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USS LST-939 was a United States Navy LST-542-class tank landing ship in commission from 1944 to 1948. |
USS LST-939 was a United States Navy LST-542-class tank landing ship in commission from 1944 to 1948. |
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Construction and commissioning |
Construction and commissioning |
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USS LST-939 was a United States Navy LST-542-class tank landing ship in commission from 1944 to 1948. Construction and commissioning LST-939 was laid down on 21 July 1944 at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, MA. Commissioned USS LST-939, 14 September 1944 During World War II USS LST-939 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the Asiatic-Pacific campaign, and the assault and occupation of Okinawa, Gunto from April through June of 1945. Radio Call sign was NKDG (NOVEMBER-KILO-DELTA-GULF)
Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right Top Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) Bottom Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia Clasp) - Philippines Liberation Medal
During World War II, LST-939 was assigned to the Pacific Theater of Operations. LST-939 left New York Harbor in the fall of 1944 arriving in Havana Cuba and then transited the Panama Canal and went on to Pearl Harbor Hawaii. She was refueled in Pearl Harbor and went to Guadal Canal were it was attacked by a Japanese suicide swimmer caring several packages of explosives and two grenades.. The attack was successfully repelled. LST-939 departed and next beached at Dulag Leyte Gulf in the Philippines on February 4 1945 and then transited on to Guam. LST 939 participated in the amphibious assault of the beach at Gunto in Okinowa, where it was attacked by a Kamikazi. The Kamikazi was successfully destroyed in mid air by anti aircraft fire (AA) but a piece of the plane struck the forward deck. On landing in Okinawa amphibious assault one crew member standing above the front door saws killed by an incoming exploding coastal defense artillery shell and the executive officer Lieutenant JG George Keat was temporarily blinded. The ship was later damaged the same day in a collision with LST 268 in the same amphibious assault. LST-939 is know to have transited through Saipan. Following the war, LST-939 performed occupation operations in the waters surrounding the Home Islands of Japan She entered Japanese waters in the Port of Tokyo shortly after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. LST-939 continued to perform occupation duty in the Far East and saw service in China until mid-March 1946
LST-939 was:
LST-939 received one battle stars for her World War II service. [edit] References Specifications: (as reported by Office of Naval Intelligence-1945) Displacement 1,625 t.(lt), 4,080 t.(fl) (sea-going draft w/1675 ton load) Length 328' o.a. Beam 50' Draft (light) - 2' 4" fwd, 7' 6" aft (sea-going) 8' 3" fwd, 14' 1" aft (landing) 3' 11" fwd, 9' 10" aft (landing w/500 ton load) Speed 12 kts. (maximum) Endurance 24,000 miles @ 9kts. while displacing 3960 tons Complement 7 officers, 104 enlisted Troop Accommodations 16 officers, 147 enlisted Boats 2 LCVP Cargo Capacity (varied with mission - payloads between 1600 and 1900 tons) Typical loads One Landing Craft Tank (LCT), tanks, wheeled and tracked vehicles, artillery, construction equipment and military supplies. A ramp or elevator forward allowed vehicles access to tank deck from main deck Additional capacity included sectional pontoons carried on each side of vessel amidships, to either build Rhino Barges or use as causeways. Married to the bow ramp, the causeways would enabled payloads to be delivered ashore from deeper water or where a beachhead would not allow the vessel to be grounded forward after ballasting Armament (varied with availability when each vessel was outfitted. Retro-fitting was accomplished throughout WWII. The ultimate armament design for United States vessels was 2 - Twin 40MM gun mounts w/Mk. 51 directors 4 - Single 40MM gun mounts 12 single 20MM gun mounts Propulsion two General Motors 12-567, 900hp diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders
