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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-557

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Echo - Uniform - Papa
NEUP

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (4) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippine Liberation Medal (2)

USS LST-557 was transferred to the Republic of China and named ROCS Chung Hsing (LST-204)

LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 8 February 1944, at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN.

Launched, 11 April 1944

Commissioned USS LST-557, 5 May 1944, LT Joseph M. Devine, USNR, in command

During World War II USS LST-557 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Western Caroline Islands operation Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 6 September 14 October 1944	Luzon operations Lingayen Gulf landings, 4 to 18 January 1945
Leyte operation Leyte landings, 18 October to 5 November and 19 to 29 November 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 15 April 1945

For the Okinawa Gunto operation USS LST-557 was assigned to:
LST Flotilla Fourteen, CAPT. E. A. Seay USN (24);
LST Group Forty-Two, CDR. G. E. Artz USN (34);
LST Division Eighty-Three

Following World War II USS LST-557 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
2 September 1945 to 29 March 1946	2 September 1945 to 29 May 1946

Decommissioned, 29 May 1946

Transferred to the Republic of China and named ROCS Chung Hsing (LST-204)

Struck from the Naval Register, 12 March 1948

Final Disposition, fate unknown

USS LST-557 earned four battle stars for World War II service

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

9 officers, 120 enlisted

Troop Accommodations

14 officers, 131 enlisted
Boats (US)-6 LCVP, (Taiwan)-4

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
USS LST-557
	47k	USS LST-557 and USS LST-660, beached, date and location unknown.	Submitted by Phil Lobato for his grandfather H. Fiorella GM2/c USS LST-660
	179k	Livestock of the Chinese new 6th Army's 22nd division being loaded aboard USS LST-557 at Shanghai, China, for movement to Chinwangtao, China, 6 February 1946. US National Archives photo # 80-G-360949, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command	US Naval History and Heritage Command
ROCS Chung Hsing (LST-204)
	45k	ex-USS LST-557 underway in the service of the Republic of China as *ROCS Chung Hsing* (LST-204)**, date and location unknown.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret
	37k	*ROCS Chung Hsing* (LST-204)**, circa 1962, location unknown. Official Republic of China Navy photo.	Robert Hurst

USS LST-557
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Devine, Joseph M., USNR	5 May 1944 - December 1945
02	LTjg. Harris, Charles H., USNR	December 1945 - 29 May 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
The USS LST Ship Memorial
LST Home Port
State LST Chapters
United States LST Association

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This page is created by David W. Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 17 March 2017