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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-181


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Foxtrot - Charlie - Oscar
 NFCO
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (6) - World War II Victory Medal - Philippines Liberation Medal (1)
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 7 April 1943, at Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN.
  • Launched, 3 July 1943
  • Commissioned USS LST-181, 21 August 1943
  • During World War II USS LST-181 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns;
    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Bismarck Archipelago operation
    Cape Gloucester, New Britain, February 1944
    Admiralty Islands landings, March 1944     		Leyte operation
    Leyte landings, October and November 1944
    Hollandia operation
    April and May 1944     		Consolidation and capture of Southern Philippines
    Visayan Islands landings-March and April 1945
    Western New Guinea operation
    Toem-Wakde-Sarmi area operation, May 1944
    Biak Island operation, June 1944
    Noemfoor Island operation, July 1944
    Cape Sansapor operation, July and August 1944
    Morotai landings, September 1944     		Borneo operation
    Balikpapan operation, June and July 1945

  • Decommissioned, 4 March 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 12 April 1946
  • Final Disposition, sold to Construction Power Machinery Co., Brooklyn, N.Y., 9 December 1946, fate unknown
  • USS LST-181 earned six 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-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-181 27k USS LST-181 beached at Aitape, New Guinea, 22 April 1944. Photo by S. N. Johnson EM2/c USNR USS LST-181 plank owner
    View the USS LST-181
    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 Homeport
    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
    © 2005 Gary P. Priolo © 1996 - 2009 NavSource Naval History. All Rights Reserved.
    Last Updated 23 October 2009