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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST(H)-42
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USS LST-42 (1943 - 1945)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Papa - Golf - Delta
NPGD
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive) - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (4) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)


LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 17 June 1943, at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, PA.
  • Launched, 17 August 1943
  • Commissioned USS LST-42, 30 September 1943, LT. Roy L. Guy, USN, in command During World War II, USS LST-42 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Three, CDR. A.A. Ageton USN (23);
    LST Group Nine, CDR. S.A. Life USNR;
    LST Division Seventeen and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Marshall Islands operation
    Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, 31 January to 8 February 1944
    Occupation of Eniwetok Atoll, 19 February to 2 March 1944
    Western Caroline Islands operation
    Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 6 September to 14 October 1944
    Marianas operation
    Capture and Occupation of Saipan, 15 June to 28 July 1944
    Tinian Capture and occupation, 24 to 26 July 1944
    Iwo Jima operation
    Assault and Occupation of Iwo Jima, 19 February to 3 March 1945

  • USS LST-42 was redesignated Landing Ship Tank (Hospital) LST(H)-42 15 September 1945
  • Following World War II USS LST(H)-42 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal

    China Service Medal (extended)
    8 October 1945 to 24 March 194625 March to 7 April 1946
    8 to 16 April 1946 

  • Decommissioned, 26 July 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 25 September 1946
  • USS LST-42 earned four battle stars for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 26 March 1948, to Kaiser Co., Inc., Seattle, WA.
    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 Source
    LST-42 290k Launching of LST-42, 17 August 1943, at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, PA. Yu Chu
    LST-42/272 75k USS LST-42 and USS LST-272 beached, date and location unknown. The bulldozer is creating landing ramps to off-load equipment from the two LSTs.
    US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, February 1945.
    Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
    LSM-47 93k USS LST-42 appears to be approaching the beach to make a landing alongside the already beached USS LSM-47. Note the very busy anchorage in the background. USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LST-42/272 578k USS LST-42 at anchor, date and location unknown. David Buell

    USS LST-42
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Guy, Roy L., USN30 September 1943 - 9 November 1944
    02LT. Forbis, James W., USNR9 November 1944 - June 1945
    03LTjg. Baldwin, Robert S., USNR (acting)June 1945 - 13 July 1945
    04LT. Redding, Charles M., USNR13 July 1945 - 13 November 1945
    05LT. Stewart Jr., Robert T., USNR13 November 1945 - March 1946
    06LTjg. Van Wagoner Jr., J. R., USNRMarch 1946 - June 1946
    07LTjg. Knell, Martin, USNRJune 1946 - 26 July 1946
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log


    For more photos and information about USS LST-42 see;
  • Western Caroline Islands Attack Landing Order
  • Beach White Peleliu - CTF 32 Operation Plan A501-44 Appendix 4 to Annex "D"
  • The USS LST Ship Memorial
  • 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 is created by David W. Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 17 May 2019