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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

LST-65


LST-65 was transferred to the United Kingdom for the duration of World War II
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 14 August 1942, at Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN.
  • Launched, 7 December 1942
  • LST-65 never saw active service with the US Navy
  • Transferred under terms of the Lend-lease Act to the United Kingdom
  • Royal Navy History
  • Commissioned into the Royal Navy as HM LST-65, 18 March 1943
  • Sailed from New York in Convoy UGS8A, 14 May 1943
  • During War II HM KST-65 was assigned to the European Theater and participated in the following campaigns:
    Sicilian occupation, July and August 1943
    Vibo Valentia, Italy landing, 8 September 1943
    Anzio advanced landings, January to March 1944
    Invasion of Normandy, June 1944
  • Badly damaged during Operation 'Ferdy'
  • Converted for the carriage of rolling stock, (date unknown)
  • Assisted in the relief of Norway
  • Reduced to Care & Maintenance, 18 July 1945
  • Believed loaded with LCT-2243 at Portsmouth for return to the US
  • Paid off and transferred to US custody at New York, 5 January 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 20 March 1946
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 4 May 1948, to Northern Metals Co., Philadelphia, PA.
    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 4 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
    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 Source
    LST-65 93k LST-65 in the background on the beach at Vibo Valentia, Italy following "Operation Ferdy", 8 September 1943. Robert Hurst

    View the LST-65
    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
    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
    © 2005 Gary P. Priolo © 1996 - 2008 NavSource Naval History. All Rights Reserved.
    Last Updated 25 August 2006