caricature Tank Landing Ship LST-600

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USNS T-LST-600
ex
 USS LST-600 (1944 - 1952)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Foxtrot - Bravo - Bravo
 NFBB
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 6 October 1943, at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL.
  • Launched, 28 February 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-600, 20 March 1944, LT. James M. Ray, USN, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-600 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Thirty-Seven, CAPT. Riley;
     LST Group One Hundred Eleven LCDR. A. H. Tutt;
     LST Division Two Hundred Twenty-One
  • Following World War II USS LST-600 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    1 to 7 October 1945
    17 October 1945 to 27 February 1946

  • Decommissioned, 26 February 1946
  • Laid up in reserve
  • Assigned, 31 March 1952, to Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) and placed in-service as USNS T-LST-600
  • Loaned by MSTS to Commander Naval Forces Far East (COMNAVFE) Shipping Control Authority (SCAJAP), date unknown, redesignated Q074
  • Returned to the Military Sealift Command (MSC), date unknown
  • Ran aground, 23 December 1968
  • Placed out of service and struck from the Naval Register, 1 June 1969
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
    Specifications:
    Displacement
    1,625 t.(lt)
    4,080 t.(fl) (sea-going draft w/1675 ton load)
    2,366 t.
    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
    USS LST-600
    LST-600
    1016060006    		 41k Launching of LST-600, 28 February 1944 at at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL. Frederic C. Detwiller for his father LT. Charles H. Detwiller, Jr. (1916-1991) LST-600
    LST-600
    1016060007    		 20k LST-600 Sponsor, Mrs. Helena Wilson Carpender christens the ship, 28 February 1944, as she is side launched at at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL. Frederic C. Detwiller for his father LT. Charles H. Detwiller, Jr. (1916-1991) LST-600
    LST-600 8k USS LST-600 at anchor, date and location unknown. LST Homeport web site
    LST-600 24k USS LST-600 beached, date and location unknown. LST Homeport web site
    LST-600
    1016060009    		 127k caricature and anecdotal drawing by LT. Charles H. Detwiller Jr. of the officers of LST-600 Frederic C. Detwiller for his father LT. Charles H. Detwiller, Jr. (1916-1991) LST-600
    SCAJAP LST Q074
    LST-600 383k Ex-USS LST-600 in service for the SCAJAP LST Q074 preparing to transfer repatriates at the island of Miyuko in the southern Ryukyus, circa August to December 1946. Donn Cuson
    USNS T-LST-600
    LST-600 48k USNS T-LST-600 at anchor, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo    		 Robert Hurst
    LST-600 63k USNS T-LST-600 beached in South Vietnam, circa early 1968. Photo by Clarence Berard USS Luzerne County
    USS LST-600 / USNS T-LST-600
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Ray, James McCoy, USN20 March 1944 - 15 August 1945
    02LT. Harnden Jr., Charles E., USNR15 August 1945 - December 1945
    03LTjg. Parsons Jr., Arthur B., USNRDecember 1945 - January 1946
    04LTjg. Smither, Julian A., USNRJanuary 1946 - 26 February 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 Homeport
    State LST Chapters
    United States LST Association
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 7 August 2020