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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-703


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Foxtrot - Quebec - Hotel
 NFQH
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive - 15 December 1944) - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)
Individual Awards

Purple Heart (3, Sperry, Kinlow, Mckee, 15 December 1944)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 8 April 1944, at Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN.
  • Launched, 28 May 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-703, 23 June 1944, LT. Edward H. Marsland USNR in command
  • During World War II USS LST-703 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Leyte operations;
    Leyte landings, 18 October to 29 November 1944     		Borneo operations;
    Balikpapan operation, 26 June to 9 July 1945
    Manila Bay-Bicol operations;
    Zambales-Subic Bay operations, 29 to 30 January 1945     		 

  • Following World War II USS LST-703 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 20 September to 2 October 1945
  • Decommissioned, 10 June 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 31 July 1946
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 10 December 1947, to Salco Iron & Metal Co.
  • USS LST-703 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
    9 officers, 120 enlisted
    Troop Accommodations
    14 officers, 131 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
    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
    LST-703 76k USS LST-703 beached at Morotai, 12 June 1945, as 2/11 Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers build up a ramp to the doors of the ship during disembarkation of units of the Royal Australian Army's 7 Division.
    Australian War Memorial photo # 109229    		 Australian War Memorial
    LST-703 50k USS LST-703 at Balikpapan, Borneo, 3 July 1945, while disembarking RAAF troops from Morotai.
    Australian War Memorial photo # OG3035    		 Australian War Memorial
    LST-703 28k USS LST-703 anchored in the Whangpoo River at Shanghai, 6 December 1945. Brian W. Baldwin for his Grandfather Leonard C. Musalavage, BM/2c, USS LST-703 (Jun 1944 to Mar 1946)
    LST-703 65k USS LST-703 anchored in the Whangpoo River at Shanghai, 12 December 1945. Brian W. Baldwin for his Grandfather Leonard C. Musalavage, BM/2c, USS LST-703 (Jun 1944 to Mar 1946)
    LST-703 68k USS LST-703 beached at the LST ramp Naval Station Pearl Harbor, T.H., 3 January 1946. Brian W. Baldwin for his Grandfather Leonard C. Musalavage, BM/2c, USS LST-703 (Jun 1944 to Mar 1946)
    USS LST-703
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Marsland, Edward H. USNR23 June 1944 - December 1945
    02LTjg. Fisher, William C. USNRDecember 1945 - 10 June 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 Home Port
    State LST Chapters
    United States LST Association
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 3 March 2015