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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-478


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Golf - November - Quebec
 NGNQ
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (5)
Bottom Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippine Liberation Medal (1)
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship
  • Laid down, 17 August 1942, at Kaiser, Inc, Richmond, CA.
  • Launched, 7 November 1942
  • Commissioned USS LST-478, 13 March 1943. LT. H. F. Holmshaw in command
  • During World War II, USS LST-478 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following operations
    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Gilbert Islands operation
    November and December 1943     		Leyte operation
    Leyte landings, October 1944
    Hollandia operation
    April 1944     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, April 1945
    Marianas operation
    Capture and occupation of Guam, July 1944     		.

  • Following World War II USS LST-478 performed occupation duty in the Far East until mid-March 1946
  • Decommissioned, 23 March 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 28 August 1947
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 25 March 1948, to Consolidated Builders, Inc., Seattle, WA.
  • USS LST-478 earned five battle stars 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
    Propulsion two General Motors 12-567, 900hp diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    LST-20 1634k USS LST-478 and USS LST-20 unloading on the beach at Kiska Island, Alaska, 23 August 1943. Just visible In the distance is the Japanese cargo ship Nozina Maru, beached by the Japanese after bombing by American forces.
    US National Archives photo # III-SC 182872, Box 187, a US Army Signal Corps photo by PFC Sanderson now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Dave Kerr
    LST-478 158k Plan view aft of USS LST-478 at Navy Yard Mare Island, 13 March 1943, undergoing an inclining experiment.
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 1772-43.    		 Darryl Baker
    LST-478 199k Plan view amidships looking aft of USS LST-478 at Navy Yard Mare Island, 17 August 1945. USS LST-487 is aft of her and various yard craft and barges are to the right. Beyond the causeway is YHB-2 (Port of Stockton) and the never to be completed USS Creamer (DE-308), USS Ely (DE-309) and USS Delbert W. Halsey (DE-310).
    Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 6007-45.    		 Darryl Baker
    LST-478 47k USS LST-478 moored pierside at Navy Yard Mare Island, 17 August 1945 LST Home Port Web Site
    View the USS LST-478
    DANFS history entry located at the US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Fleet Reserve Association
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    The USS LST Ship Memorial
    LST Homeport
    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
    © 2005 Gary P. Priolo © 1996 - 2009 NavSource Naval History. All Rights Reserved.
    Last Updated 9 October 2009