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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-22

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Xray - Oscar - Delta
NXOD

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 (6)
Bottom Row - World War II Victory Medal - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippine Liberation Medal (2)

USS LST-22 was manned by the US Coast Guard during World War II

LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship

Laid down, 5 November 1942, at Dravo Corp, Neville Island, PA.

Launched, 29 March 1943

Commissioned USS LST-22, 29 May 1943, LT. Lawrence N. Ditlefsen, USCG, in command

During World War II USS LST-22 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
LST Flotilla Seven;
LST Group Twenty-One;
LST Division Forty-One and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Bismarck Archipelago operation Cape Gloucester; New Britain, 26 to 28 December 1943, 15 to 19 January 1944, 30 January to 2 February, 15 to 19 February and 21 to 23 February 1944 Admiralty Islands landings, 29 February to 4 March, 7 to 11 March and 28 March to 10 April 1944	Western New Guinea operations Toem-Wakde-Sarmi area operation. 18 to 20 May and 23 to 25 May 1944 Biak Island operation. 27 to 30 May, 3 to 7 June and 16 to 16 June 1944 Noemfoor Island operation, 10 to 15 July 1944 Cape Sansapor operation. 30 July, 2. 6 to 12, 14 to 19 and 22 to 28 August 1944 Morotai landings, 15 September 1944
Eastern New Guinea operations Saidor occupation, 2 to 3, 6 to 9 and 20 to 22 January and 4 to 7 February 1944	Luzon operation Lingayen Gulf landings, 4 to 15 January 1945
Hollandia operation Aitape Humboldt Bay-Tanahmerah Bay, 21 to 25 April and 1 to 7 May 1944	Leyte operation Leyte landings, 23 October 4 November 1944

Decommissioned, 1 April 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, 17 April 1946

Sold to Ming Sung Industrial Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China, 3 February 1947 to be converted for merchant service, named M/V Wan Cheng

Final Disposition, fate unknown

USS LST-22 earned six battle stars for World War II service.

Specifications:

Displacement

1,625 t.(lt)

4,080 t.(fl) (sea-going draft w/1675 ton load)

2,366 t. (beaching displacement)

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)

limiting 11' 2"

maximum navigation 14' 1"

Speed 11.6 kts. (trial)

Endurance 24,000 miles @ 9kts. while displacing 3960 tons

Complement

13 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

Fuel Capacity

Diesel 4,300 Bbls

Propulsion

two General Motors 12-567A, 900hp Diesel engines

single Falk Main Reduction Gears

three Diesel-drive 100Kw 230V D.C. Ship's Service Generators

two propellers, 1,700shp

twin rudders

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
	105k	USS LST-22 unloading on the beach to port of USS LST-26 at Tanah Merah Bay, Hollandia, Dutch East Indies, circa May 1944. The LST in the far distance is unidentified. US Coast Guard photo # 2301, from USCG Historian's Office, photographer unknown.	Keith D Lumsden
	288k	USS LST-22 and USS LST-206 in the surf at Leyte, as soldiers strip down and build sandbag piers out to the ramps to speed up unloading operations. 1 October 1944. US Coast Guard photo now in the collection of the US National Archives.NARA FILE #: 026-G-3738 WAR & CONFLICT BOOK #: 1210	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret
	1292k	Alligators leave USS LST-22 via her bow ramp during test unloading at Aitape, Dutch New Guinea, 26 December 1944. US Army Signal Corps. photo # SC 200397-S, from the collections of the US National Archives.	Dave Kerr
	838k	USS LST-22 unloading her cargo of Alligators and Buffalos, 9 January 1945, at Lingayen Gulf during the invasion of Luzon. Vehicles were under the command of LCOL. Lloyd Barron, CO (3RD BN, 43 INF DIV). US Army Signal Corps. photo # SC 200500, by PVT Robert Raines, from the collections of the US National Archives.	Dave Kerr
Merchant Service
	50k	Ex-USS LST-22 in Chinese merchant service as M/V Wan Cheng, moored pierside, circa 1947, location unknown.	Jean Lassaque

USS LST-22
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Ditlefsen, Lawrence N., USCG	29 May 1943 - ?
02	LT. Moore, Willie A.	no dates
03	LT. Rogers, Howard N., USCGR	? 19 October 1945
04	LT. Rogers, S. F.	19 October 1945 - 5 March 1946
05	LT. Markle, F. G.	5 March 1946 - 1 April 1946

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
The USS LST Ship Memorial
LST Homeport
State LST Chapters
United States LST Association
US Coast Guard Historian's Office - USS LST-22

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 17 October 2014