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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-273


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Quebec - Echo - Zulu
 NQEZ
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 (6) - World War II Victory Medal
Bottom Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (1)
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 24 February 1943, at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA.
  • Launched, 8 August 1943
  • Commissioned USS LST-273, 24 September 1943, LTjg. John F. James Jr., USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-273 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 14 October 1944
    Marianas operation
    Capture and occupation of Saipan, 15 June to 28 July 1944     		Luzon operation
    Lingayen Gulf landing, 9 January 1945
    Tinian capture and occupation, 24 to 28 July 1944 Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 2 to 15 April 1945

  • Following World War II LST-273 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 22 to 29 October 1945
  • Decommissioned, 13 August 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 8 October 1946
  • USS LST-273 earned six battle stars for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 3 November 1947, to Hugo Neu Steel Products Corp., New York, N.Y.
    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-273 102k LST 273 launch and the christening party. John McComb, Georgina McComb, William McComb and Julia McComb. Julia christened the ship. William McComb was manager of American Bridge Co’s. works in PA. Fred Munkachy
    LCT-933
    1018093301    		 125k LCT(6)-933 in the water alongside YD-33, next to USS LST-273 with LCT(6)-935 just loaded aboard, 21 December 1943.
    Ref. USS LST-273- War Diary, 12/1-31/43 National Archives Identifier 7826368 and
    Still image from "Building of LCT-6" National Archives Identifier 78263688 Local ID 428-NPC-2098 Dept. of the Navy. Moving Image    		 David Upton
    LCT-933
    1018093302    		 154k
    LST-273 100k USS LST-273 off Saipan, 16 June 1944. Bill Brinkley, National Archives Tape No. NPC-114-4435.

    For more photos and information about USS LST-273 see;
  • Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
  • Antidotical history of LST-273 By Melvin W. Johnson, ICC(SSN) (SSGN), USN Ret.
  • 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
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Commanding Officers
    01LTjg. James Jr., John F., USNR24 September 1943 - 19 June 1944
    02LTjg. Alpert, Arthur M., USNR (temporary)19 June 1944 - 2 July 1944
    03LT. Harrison, Richard W., USNR2 July 1944 - November 1945
    04LTjg. Guedry Jr., Fred E., USNRNovember 1945 - June 1946
    05LTjg. Reardon, Francis J., USNRJune 1946 - 13 August 1946
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
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    This page is created by David W. Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 1 July 2022