Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-354

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Juliet - November - Sierra
NJNS

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, 19 to 25 February 1945, Iwo Jima) - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (6) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia Clasp)

LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 15 July 1942, at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S. C.

Launched, 13 October 1942

Commissioned USS LST-354, 27 November 1942, LT. Bertram W. Robb, USNR, in command

During World War II LST-354 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
LST Flotilla Five, CAPT. G.B. Carter, USN;
LST Group Fourteen, CDR. R.W. Lejeunesse, USN;
LST Division Twenty-Eight and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
New Georgia Group operations New Georgia-Rendova-Vangunu occupation, 1 July 1943 Vella Lavella occupation, 15 and 21 August 1943	Marianas operations Capture and occupation of Saipan, 15 to 22 June 1944
Treasury Bougainville operations Occupation and defense of Cape Torokina, 6 and 17 November1943	Iwo Jima operations Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 19 to 25 February 1945
Bismarck Archipelago operations Green Island landing, 15 to 19 February 1944	Okinawa Gunto operations Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 15 April 1945

Following World War II USS LST-354 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal
28 September to 10 October 1945
9 to 18 December 1945

Decommissioned, 30 April 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, 19 June 1946

USS LST-354 earned six battle stars for World War II service

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 16 December 1947, to Southwest Steel Corp., Pittsburgh, PA.

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
1016035405	345k	USS LST-354 underway between Guadalcanal and Rendova Islands. 22-24 July 1943. Ref. "Com LST Flot 5" and LST-460 war diary, National Archives. TimeLife_Image_116110498 by Time Life Magazine photographer William C. Shrout. For personal non-commercial use only.	David Upton
1016035406	360k	USS LST-354 view from her stern 3"/50 gun mount of USS LST-460 following while underway between Guadalcanal and Rendova Islands. 22-24 July 1943. Ref. "Com LST Flot 5" and LST-460 war diary, National Archives. TimeLife_Image_116110504 by Time Life Magazine photographer William C. Shrout. For personal non-commercial use only..	David Upton
1016035407	429k	USS LST-354 crew manning a starboard 40mm gun mount while underway between Guadalcanal and Rendova Islands. 22-24 July 1943. Ref. "Com LST Flot 5" and LST-460 war diary, National Archives. TimeLife_Image_116110510 by Time Life Magazine photographer William C. Shrout. For personal non-commercial use only.	David Upton
1016035408	369k	Army personnel aboard USS LST-354 relaxing on deck while underway between Guadalcanal and Rendova Islands. 22-24 July 1943. Ref. "Com LST Flot 5" and LST-460 war diary, National Archives. TimeLife_Image_116110522 by Time Life Magazine photographer William C. Shrout. For personal non-commercial use only.	David Upton
1016035404	251	US Army Air Corps equipment comes ashore from USS LST-354 at Bougainville in the Solomon Islands, 17 November 1943. The actual unloading took six hours and within twelve hours the whole convoy was on its way back to Guadalcanal. US National Archives Identifier 193852923 US Army Air Corps photo # 67338A.C.	David Upton
	75	USS LST-354 unloading at Bougainville, B.S.I., 28 November 28, 1943. Photo originally from 6th Special Navy C.B. archives.	John Ratomski Courtesy Zack Morris Associate Member and Editor, LST Scuttlebutt Magazine U.S. Landing Ship Tank Association
	67k	USS LST-354 beached, date and location unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, November 1943 issue.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
	64k	USS LST-354 and another LST beached at Rendova, date unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, February 1944 issue.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
1016035409	115k	USS LST-354 beached at Kukum Beach, Guadalcanal, 11 February 1944 receiving barrage balloon from *LST FLOT 5 barrage balloon unit* prior to the invasion of the Green Islands (Papua New Guinea on 15 February 1944). Frame images from a short film named "LSTs Leave Kukum Beach, Guadalcanal, Land On Green Is" National Archives ID 76049, Local ID 428-NPC-1527	David Upton
1016035410	85k
1016035411	107k

USS LST-354
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Robb, Bertram W., USNR	27 November 1942 - 27 December 1943
02	LTjg. Henry, William Arthur USN	27 December 1943 - August 1944
03	LTjg. Mercer, Ralph E. USNR	August 1944 - April 1945
04	LT. Johnson, C. A., USNR	April 1945 - 26 June 1945
05	LTjg. Swenson, Carl A., USNR (acting)	26 June 1945 - August 1945
06	LT. Johnson, C. A., USNR	August 1945 - November 1945
05	LTjg. Swenson, Carl A., USNR	November 1945 - 30 April 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
LST Flotilla Five War Diary May 1944
LST Flotilla Five War Diary July 1944
The USS LST Ship Memorial
LST Home Port
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

Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.

This page is created by David W. Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 29 September 2023