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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-666

International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - Foxtrot - Zulu
NFIZ

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (6) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippine Presidential Unit Citation - Philippine Liberation Medal (2)

LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 16 February 1944, at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA.

Launched, 24 April 1944

Commissioned USS LST-666, 16 May 1944, at Ambridge, PA., LT. J.H. Reid USNR in command

During World War II USS LST-666 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LST Flotilla Eight (CAPT E. Watts, USN), Group 22 (CDR. E.H.Pope, USN), Division 43 and participated in the following campaigns:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Western New Guinea operation Morotai landings, Halmahera Island, 13 September 1944	Manila Bay-Bicol operation La Paz, Bataan Peninsula, Luzon
Leyte operation Leyte landings - Tacloban, 12 October and in November 1944	Consolidation and capture of the Southern Philippines Palawan Island landings, Puerto Princessa, 28 February 1945 Visayan Island landings, Iloilo, Panay Island and Pulupandan, Negros Island
Luzon operation Mindoro, Mangarin Bay Lingayen Gulf landings, 8 January 1945	Borneo operation Balikpapan operation, 15 June 1945

Following World War II USS LST-666 performed occupation duty in the Far East until January 1946

Decommissioned, 20 June 1946

A total of 314 officers and men served aboard USS LST-666 during the ship's 25 months of commissioned service

Struck from the Naval Register, 31 July 1946

Final Disposition, sold, 26 September 1947, to Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Chester, PA. for scrapping

USS LST-666 earned six battle stars for World War II service

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 6 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

7 - Single 40MM gun mounts

12 single 20MM gun mounts

2 .50-cal. machine guns

6 .30-cal. machine guns (one on each LCVP)
Propulsion two General Motors 12-567, 900hp diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders

Size	Image Description	Source
101k	USS LST-666 crew photo, 7 May 1944, Ambridge, PA.	Photo by James Hopkins BM2/c USS LST-666 submitted by Harold A. Young SM2/c USS LST-666
83k	USS LST-666 and USS LST-741 beached on D+3, 18 September 1944, while unloading at Halmahera Island during the Morotai landings, Western New Guinea operation.	Photo by James Hopkins BM2/c USS LST-666 submitted by Harold A. Young SM2/c USS LST-666
78k	USS LST-666 beached on D+3, 18 September 1944, while unloading at Halmahera Island during the Morotai landings, Western New Guinea operation.	Photo by James Hopkins BM2/c USS LST-666 submitted by Harold A. Young SM2/c USS LST-666
90k	Philippine citizens watch USS LST-666 unloading a tank at La Paz, Subic Bay on the Bataan Peninsula, Luzon, P.I., D-Day, 4 February 1945. The landing was unopposed.	Photo by James Hopkins BM2/c USS LST-666 submitted by Harold A. Young SM2/c USS LST-666
164k	Philippine citizens watch USS LST-666 unloading trucks at La Paz, Subic Bay on the Bataan Peninsula, Luzon, P.I., D-Day, 4 February 1945. The landing was unopposed.	Photo by James Hopkins BM2/c USS LST-666 submitted by Harold A. Young SM2/c USS LST-666
121k	USS LST-666 beaching at La Paz, Subic Bay on the Bataan Peninsula, Luzon, P.I., D-Day, 4 February 1945. A San Francisco Daily News photo dated 6 February 1945 and captioned: "SHORE-SIDE SEATS are taken by Filipinos at the invasion of Subic Bay by Mac Arthur's forces. It's the real thing and, unlike the old-time maneuvers, no one is barred, even Japs. The latter, however, were absent, and the surprise landing was bloodless. Old glory flies again on Subic Bay. A pair of Filipino girls happily embrace as a heavily-loaded LST noses into the sand under the shadow of the Stars and Stripes. The Subic Bay landing cut retreating Japs off from Bataan. Yesterday, Yank forces spread steadily through Manila's streets."	Hal Young USS LST-666
302k	USS LST-666 at anchor in Subic Bay in 1945.	Dave Aro
106k	View of Puerto Princessa, Palawan, P.I., D+1, 1 May 1945 as seen from USS LST-666.	Harold A. Young SM2/c USS LST-666
94k	USS LST-666 beached at Puerto Princessa, Palawan, P.I., D+1, 1 May 1945.	Photo by James Hopkins BM2/c USS LST-666 submitted by Harold A. Young SM2/c USS LST-666
90k	USS LST-666 and USS LST-922 moored or beached, date and location unknown.	Photo by James Hopkins BM2/c USS LST-666 submitted by Harold A. Young SM2/c USS LST-666
91k	USS LST-666 at anchor at Saipan in 1945. She is flying her Homeward Bound pennant.	Photo by James Hopkins BM2/c USS LST-666 submitted by Harold A. Young SM2/c USS LST-666
102k	USS LST-666 signal bridge crew. (Harold A. Young SM2/c lower right), date unknown.	Photo by James Hopkins BM2/c USS LST-666 submitted by Harold A. Young SM2/c USS LST-666
95k	USS LST-666 gun crew, left to right, Parsons, Marsh, Foster, Latini, unknown, date unknown.	Photo by James Hopkins BM2/c USS LST-666 submitted by Harold A. Young SM2/c USS LST-666
85k	USS LST-666 gun crew, left to right, D'Agostino, Becker, Glabas, Eberhardt, date unknown.	Photo by James Hopkins BM2/c USS LST-666 submitted by Harold A. Young SM2/c USS LST-666
58k	USS LST-666 anchored off San Pedro, CA. after 21 months at sea., 10 February 1946.	Photo by James Hopkins BM2/c USS LST-666 submitted by Harold A. Young SM2/c USS LST-666

View the USS LST-666
DANFS history entry located at the US Naval Historical Center

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
Fleet Reserve Association

Crew Contact
Contact: Hal Young Address: 41131 Bruce, Plymouth, MI., 48170 Phone: (734) 453-7548 E-mail: Hal Young

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 20 March 2009