The Door County Maritime Museum will honor the lives lost during the Vietnam War on a Sturgeon Bay-built ship on Friday. The museum will dedicate three plaques in honor of the USS Westchester County, one for its home port of San Diego, its birthplace in Sturgeon Bay, and its namesake in New York. During the Vietnam War, the USS Westchester County was stationed 40 miles upriver near My Tho, Vietnam, when Viet Cong frogmen were able to attach upwards of 500 pounds of explosives to the starboard side of the vessel in the form of two limpet mines during a change of watch. The explosion not only tore two 10-foot wide holes into the ship but claimed the lives of 25 men, making it the Navy's most significant single-incident combat loss of life during the Vietnam War. Executive Director Kevin Osgood says stories like the USS Westchester County's are ones that should be told, even if they are stained in tragedy.
After the vessel earned three Navy Unit Commendations, two Meritorious Unit Commendations, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and the Vietnam Service Medal with 14 service stars, it was transferred to the Turkish Navy, where it served until 2005. It was sunk as part of a military exercise in 2014. The memorial service will take place on November 1st at 11 a.m. behind the Door County Maritime Museum and will feature crew members from that ship.
