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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-684

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Foxtrot - Mike - Papa
NFMP

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 (3) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)

LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 13 December 1943, at Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN.

Launched, 12 February 1944

Commissioned USS LST-684, 3 April 1944, LT. P. B. Welch, Jr., USNR, in command

During World War II USS LST-684 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the following campaigns:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Marianas operation, July and August 1944 Capture and occupation of Guam, July and August 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation, April through June 1945 Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, March through June 1945
Iwo Jima operation, February 1945 Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, March through June 1945	.

Following World War II LST-684 performed occupation duty in the Far East until early November 1945.

Decommissioned, 25 November 1945

Struck from the Naval Register, 22 March 1946

Final Disposition, destroyed, 5 June 1946

USS LST-684 earned three 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 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

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description		Source
	77k	USS LST-684 underway off the invasion beaches at either Iwo Jima or Okinawa.		Robert Hurst

View the USS LST-684
DANFS history entry located at the US Naval Historical Center

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

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
LST Home Port
State LST Chapters
United States LST Association

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Last updated 2 May 2008