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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

LST-555

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 (4)
Bottom Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippine Liberation Medal

LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 5 February 1944, at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN.

Launched, 22 March 1944

Commissioned USS LST-555, 28 April 1944

During World War II LST-555 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Western Caroline Islands operation Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, September and October 1944	Manila Bay-Bicol operations Zambales-Subic Bay, 29 January 1945
Leyte operation Leyte landings, October and November 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, April through June 1945

Following World War II LST-555 performed occupation duty in the Far East until early January 1946

Decommissioned, 6 January 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, 21 January 1946

Final Disposition, hulk was destroyed by gunfire, 26 January 1946

LST-555 earned four battle stars for World War II service

Specifications: 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

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
52k	*LST-555* (far right), *LST-614* (far left), and *LST-667* (center) unload at Lingayen Gulf, 9 January 1945. US Navy photo	Bill Lambert
82k	LST-555 unloading cargo on the US Sixth Army beachhead at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 9 January 1945. US Navy photo	Robert Hurst
61k	*LST-555* (far right), *LST-614* (far left) and *LST-667* (center) unload at Lingayen Gulf, 9 January 1945. US Navy photo	Bill Lambert

View the LST-555
DANFS history entry located at the US Naval Historical Center web site

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

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Last Updated 29 September 2006