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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-310

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Xray - Whiskey - Mike
NXWM

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, Sicily, Salerno, Normandy)
Bottom Row - American Campaign Medal - Europe African Middle Eastern Campaigns Medal (3) - World War II Victory Medal

LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 22 September 1942, at Boston Navy Yard, Boston, MA.

Launched, 23 November 1942

Commissioned USS LST 310, 20 January 1943, LT. Wilfred P. Lawless, USNR, in command

During World War II, USS LST-310 was assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
European-African-Middle East Campaigns
Sicilian occupation, Licata - Blue Beach) 9 to 15 July 1943	Invasion of Normandy, 6 to 25 June 1944
Salerno landings Support of British landings (Red Beach) 7 to 10 September 1943

Decommissioned, 16 May 1945 for conversion to Landing Craft Repair Ship Aeolus (ARL-42) at Boston Navy Yard, Boston, MA.

Conversion cancelled, 12 September 1945

Reverted to LST-310

Struck from the Naval Register, 12 March 1946

USS LST-310 earned three battle stars for World War II service

Merchant Service

Sold, 28 January 1947, to Boston Metals Co., Baltimore, MD. for conversion to merchant service

Resold, date unknown, to Panama Navigation Corp., named MV Mercator, re-flagged Panamanian sometime prior to 1963, sold to Navemar S. A., name retained, re-flagged Argentinean. IRCS

(LQMM) Official Number 4594

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

9 officers

120 enlisted

Troop Accommodations

14 officers

131 enlisted

Boats 6 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
	68k	USS LST-310 moored pierside at Boston Navy Yard, January 1943. a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Robert J. Coates for his father Walter F. Coates QM2/c USNR USS LST-310, USS LST-318, USS LST-294.
	397k	Artist rendition of USS LST-310 on the beach at Normandy. Drawing by Augustus J. Robinson, Boston Navy Yard Print Ship.	Tommy Trampp
	122k	USS LST-310 off-loading vehicles and equipment on the beach at Normandy 1944. US Army Signal Corps newsreel photo.	Paulo Soukup
1016026202	145k	USS LST-310 (2nd LST from the right) along with other ships putting cargo ashore on one of the invasion beaches, at low tide during the first days of the Invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Among identifiable ships present are USS LST-532 (in the center of the view); USS LST-262 (3rd LST from right); USS LST-533 (partially visible at far right); USS LST-524 and *LCT-637* beached above the tide line. Note the barrage balloons overhead and Army "half-track" convoy forming up on the beach. US Coast Guard photo # 26-G-2517 from the US Coast Guard collection in the US National Archives.	Arthur DeLorenzo MoMM3/c USS LST 262
1016031008	276k	From left to right; USS LST-58, USS LST-532, *LCT-637* USS LST-310, USS LST-533 unload across the Normandy beachhead, during the first days of the Invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Note the barrage balloons overhead. US National Archives Identifier 205578624, Local Identifier 26-G-2515, US Coast Guard photo # 2515.	Marilyn Smith and David Upton
	51k	USS LST-21, *LST-519* and USS LST-310, off-loading vehicles and equipment at LeHarve, France circa 1944	LST 519 web site
	49k	USS LST-310 at anchor, date and location unknown.	LST-519 Web Site
	23k	Model of USS LST-310 by Roy Willard Olofson, PHM1, USNR USS LST-310	Photo by Dawn Glidden

USS LST-310
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Lawless, Wilfred P., USNR	20 January 1943 - 16 May 1945


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

Last Updated 27 August 2021