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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

LST-20

USS LST-20 was manned by the US Coast Guard during World War II

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (4)
Bottom Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippine Liberation Medal (2)

LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship: Laid down, 5 October 1942 at Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh, PA.

Launched, 15 February 1943

Commissioned USS LST-20, 14 May 1943, LT Charles W. Smith USCG, in command

Succeeding Commanding Officers

LT Edgard Duprey, USCGR:

LT Raymond F. Garrity, USCGR:

LTjg Stanley J. Cieslinski, USCGR:

LT William L. E. Sinkler, USCGR:

LTjg Warren B. Eib, USCGR: 8 January 1946 - 3 April 1946

During World War II, USS LST-20 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater LST Flotilla 3, Group 9, Division 17 and took part in the following campaigns:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Gilbert Islands operation November and December1943	Luzon operation Lingayen Gulf landings, January 1945
Leyte operation Leyte landings-October 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, April 1945

Following World War II USS LST-20 performed occupation duty in the Far East until early November 1945

Decommissioned, 3 April 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, 19 June 1946

Final Disposition, transferred to the Maritime Administration, 8 October 1947 for disposal by scrapping

LST-20 earned four battle stars for World War II service

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
Initial Armament

seven single 40mm AA gun mounts

six single 20mm AA gun mounts

two .50-caliber mgs

four .30-caliber mgs
Propulsion two General Motors 12-567, 900hp diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description		Source
	54k	*LST-20* beached at Attu Island, Alaska, circa 1943		Hyperwar US Navy in World War II
	70k	*LST-20* at anchor at Okinawa, April 1945. Photo taken from *LST-678*		Photo by LT. Fred C. Anderson Jr. USS LST-678

View the LST-20
DANFS history entry located at the US Naval Historical Center

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
Fleet Reserve Association

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
LST Home Port
State LST Chapters
United States LST Association
U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office - USS LST-20

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Last Updated 27 April 2007