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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

LST-690

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - Europe, Africa, Middle East Campaign Medal (1)
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia clasp)

LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 31 January 1944, at Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN.

Launched, 14 March 1944

Commissioned USS LST-690, 6 May 1944

During World War II LST-690 was assigned to the European Theater and participated in the:

Invasion of Southern France, August and September 1944

Reassigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, participating in the:

Okinawa Gunto operation;
(a) Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto in June 1945

Following World War II LST-690 performed occupation duty in the Far East

Decommissioned, 23 July 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, 28 August 1946

Final Disposition, sold, 16 December 1947, to James A. Hughes, New York, NY for scrapping

LST-690 earned two 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

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
12k	*LST-690* beached, date and place unknown.	LST Home Port web site
247k	*LST-690, far right, along with LST-970, center, and LST-937*, far left, beached at Ie Shima, near Okinawa, 21 February 1946.	Photo contributed by LT. William (Bill) S. Barnes USS LST-970, caption by LTjg Earl M. Wiggs, Jr. USS LST-937
49k	*LST-690* exchanging movies with *LST-708* while underway in the Pacific, date unknown.	John Lee
56k	*LST-690* exchanging movies with an unidentified ship while underway in the Pacific, date unknown.	John Lee

View the LST-690
DANFS history entry located at the US Naval Historical Center web site

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 17 February 2006