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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

HM LST-301


LST-301 was transferred to the United Kingdom for the duration of World War II
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 26 June 1942, at Boston Navy Yard, Boston, MA.
  • Launched, 15 September 1942
  • LST-301 never saw active service with the US Navy
  • Transferred to the United Kingdom under terms of the Lend-lease Act
  • Royal Navy History
  • Commissioned into the Royal Navy as HM LST-301, 14 November 1942
    Sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia in convoy SC 113, 16 December 1942
    Arrived in the United Kingdom, 1 January 1943
    HM LST-301 was assigned to the European Theater and participated in the following campaigns:
    Sicilian occupation, July-August 1943
    Salerno landings, September 1943
    Reggio, September 1943
    West Coast of Italy operations-1944 - Anzio-Nettuno advanced landings, January-March 1944
    Invasion of Normandy, June 1944
    Operated in shuttle service between Tilbury, Ostend and Antwerp
    Various repairs at Cowes, Portsmouth, Thames and Devonport
  • Paid off New York and returned to US Navy custody, 20 March 1946.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 5 June 1946
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
    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 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-301 200k LST-301 launching, 15 November 1942. The first LST built by Navy Yard Boston, the ship never served in the US Navy. Designated HM LST-301, she was transferred to the United Kingdom for the duration of World War II.
    US Navy photo, Commandant 1st Naval District,    		 Mike Green
    LST-301 70k HM LST-301 landing her cargo of tanks and soft skinned vehicles on a Caribbean island beach, date and location unknown. Robert Hurst
    LST-301 65k HM LST-301 during trials with VLR (Vehicle Loading Ramp) in and around the Portland and Weymourh England areas, circa 1943. Robert Hurst
    LST-301 36k HM LST-301 during trials with VLR (Vehicle Loading Ramp) in and around the Portland and Weymourh England areas, circa 1943. Robert Hurst
    LST-301 301k HM LST-301 unloading MT (motor transports), date and location unknown.
    Imperial War Museum Ministry of Defense Foxhill Collection of Ship Photographs, Photo No. © IWM(FL 7237)    		 Mike Green
    LST-301 89k Pen and ink drawing of HM LST-301 unloading someplace in Italy. Ed Storey
    LST-301 67k HM LST-301 and HM LST-406 unloading while beached at Gold Beach, Normandy, June 1944. William Fraser USS LST-208
    LST-301
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
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    This page is created by David W. Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 11 January 2019