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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

HM LST-404

LST-404 transferred to the Royal Navy for the duration of World War II

LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 27 August 1942, at Bethlehem Fairfield Co., Baltimore, MD.

Launched, 28 October 1942

LST-404 never saw active service with the US Navy

Transferred to the United Kingdom and Commissioned HM LST-404, 16 December 1942

Royal Navy History

HM LST-404 transported elements of the 179th Infantry Regimental Combat Team, from Termini

Imerese, Sicily, 7 September 1943, debarking the troops at Beach Blue, Italy, 10 September 1943 (Salerno

landings)

Also participated in Sicily, Reggio, Anzio and Normandy operations

Torpedoed by German submarine U-741 on 15 August 1944

Hulk returned to US Navy custody, 14 October 1944

Struck from the Naval Register, 21 October 1945

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping in November 1946

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 - US Varied with availability when each vessel was outfitted. Retro-fitting was accomplished throughout WWII. The ultimate armament design for United States vessels was

two - Twin 40MM gun mounts w/Mk. 51 directors

four - Single 40MM gun mounts

twelve single 20MM gun mounts

Armament - UK Lend Lease built vessels were to be outfitted with armament after convoying across Atlantic and included

one - 12 Pounder anti-aircraft multi-barrel mount

six - 20MM single gun mounts

four - Fast Aerial Mine (FAM) 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
	57k	HM LST-404 can be seen in the background beached while Canadian military personnel relax and play a little baseball, date and location unknown.	Ed Storey
	1029k	HM LST-404 and other LSTs, along with USS LCI(L)-235, loading troops of the 45th Division, 9 September 1943, at Palermo, Sicily for the Salerno landings. Barrage balloons provide protective covering in case of enemy attack. US Army Signal Corps photos # III-SC 180037 now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Dave Kerr
1016040405	343k	HM LST-404, HM LST-413 and other landing craft unloading supplies and equipment on the Salerno, 9-10 September 1943. These landings were a part of Operation Avalanche, the invasion of Italy. TimeLife_image 116139793 by George Rodger Life Magazine. For Personal non-commercial use only.	David Upton and Mike Green
	136k		David Upton and Mike Green
	225k	HM LST-404 off the invasion beaches at Salerno, 12 September 1943, *LST-404* and two unidentified PT boats are seen with *USS Ancon* (AGC-4)** in the background. US National Archives Photo No. 80-G-87333 a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives	Mike Green
	87k	HM LST-404 down by the head after being torpedoed by the German submarine *U-741*, circa 15 August 1944.	Robert Hurst
	72k	HM LST-404 broken in half on Ryde Sands, Isle of Wight, England after being towed there by the rescue tug USS ATR-4, circa August-September 1944.	Robert Hurst

LST-404
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

Last Updated 12 November 2021