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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-390

Flag Hoist/International Radio Call Sign:
November - Charlie - Juliet - Uniform
NCJU

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, Iwo Jima) - Navy Unit Commendation - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (4) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)

LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 20 June 1942, at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. Newport News, VA.

Launched, 15 October 1942

Commissioned USS LST-390, 28 November 1942, LT. W. J. C. Baker, USNR, in command

During World War II USS LST-390 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in following campaigns:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Treasury-Bougainville operation Occupation and defense of Cape Torokina, November and December 1943	Marianas operation Capture and occupation of Saipan, June 1944
Bismarck Archipelago operation Green Islands landings, 16 February 1944	Iwo Jima operation Capture and occupation of Iwo Jima, February 1945

Following World War II LST-390 performed occupation duty in the Far East until early March 1946

Decommissioned, 12 March 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, 29 September 1947

Final Disposition, sold to Consolidated Builders, Inc., of Seattle, WA., 3 April 1948 and subsequently scrapped

USS LST-390 earned four battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation 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

Size	Image Description	Source
41k	USS LST-334 (foreground) and USS LST-390 (background) between Piers 4 and 5 at Newport News VA, loading 3/4 ton 4X4 command reconnaissance cars, 1 January 1943	The Library of Virginia US Army Signal Corps Photograph Collection
426k	USS LST-390 (foreground) and USS LST-343 (background) beached, date and location unknown. US Marine Corps HQ photo # HQ. Photo No. 68,688	David Leoncavallo for his grandfather Charles Lovett. USS LST-343 and USS LST-620
457k	A bulldozer assists in the unloading of USS LST-390 while she is beached at the Green Islands, 16 February 1944, during the invasion of the islands by Allied troops. US Army Signal Corps photo # 220037	Ed Zajkowski
73k	USS LST-588, USS LST-399, USS LST-390, *LCT-1326* and other amphibious ships and landing craft on the beach at Iwo Jima, February 1945. Note: Mount Suribachi in the background.	USS LSM / LSMR Association

USS LST-390
DANFS history entry located at the US Naval History and Heritage Command

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 Home Port
State LST Chapters
United States LST Association

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 7 January 2011