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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-397

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Charlie - Foxtrot - Echo
NCFE

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Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Unit Commendation
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (7) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippine Liberation Medal (2)

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During World War II USS LST-397 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
LST Flotilla Eight, CAPT. E. Watts, USN;
LST Group Twenty Three, CDR. T.C. Linthicum, USN;
LST Division Forty Five and
LST Flotilla Five, CAPT. J.R. Clark;
LST Group Thirteen, CDR. R.W. Lejeuneesse, USN
LST Division Twenty-Eight and participated in the following campaigns:

Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
New Georgia Group operations New Georgia-Rendova-Vangunu occupation, 30 June, 1 and 4 July 1943 Vella Lavella occupation, 26 August 1943	Leyte operations Leyte landings, 5 to 18 November 1944
Treasury-Bougainville operation Occupation and defense of Cape Torokina, 11 November and 3 to 4 December 1943	Luzon operations Lingayen Gulf landing, 5 to 12 January 1945
Hollandia operation 21 to 28 April 1944	Consolidation and capture of the Southern Philippines Mindanao Island landings, 10 to 11 March 1945
Western New Guinea operations Biak Island operation, 3 to 7 June 1944 Noemfoor Island operation, 2 to 4 and 6 to 11 July 1944 Cape Sansapor operation, 30 July and 4 August 1944 Morotai landings, 15 September 1944

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 30 September 1947, to Patapsco Scrap Corp., Baltimore, MD.

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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

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Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description		Source
	903k	Rendova Beachhead, 30 June 1943. In the foreground two LCVPs from USS McCawley (APA-4) USS LST-397, USS LCI(L)-336, USS LCI(L)-334 and USS LCI(L)-329. NARA photo # 18-N-52630 a US Navy photo now in the US National Archives collection.		Robert Morrissey, courtesy Dennis Blocker LCI National Association Historian
	249k	USS LST-397 moored inboard of an unidentified LST, at Blue Beach, Lingayen Gulf, Philippines, circa 12 January 1945 circa January 1945.		Brian Miller

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USS LST-397
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

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Commanding Officers
01	LT. Lewis, Nathaniel L., USNR	28 December 1942 - 1 December 1943
02	LT. Hitch, William Robert, USN	1 December 1943 - September 1944
03	LT. Wheat, Dick M., USNR	September 1944 - February 1945
04	LT. Teasley, E. W., USNR	February 1945 - December 1945
05	LTjg. Hanna, H. P., USNR	December 1945 - March 1946
06	LTjg. Frank, M. S., USNR	March 1946 - 26 April 1946

Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

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Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
LST Flotilla Five War Diary May 1944
History of LST Flotilla Seven
Action Report USS LST-397 Lingayen Gulf
The USS LST Ship Memorial
LST Home Port
State LST Chapters
United States LST Association

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

Last Updated 9 June 2023