The crew of "Harlan County" affectionately nicknamed her the "Darlin' Harlan", "Supergator", and "the Golden Gator". Over her career, "Harlan County" routinely deployed to the Mediterranean, Western Africa, and South America, while also conducting amphibious training operations along the east coast of the United States and in the Caribbean. "Harlan County" served during several notable actions during her career: she was stationed off the coast of Lebanon in 1983 when the Marine barracks in Beirut was bombed; several of her crew volunteered for a "Search and Rescue Detail."