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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-72


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Yankee - Mike - Alpha
 NYMA
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service3 Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal - European-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (1)
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)

USS LST-72 was transferred to the Republic of the Philippines
LST 1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 20 December 1942, at Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co, Jeffersonville, IN.
  • Launched, 17 March 1943
  • Commissioned USS LST-72, 5 June 1943, LT. Henry A. Kaye, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-72 was first assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and later to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater participated in the following campaign:

    Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Invasion of Normandy, 6 to 25 June 1944

  • While assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater USS LST-72 was assigned to:
    LST Flotilla Thirty-Six, CAPT. D. F. J. Shea USN (23)
    LST Group One Hundred Seven, CDR. L. F. Teuscher USN (23);
    LST Division Two Hundred-Fourteen
  • Following World War II USS LST-72 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    China Service Medal (extended)
    2 October to 14 November 1945 
    15 November 1945 to 13 May 194615 November 1945 to 13 May 1946

  • Decommissioned, 4 June 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 19 June 1946
  • USS LST-72 earned one battle star for World War II service
  • Transferred, 8 June 1948, to the Philippines government
  • Sold by the Philippines government in 1957-58 (ref. Janes 1957-58 pg.77)
  • Purchased by T.Engan, Philippines,and named MV San Fernando, date unknown
  • Final Disposition, sold by T. Engan for scrapping in November 1959 to Hong Kong shipbreakers (ref Marine News ,WSS, March 1960
    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
    LST-49
    US National Archives
    photo # 80-G-46817    		 370k LSTs land invasion supplies on "Utah" Beach, shortly after the 6 June 1944 "D-Day" assault.
    LSTs on the beach include from (right to left):
    USS LST-312
    HM LST-320
    HM LST-321
    USS LST-72
    USS LST-51? last digit not visible)
    HM LST-324
    USS LST-311
    USS LST-49
    USS LST-373
    USS LST-47 and two unidentified LSTs.
    Note: bow numbers of the British ships enclosed in colored blocks; crowd of shipping offshore; barrage balloons over many of the ships. Photo was released for publication, 23 October 1944
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-46817 a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.

    Note: This image is labeled as Omaha Beach but is actually taken on Utah Beach. [See - The movie "A Newsreel Camaraman's View if D-Day" in color by Jack Lieb. About 15 minutes into the film Jack Lieb pans the beach one can see that this is Utah Beach showing LSTs 72, 324, 311, 46, 47 in the same sequence as in the NARA photo 80-G-46817.]

    		 Riley R. Re Qua MoMM3/C USS LST-49 and Arthur L Long MoMM2/C USS LST-49
    Marilyn Smith for her father Coastguardsman Jack Davenport USCGC Blackhaw (WLB-390)
    LST-312
    US National Archives
    photo    		 180k
    LST-325 919k Siege of Brest, France, August-September 1944
    USS LST-325 (right) and USS LST-72 unloading directly onto trucks, after being left "high and dry" by the tide at Morlaix, France, 5 September 1944.
    US Army Signal Corps photo # SC 194739, US Army Signal Corps Collection, US National Archives.
    		 Dave Kerr
    LST-72 45k USS LST-72 crew photo, 15 February 1946, Shanghai China Charles R Tefrey
    via LST Homeport web site
    USS LST-72
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Kaye, Henry A., USNR5 June 1943 - 26 August 1943
    02LT. Lombard, John A., USNR26 August 1943 - 1944
    03LT. Huber, Carl B., USNR1944 - 1945
    04LT. Byron, Walter, USN1945 - April 1946
    05LT. Sumrall, Dudley D., USNApril 1946 - 4 June 1946
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    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 and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 3 March 2023