Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Patch contributed by Mike Smolinski

APM-5 / LSD-5 / LSD-5(A) Gunston Hall

Flag Hoist/ International Radio Call Sign:
November - Zulu - Bravo - Lima Radiotelephone Call Sign: "Elbow Quebec"

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (9) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korean Service Medal (8)- Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1 Cuba, 6 Vietnam)
Fourth Row - Vietnam Service Medal (7) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (11) - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)
Fourth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

USS Gunston Hall (LSD-5) was transferred to Argentina and renamed ARA Candido de Lasala (Q-43)

Ashland Class Dock Landing Ship:

Originally authorized as (APM-5), a Mechanized Artillery Transport

Reclassified Landing Ship Dock (LSD-5), 1 July1941

Laid down (date unknown) at Moore Drydock Co. Oakland. CA.

Launched, 1 May 1943

Commissioned USS Gunston Hall (LSD-5), 10 November 1943, CDR. D. E. Collins in command

During World War II Gunston Hall (LSD-5) was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns**
Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Marshall Islands operation Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls 1 to 6 February 1944	Leyte operation Leyte landings 20 October 1944
Bismarck Archipelago operation Emirau Island 20 March 1944	Luzon operation Lingayen Gulf landings 9 January 1945
Hollandia operation 22 April 1944	Iwo Jima operation Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima 19 February 1945
Marianas operation Capture and occupation of Guam 21 July 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto 1 April 1945
Western Caroline Islands operation Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands Pelelieu, 15 September 1944	.

Decommissioned, 7 July 1947, at Naval Station Treasure Island, San Francisco, CA.

Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet

Converted for Arctic Service and recommissioned, USS Gunston Hall LSD-5(A), 5 March 1949, at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard

During the Korean War Gunston Hall (LSD-5) participated in the following campaigns:

**Korean War Campaigns**
Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
North Korean Aggression 26 October 1950	Second Korean Winter 5 to 6 December 1951 17 to 18 December 1951 22 to 23 January 1952 3 to 4 February 1952 21 March to 1 April 1952 20 to 30 April 1952
Communist China Aggression November 1950 to 12 January 1951	Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 1 May 1952
Inchon Landing 15 to 17 September 1950	Third Korean Winter 26 March to 22 April 1953
UN Summer-Fall Offensive 1 September to 18 October 1951	Korea, Summer-Fall 1953 8 to 18 May 1953 1 to 11 June 1953 21 to 22 June 1953 20 July 1953 26 July 1953

During the Vietnam War Gunston Hall (LSD-5) participated in the following campaigns:

**Vietnam War Campaigns**
Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 14 to 17 June 1966 28 to 29 June 1966	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V 13 to 19 July 1968 24 to 28 July 1968
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 21 July to 11 August 1966 25 August to 4 September 1966 10 to 20 September 1966 2 October 1966 25 October to 6 November 1966 14 to 18 December 1966	Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969 1 to 10 September 1969
Tet Counteroffensive 3 to 14 March 1968 26 to 30 March 1968	Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970 5 to 11 November 1969 27 November to 1 December 1969 12 to 15 December 1969 20 to 22 December 1969 30 December 1969 to 2 January 1970 14 to 16 January 1970 22 to 27 January 1970 17 to 20 February 1970
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV 7 to 9 April 1968 13 to 17 April 1968 9 to 12 May 1968 21 to 23 May 1968 28 May to 3 June 1968 10 to 14 June 1968 19 to 25 June 1968	.

Decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register in May 1970

Transferred (sold) to Argentina, under terms of the Security Assistance Program, renamed ARA Candido de Lasala (Q-43)

Decommissioned by the Argentine Navy in 1981

Final Disposition, scrapped at Campana, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Gunston Hall earned nine battle stars for World War II service, nine battle stars Korean War service and seven campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Specifications: (as reported by Office of Naval Intelligence, 7 April 1944)
Displacement 4,032 (light draft), 7,930 (seagoing - loaded)
Length 457' 9" o.a.
Beam 72"
Draft 8' 2 ½" fwd, 10' ½" aft (light draft); 15' 5 ½" fwd, 16' 2" aft (seagoing loaded)
Speed 17 knots maximum (design speed)
Endurance 8,000 miles @ 15 knots
Crew Complement 17 officers, 237 men; Landing Craft: 6 officers, 30 men
Troop Complement 22 officers, 218 men
Well Deck Capacity (varies with mission)

3 LCT (Mk V or VI) each w/ 5 medium tanks or

2 LCT (Mk III or IV) each w/ 12 medium tanks or

14 LCM (Mk III) each w/ 1 medium tank or 1, 500 long tons cargo or

47 DUKW or

41 LVT or

Any combination of landing vehicles and landing craft up to capacity
Armament

1 - 5"/.38 caliber Dual Purpose single barrel mount in open tub (w/director)

2 - 40MM quad barrel Anti-Aircraft mounts (w/directors)

2 - 40MM twin barrel Anti-Aircraft mounts (w/directors)

16- 20MM single barrel Anti-Aircraft mounts (local control)
Aircraft (still in commission in late 40's or early 50's) were fitted/retro-fitted with a prefabricated steel grated "Portable Deck" suspended between the wing walls and supported by removable I-beam girders. The aft end of the portable deck contained a wooden helicopter platform, enabling the ship to land and launch 1 helicopter at a time. Stowage of helicopters was limited to capacity of the portable deck installed for the mission. Aircraft servicing was limited to re-fueling. With portable deck and aircraft platform installed, the Landing ship, dock was still capable of transporting, launching and repairing smaller amphibious craft and vehicles up to the size of a Landing craft, utility (LCU) in their well decks.
Propulsion

2 - Babcock and Wilcox Boilers, D Type, 2 Drum, Single Furnace, Single Uptake,
Oil Fired

2 - Skinner Uni-Flow reciprocating engines

Twin screws
Arctic Conversion SHIPALTS

Enclosed Pilot House

Moved Flying Bridge up one deck

Enclosed 5"/38 Mount, Gun Director and Plotting Shack

Peak Tank filled with cement

Heating and Ventilation systems modified for cold weather operations

One each 24" Westinghouse carbon-arc signal/search light added outboard on Signal Bridge port and starboard

Enclosed water-tight bow lookout compartment

Size	Image Description	Source/ Contributed By
40k	Gunston Hall (LSD-5), circa 1945. Photo courtesy Commander Donald J. Robinson, USN(MSC), 1978 US Navy photo # NH 86539 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center	US Naval Historical Center
115k	Invitation to the recommissioning of Gunston Hall (LSD-5) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, 5 March 1949.	David Buell in honor of his father CWO4 Benton E. Buell, USN (Ret), Main Propulsion Assistant USS Oak Hill
738k	Gunston Hall (LSD-5) underway, soon after recommissioning in March 1949, location unknown. US Navy photo.	David Buell in honor of his father CWO4 Benton E. Buell, USN (Ret), Main Propulsion Assistant USS Oak Hill
703k	Gunston Hall (LSD-5) underway, soon after recommissioning in March 1949, location unknown. US Navy photo.	David Buell in honor of his father CWO4 Benton E. Buell, USN (Ret), Main Propulsion Assistant USS Oak Hill
122k	Gunston Hall (LSD-5) during 1949-early 1950s. US Navy photo # NH 96886 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.	US Naval Historical Center
104k	Gunston Hall (LSD-5) en route to the Wonsan invasion area, 26 October 1950. One of many ships in the invasion convoy. US Navy photo # NH 96879 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center	US Naval Historical Center
84k	From left to right Cabildo (LSD-16), Colonial (LST-18), Gunston Hall (LSD-5) and Catamount (LSD-17) rendezvous at a Japanese port, date unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine November 1954	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
55k	Gunston Hall (LSD-5), September 1967, Operation Duke, Qui Nhon Harbor, Vietnam, 84th E.B.C. US Army loading men and equipment.	Paul Farley
60k	Gunston Hall (LSD-5), September 1967, Operation Duke, Qui Nhon Harbor, Vietnam, 84th E.B.C. US Army loading men and equipment.	Paul Farley
51k	Gunston Hall (LSD-5), September 1967, Operation Duke, Qui Nhon Harbor, Vietnam, 84th E.B.C. US Army loading men and equipment.	Paul Farley
73k	Gunston Hall (LSD-5), September 1967, Operation Duke, Qui Nhon Harbor, Vietnam, 84th E.B.C. US Army loading men and equipment.	Paul Farley
55k	Gunston Hall (LSD-5), September 1967, Operation Duke, Qui Nhon Harbor, Vietnam, 84th E.B.C. US Army loading men and equipment	Paul Farley
85k	A Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle (PACV) leaves the Gunston Hall (LSD-5)'s well deck, circa January-February 1967, probably in the vicinity of San Diego. The PACVs had seen experimental service in South Vietnam's Mekong River Delta. The original photograph was released by Commander Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet, 15 February 1967. US Navy photo # NH 96887 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center	US Naval Historical Center
65k	Gunston Hall (LSD-5) underway on the Saigon River, in South Vietnam, circa 1969. Photo taken from ex-*LSM-547* in Australian service as Clive Steele (AV1356), circa 1967	Dave Perham
87k	Gunston Hall (LSD-5) carried replacement gun barrels for New Jersey (BB-62) from Hawaii to Subic Bay during her 1968 Westpac deployment.	Cliff Boxer
58k	Gunston Hall (LSD-5) underway, date and place unknown.	Gunston Hall (LSD-5) web site
79k	Gunston Hall (LSD-5) with Flagstaff (PGH-1) in her well deck enroute to Vietnam, circa 1969	Cliff Boxer
111k	Gunston Hall (LSD-5) with Tucumcari (PGH-2) in her well deck enroute to Vietnam circa 1969	Cliff Boxer
106k	Gunston Hall (LSD-5) proceeding out of San Diego harbor at a speed of 12 knots (Indicated by flag hoist on outboard starboard halyard on yardarm.) Point Loma in the background.	Donald J. Wagner USS Gunston Hall