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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-171


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Papa - November - Quebec
 NPNQ
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 (7) - World War II Victory Medal
Bottom Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippine Liberation Medal (2)
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 20 October 1942, at the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., Evansville, IN
  • Launched, 28 February 1943
  • Commissioned USS LST 171, 4 June 1943, LCDR. Harvey A. West, USNR, in command
  • During World War II, USS LST-171 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Seven, CAPT. R. M. Scruggs, USN;
    LST Group Nineteen, CDR. James E. Van Zandt, USNR and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Eastern New Guinea operation
    Saidor occupation, 2 to 11 January and 4 to 7 February 1944     		Leyte operation
    Leyte landings, 13 to 28 October and 12 to 29 November 1944
    Bismarck Archipelago operation
    Cape Gloucester, New Britain, 26 to 28 December 1943, 22 to 25 January and 30 January to 2 February 1944
    Admiralty Island landings, 29 February to 4 March and 7 to 11 March 1944     		Consolidation and capture of Southern Philippines;
    Visayan Island landings, 26 March and 4 April 1945
    Hollandia operation, 21 to 26 April and 1 to 7 May 1944 Borneo operation;
    Tarakan Island operation, 27 April to 5 May 1945
    Balikpapan operation, 27 April to 5 May and 28 June to 7 July 1945
    Western New Guinea operation
    Biak Island operation, 28 May to 9 June 1944
    Cape Sansapor operation, 30 July, 4 August, 6 to 12 and 14 to 19 August 1944
    Morotai landings, 15 September 1944     		 

  • Following World War II USS LST-171 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    7 to 13 September 1945
    20 September to 22 October 1945
  • Decommissioned, 21 May 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 3 July 1946
  • USS LST-171 earned seven battle stars for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, sold, 26 September 1947 to the Boston Metals Co., Baltimore, MD for scrapping
    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-171
    1016017107    		 56k Three Launching Guest ID tags for the launching of LST-171, 28 February, 1943. The tags are sequentially numbered (3333, 3334, & 3335) and were intended for guests of Mrs. Dorothy Pipken (2) and Mr. Frank Harrison (1) respectively. Mr. Harrison was the General Manager for the Shipbuilding Division of Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co. which operated the Evansville Shipyard.
    USS LST Ship Memorial, Inc. LST Shipyard Collection    		 Tommy Trampp
    LST-171 369k USS LST-171, USS LST-584 loading at Morotai in April, 1945.
    LIFE Magazine Archives, Carl Mydans Photographer, shared by Peter DeForest.    		 Mike Green
    LST-171 314k USS LST-171, USS LST-584, USS LST-697 and USS LST-585 loading at Morotai in April, 1945.
    LIFE Magazine Archives, Carl Mydans Photographer, shared by Peter DeForest.    		 Mike Green
    LST-171 389k
    LST-171 92k USS LST-171 beached, date and location unknown. Scott Molski
    LST-171 92k US Army tanks deploy across an invasion beach as USS LST-171 and USS LST-452 unload their cargos, date and location unknown.
    World War II press photo.    		 Tommy Trampp
    LST-171 371k USS LST-171 and USS LST-993 beached on Red Beach, Tarakan Island, 1 May 1945. Carl Kracht for his father PHom1/c Ken Kracht
    LST-471 887k Christmas 1945 and New Years 1946 greetings from Commander LST Group Nineteen, CDR James E. Van Zandt USNR to the ships of the Group: USS LST-466
    USS LST-245
    USS LST-467
    USS LST-171
    USS LST-181
    USS LST-469
    USS LST-470
    USS LST-471
    USS LST-468
    USS LST-473
    USS LST-475 and
    USS LST-474    		 Bill James for his father William James USS LST-471
    USS LST-171
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LCDR. West, Harvey A., USNR4 June 1943 - May 1944
    02LT. Smiley, Lester H., USNRMay 1944 - 23 August 1944
    03LT. McGirl, Raymond L., USNR23 August 1944 - November1945
    04LTjg. DuPont, Paul E., USNRNovember 1945 - 21 May 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 Homeport
    State LST Chapters
    United States LST Association
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 22 January 2021