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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

LST-161

USS LST-161 was transferred to the United Kingdom for the duration of World War II

LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship

Laid down, 24 July 1942, at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN.

Launched, 7 December 1942

Commissioned USS LST-161, 28 February 1943

Decommissioned, 14 March 1943

USS LST-161 never saw active service with the US Navy

Transferred to the United Kingdom, 15 March 1943

Royal Navy History
Commissioned into the Royal Navy as HM LST-161, 16 March 1943
Sailed from New York in convoy USG 8A, 14 May 1943
During World War II HM LST-161 was assigned to the European Theater and participated in the following campaigns:
Anzio advanced landings, January to March 1944
Invasion of Normandy, June 1944
Also relief of Norway
Other operations uncertain
Converted for carriage of rolling stock
Refitted in the Clyde area for Far East service, July 1945, but was not subsequently required
Returned to US Naval custody, 5 January 1946, at New York

Struck from the Naval Register, 20 March 1946

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 7 May 1948, to Northern Metals Co., Philadelphia, PA.

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

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 12-567A, 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

Size	Image Description	Source
145k	U.S. personnel and equipment loading HM LST-161 for the invasion of Italy in Termini Imerese, Sicily in mid-1943. "LIFE Magazine" Archives-George Rodger Photographer, shared by Peter DeForest.	Mike Green
163k		Mike Green
1035k	HM LST-161 lands US Army troops at Oslo Norway, 31 May 1945. They were a part of Task Force "A" which was sent as a police and military force in the demobilization and handling of 600,000 German soldiers in country when Germany surrendered. US Army Signal Corps photo # SC 207721, by SGT Ned Davey, now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Dave Kerr

USS LST-161
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
The USS LST Ship Memorial
LST Home Port
State LST Chapters
United States LST Association

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This page is created by David W. Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 17 January 2020