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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-127


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Zulu - Lima - Bravo
 NZLB
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 (5)
Bottom Row - World War II Victory Medal - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (1)
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 30 June 1943, at Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., Evansville, IN.
  • Launched, 31 August 1943
  • Commissioned USS LST-127, 6 October 1943, LT. Robert S. Blieden USNR in command
  • During World War II USS LST-127 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Thirteen, CAPT. J.G. Sampson USN (22);
     LST Group Thirty-Eight, LCDR. M.F. Stiling USNR;
     LST Division Seventy-Five 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, 17 to 23 February 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     		Luzon operation
    Lingayen Gulf landings, 9 January 1945
    Tinian Capture and occupation, 24 to 28 July 1944  
  • Decommissioned, 11 March 1947
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 10 June 1947
  • USS LST-127 earned five battle stars for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 11 June 1948, to Walter W. Johnson Co.
    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-127/681 32k USS LST-127 and USS LST-681 unloading across a pontoon bridge onto the beach at Lingayen Gulf during the landings 9 January 1945. nbsp;
    LST-127 230k USS LST-127 beach with multiple LSTs at Lingayen Gulf, date unknown. Brian Miller
    LST-127 203k USS LST-127 under way in San Francisco Bay, circa 1945-46.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 83626 Courtesy D. M. McPherson, 1975    		 USNHHC
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Blieden, Robert S., USNR6 October 1943 - June 1944
    02LT. Reed, Jack J., USNRJune 1944 - March 1945
    03LT. Tabin, Seymour, USNRMarch 1945 - 15 September 1945
    04LT. Rabb Jr., Lawrence W., USNR15 September 1945 - 8 November 1945
    05LT. O'Rourke, John Bernard, USNR8 November 1945 - 11 March 1947
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

    For more photos and information about USS LST-127 see;
  • Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
  • 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
    • Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    Crew Contact - Francis Hillibush
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    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 1 July 2016