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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

LST-21


USS LST-21 was manned by the US Coast Guard during World War II
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
American Campaign Medal - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 25 September 1942, at Dravo Corp, Wilmington, DE.
  • Launched, 18 February 1943
  • Commissioned USS LST-21, 14 April 1943, with a Coast Guard crew
  • During World War II LST-21 was assigned to the European Theater and participated in the:
  • Decommissioned, 25 January 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 19 June 1946
  • Final Disposition, sold to Louis Feldman, Flushing, NY, 12 March 1948 for scrapping
  • LST-21 received one battle star 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
    (2-boat davits) 7 officers, 104 enlisted
    (6-boat davits) 9 officers, 120 enlisted
    Troop Accommodations
    (2-boat davits) 16 officers, 147 enlisted
    (6-boat davits) 14 officers, 131 enlisted
    Boats 2 or 6 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
    Lend Lease built vessels were to be outfitted with armament after convoying across Atlantic and included
    1 - 12 Pounder anti-aircraft multi-barrel mount
    6 - 20MM mounts
    4 - Fast Aerial Mine (FAM) mounts
    Propulsion two General Motors 12-567, 900hp diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    LST-21 20k LST-21 unloading at Normandy, June 1944 LST Home Port Web Site
    LST-21 22k LST-21 unloading at Normandy, June 1944 LST Home Port Web Site
    LST-21 27k LST-21 unloading railroad cars at Normandy, June 1944. LST-21 served as a railroad bridge between the United Kingdom and France.
    US Coast Guard photo #220-8    		 John H. Kellers GM3/c USS LCT-539
    LST-21 27k LST-21 unloading railroad cars at Normandy, June 1944 LST Home Port Web Site
    LST-21 86k LST-21 unloading railroad cars at Normandy, June 1944.
    US Coast Guard photo # Photo No. 4387 from the US Coast Guard Historian's Office.    		 Mike Green
    LST-21 96k LST-21 unloads British Army tanks and trucks onto a "Rhino" barge during the early hours of the invasion, 6 June 1944. Note the nickname "Virgin" on the "Sherman" tank at left.
    USCG photo # 26-G2370 from the US Coast Guard collection in the US National Archives.     		John H. Kellers GM3/c USS LCT-539
    LST-21 77k LST-21 at anchor, date and place unknown.
    US Coast Guard photo from the US Coast Guard Historian's Office.    		 Don Leal USS LST-19 and USS LST-67
    LST-21 51k LST-21 unloading supplies onto a "Rhino" ferry after D-Day. LST-21 supported the initial British landings off Gold Beach on 6 June 1944 and thereafter continued to supply Allied forces along the Normandy coast.
    US Coast Guard photo # 2366 from the US Coast Guard Historian's Office.    		 Mike Green
    LST-21 113k LST-21 is in the background, flying a barrage balloon to discourage attacks from low-flying German aircraft. In the foreground German POWs, captured during the Battle of Normandy, await transport to Great Britain sometime during the summer of 1944..
    US Coast Guard photo from the US Coast Guard Historian's Office.    		 Mike Green
    LST-310 51k LST-21, LST-519 and LST-310, off-loading vehicles and equipment at La Havre, France circa 1944 LST 519 web site
    View the LST-21
    DANFS history entry located at the US Naval Historical Center web site
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
    Fleet Reserve Association
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office
    LST Home Port
    State LST Chapters
    United States LST Association
    Back to the Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Tank Landing Ship (LST) Photo Index
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    This page created by Gary P. Priolo and maintained by Joe Radigan
    © 2005 Gary P. Priolo © 1996 - 2008 NavSource Naval History. All Rights Reserved.
    Last Updated 18 March 2005