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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-168


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Papa - Bravo - Sierra
 NPBS
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 (8)
Bottom Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippine Liberation Medal (2)

USS LST-168 was manned by the US Coast Guard during World War II
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 26 September 1942, at Mission Valley Bridge & Iron Co., Evansville, IN.
  • Launched, 25 February 1943
  • Commissioned USS LST 168, 3 May 1943, LT Arthur S. Moreau, USCGR in command
    Succeeding Commanding Officer - LT H. Twiford:, USCGR 4 April 1944 to 14 March 1946
  • During World War II USS LST-168 was assigned to the Asiatic- Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:
    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Eastern New Guinea operation
    Finschhafen occupation, September 1943
    Saidor occupation, January 1944     		Leyte operations
    Leyte landings, October and November 1944
    Bismarck Archipelago operation
    Cape Gloucester, New Britain, December 1943, January and February 1944
    Admiralty Islands landings, March 1944     		Luzon operations
    Lingayen Gulf landings, January 1945
    Hollandia operation, April 1944 Consolidation and capture of the Southern Philippines;
    Mindanao Island landings, April 1945
    Western New Guinea operations
    Morotai landings, September 1944     		Borneo operations;
    Balikpapan operation, 15 July 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-168 performed occupation duty in the Far East in September and October 1945
  • Decommissioned, 14 March 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 12 April 1946
  • Final Disposition, sold, 9 April 1948 to the Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, PA for scrapping
  • USS LST-168 earned eight battle stars for World War II service
    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 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
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    LST-168 234k USS LST-168 beached at Cape Gloucester, 26 December 1943, Note the downed Japanese bomber in the background. David LaPell
    LST-181 1332k LSTs, including USS LST-181, USS LST-168, USS LST-206 and USS LST-245 beached at the loading area at Cape Sudest, New Guinea, 12 March 1944.
    US National Archives photo # III-SC 271518, Box 504, a US Army Signal Corps photo, by LT E. Commings, now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Dave Kerr
    LST-168 53k USS LST-168 beached in the Philippines, date and location unknown. LST Home Port web site
    LST-168 97k From left to right USS LST-245, USS LST-170 and USS LST-168 beached at Manila, Luzon, Philippine Islands after the city had been secured.
    US Coast Guard photo # 4334 from the collections of the US Coast Guard Historian's Office.    		 Mike Green
    LST-168 91k USS LST-168 beached in the Philippines while unloading construction equipment, date and location unknown.
    US Coast Guard photo from the collections of th US Coast Guard Historian's Office.    		 Mike Green
    LST-168 59k USS LST-168 and USS LST-470 beached, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo    		 US Coast Guard Historian's Office
    LST-168 183k USS LST-168's LCVP-1 taking first assault wave of Australian troops ashore at Balikpapan. Notice cameraman at left; & chalk ID 'LCVP 131'. Submitted by Adrain K
    'for educational purposes'
    Source-"Pictorial History of Australia at War 39-45",
    5 Volumes. 1959
    View the USS LST-168
    DANFS history entry located at the US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Fleet Reserve Association
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    The USS LST Ship Memorial
    LST Home Port
    State LST Chapters
    United States LST Association
    U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office - USS LST-168
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Tank Landing Ship Photo (LST) Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    © 2005 Gary P. Priolo © 1996 - 2009 NavSource Naval History. All Rights Reserved.
    Last Updated 23 October 2009