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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-662

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Victor - Papa - Papa
NVPP

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 (3)
Bottom Row - World War II Victory Medal - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (1)

LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 14 January 1944, at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA.

Launched, 5 April 1944

Commissioned USS LST-662, 2 May 1944, LT. Joseph P. Johnson, USNR, in command

During World War II USS LST-662 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 to 14 October 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 28 April 1945
Manila Bay - Bicol operations Zambales-Subic Bay, 29 to 30 January 1945

For the Okinawa Gunto operation USS LST-662 was assigned to:
LST Flotilla Fourteen, CAPT. E. A. Seay USN (24);
LST Group Forty, CDR. G. Reith USN (24);
LST Division Eighty

Decommissioned, 19 December 1945

Struck from the Naval Register, 8 January 1946

Sold 25 June 1946, to Arctic Circle Exploration, Inc., of Seattle, WA. converted to a fish factory processing ship, named MV Neva

Final Disposition, fate unknown

USS LST-662 earned three 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

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-662
	92k	USS LST-662 at the American Bridge Co., Shipyard, Ambridge, PA, 5 April 1944, moments before launch. National Archives photo # 19-N-66472, a US Navy photo from the Bureau of Ships collection now in the collections of the US National Archives.	US Naval Historical Center
	80k	USS LST-662 Ship's Sponsor, Miss Louise Leahy, poses with the christening bottle during launching ceremonies at the American Bridge Company shipyard, Ambridge, PA., 5 April 1944. *LST-662's port bow is directly behind her. National Archives photo # 19-N-66469*, a US Navy photo from the Bureau of Ships collection now in the collections of the US National Archives.	US Naval Historical Center
	74k	USS LST-662 Ship's Sponsor, Miss Louise Leahy, christens LST-662 during launching ceremonies at the American Bridge Company shipyard, Ambridge, PA., 5 April 1944. National Archives photo # 19-N-66471, a US Navy photo from the Bureau of Ships collection now in the collections of the US National Archives.	US Naval Historical Center
	65k	USS LST-662 sliding into the Ohio River at the American Bridge Co. Shipyard, Ambridge, PA. or 5 April 1944. National Archives photo # 19-N-66473, a US Navy photo from the Bureau of Ships collection now in the collections of the US National Archives.	US Naval Historical Center
	104k	USS LST-662 afloat just after launching, at the American Bridge Company shipyard, Ambridge, Pennsylvania, 5 April 1944. National Archives photo # 19-N-66474, a US Navy photo from the Bureau of Ships collection now in the collections of the US National Archives.	US Naval Historical Center
	111k	USS LST-662 plank owners (post launching crew), April 1944, at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA.	John Osbeck
	60k	USS LST-662 beached at Anguar, Palaus, 17 September 1944. Photo from newsreel, courtesy Roy Kronquist and Jack Kleiner USS LST-662	John Osbeck
	128k	USS LST-662 and USS LST-646 entering the floating drydock USS ABSD-6 in Apra Harbor, Guam, 29 May 1945. US National Archives photo #80-G-379469, a US Navy photo from the Bureau of Ships collection now in the collections of the US National Archives.	US Naval Historical Center
	143k	USS LST-662 and USS LST-646 in the floating drydock USS ABSD-6, Apra Harbor, Guam, 29 May 1945. US Navy photo # 80-N-379472 now in the collection of the US National Archives.	US Naval Historical Center
	75k	Tank Landing Ships (LST) and a Barracks Ship (APB) moored together, 1945.The ships in this group include (from left to right): An unidentified LST (In the number range from *LST-850* through *LST-859); USS LST-461; USS Yavapai* (APB-42)*; USS LST-662; USS LST-672* and USS LST-733. US Navy photo 80-G-350133 now in the collection of the US National Archives	US Naval Historical Center
Merchant Service
	8k	Ex-USS LST-662 in merchant service as Arctic Circle Exploration, Inc.'s fish processing ship MV Neva, circa 1950	John Osbeck

USS LST-662
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Johnson, Joseph P., USNR	25 April 1944 - September 1945
02	LT. Leigh, William C., USNR	September 1945 - November 1945
03	LTjg. Bowes, Franklin A., USNR	November 1945 - 19 December 1945


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 662
LST Homeport
State LST Chapters
United States LST Association

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 9 January 2015