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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-446


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Delta - Whiskey - Oscar
 NDWO
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Unit Commendation - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (6) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 15 June 1942, at Kaiser, Inc., Vancouver, WA.
  • Launched, 18 September 1942
  • Commissioned USS LST-446, 30 November 1942, LT. Harry A. Swartz, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-446 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Five, CAPT. J. R. Clark;
     LST Group Thirteen, CDR. C. R. Lea, USNR / CDR. R. W. Cutler, USN
     LST Division Twenty-Five and participated in the following campaigns;

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Consolidation of Solomon Islands
    Consolidation of the southern Solomons, 11 March to 20 April 1943     		Bismarck Archipelago operation
    Green Islands landing, February 15 to 19 February 1944
    New Georgia Group operation
    New Georgia-Rendova-Vangunu occupation, 13 to 14, 24 to 25 July and 4 to 7 August 1943
    Vella Lavella occupation, 13 to 19 August 1943     		Marianas operation
    Assault and occupation of Guam, 21 to 28 July 1944
    Treasury-Bougainville operation
    Occupation and defense of Cape Torokina, 11 November, 3 to 4 and 15 December 1943     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 3 April 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-446 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    29 September to 18 November 1945
    9 to 18 December 1945

  • Decommissioned, 13 July 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 8 October 1946
  • Sold, 10 February 1947, to Suwannee Fruit & Steamship Co., Jacksonville, FL., for conversion to commercial service
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
  • USS LST-446 earned six battle stars in addition to the Navy Unit Commendation for service during World War II
    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 Contributed
    By
    LST-446 158k USS LST-446 launching at Kaiser, Inc., Vancouver, WA., 18 September 1942. The pilothouse and smoke stack belong to the paddle-wheel tug at the LSTs stern.
    Photo source, Seattle NARA, 13th Naval District Commandant's Office Central Subject Files, 1942.    		 Tracy White
    LST-446 83k
    LCT-182 90k LCT-182 being prepared for launching from USS LST-446 at Mare Island, 11 January 1943
    Mare Island Navy Yard photo # 315-43.    		 Darryl Baker
    LST-446 66k LCT-182 being launching from USS LST-446 at Mare Island, 12 January 1943. USS LST-447 is moored inboard of LST-446.
    Mare Island Navy Yard photo # 368-43.    		 Darryl Baker
    LST-447
    1016044704    		 215k USS LST-446 and USS LST-447 beached at Townsville, Australia. June 1943.
    U.S. Naval Construction Battalion No· 0060 World War II Cruise Book pg25    		 David Upton
    LST-446
    1016044606    		 136k USS LST-446 and a second LST (unidentified) beached at Green Island, 15 February 1944.
    Photo by Cpl. David Ohman. U.S. Marine Corps photograph 2-0054. University of Hawaii at Manoa, LIbrary Digital Image Collections Made publicly available for purposes of research, education, and private study.    		 David Upton
    LST-446 42k USS LST-446 beached in the Green Islands, 15 to 19 February 1944 LST Home Port Web Site
    LST-446 20k USS LST-446 with LCT-1368 secured to her main deck, date and location unknown. LST Home Port web site
    USS LST-446
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Swartz, Harry A., USNR30 November 1942 - December 1942
    02LT. Small, William Andrew, USNDecember 1942 - 28 May 1943
    03LT. Adams, Johnston C., USNR28 May 1943 - May 1944
    04LTjg. Shaw, G. P., USNRMay 1944 - 11 October3 1944
    05LT. Loman, C. E., USNR11 October 1944 - 15 January 1945
    06LT. Daves, J. H., LTJG (acting) USNR15 January 1945 - 22 January 1945
    07LTjg. Ahlgren, Herbert A., USNR22 January 1945 - December 1945
    08LTjg. Speth, C. T., USNRDecember 1945 - June 1946
    09LTjg. Montgomery, G. A., USNRJune 1946 - 13 July 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
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 18 August 2023