 20 October and weathered a violent typhoon in Naha Harbor with no major damage. The ship transported another load of cargo to Jinsen on 29 October and then moved to the island of Saishu, south of Korea. There, she embarked 1,400 Japanese prisoners of war and returned them to Sasebo, Japan, on 2 November. SOLANO COUNTY returned to Jinsen on 7 December and then sailed to Manila. She remained there from 15 to 26 December 1945 when she started another trip to Jinsen. She departed Korea in January 1946 for home via Pearl Harbor. Upon her arrival on the west coast, she was routed to Bremerton for a preinactivation yard overhaul. SOLANO COUNTY was placed in reserve, out of commission, with the Pacific Reserve Fleet on 29 July 1946 and berthed at Columbia River, Oreg. She was struck from the Navy list on 1 November 1958 and transferred to the Republic of Indonesia on 31 March 1960 under the Military Assistance Program. She serves that government as TELUK LANGSA (LST-501). [Placed in reserve in 1995-96, as of October 1999, she was used as a storage hulk.] Internet Web Site: United States Naval & Shipbuilding Museum www.uss-salem.org/worldnav/asiapac/indones.htm#amph “The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, 1998-1999,” p.343. “Jane’s Fighting Ships, 1999-2000,” p.324. Transcribed by Michael Hansen mhansen2@home.com