Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-553


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Echo - Uniform - Hotel
 NEUH
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 (6) - World War II Victory Medal
Bottom Row - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 24 January 1944, at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN.
  • Launched, 16 March 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-553, 22 April 1944, LT. John K. Algeo USN in command
  • During World War II USS LST-553 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Sixteen, CAPT. N.W. Sears;
     LST Group Forty-Six, LCDR. J.R. Keeling USNR;
     LST Division Ninety-One and participated in the following campaigns;

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Western Caroline Islands operation
    Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, Peleliu, 6 September to 14 October 1944     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 April to 30 June 1945
    Leyte operation
    Leyte landings, 18 October to 6 November and 19 to 29 November 1944     		Manila Bay-Bicol operations
    Zambales-Subic Bay, 29 to 30 January 1945
    Luzon operation
    Lingayen Gulf landings, 4 to 18 January 1945     		Minesweeping Operation Pacific
    Fukuoka (Kyushu-Korea Area), 28 November to 9 December 1945
    Kure-Hiroshima (Honsu Area), 12 to 27 January 1946
    Kobe (Honsu Area), 30 January to 2 March 1946

  • USS LST-553 transported LCT-771 to Western Caroline Islands for the attack on the Palau Islands
  • Following World War II USS LST-553 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 2 September 1945 to 13 February 1947
  • Decommissioned, 13 February 1947
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 25 April 1947
  • USS LST-553 earned six battle stars for World War II service
  • Transferred to the U.S. Army at Yokohama, Japan
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
    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 Source
    There are no images of USS LST-553 available at NavSource
    USS LST-553
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Algeo, John Kennedy, USN22 April 1944 - 30 July 1945
    02LT. Lee, James Crawford, USNR30 July 1945 - 12 December 1945
    03LTjg. Hoerst, James Paul, USNR (temporary)12 December 1945 - 28 January 1946
    04LTjg. Keat, William George, USNR28 January 1946 - March 1946
    05LTjg. Foss Jr., Arthur W., USNRmarch 1946 - June 1946
    06LTjg. Chesley, Robert Leroy, USNJune 1946 - 25 July 1946
    07LTjg. Shipley, Clarence Henry, USN25 July 1946 - 13 February 1947
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

    For more photos and information about USS LST-553 see;
  • Western Caroline Islands Attack Landing Order
  • Beach White Peleliu - CTF 32 Operation Plan A501-44 Appendix 4 to Annex "D"
  • 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
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created by David W. Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 17 March 2017