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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-708


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Foxtrot - Romeo - Hotel
 NFRH
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Second Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 9 May 1944, at Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN.
  • Launched, 20 June 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-708, 17 July 1944, LT. William H. Beckerleg USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-708 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Six, CAPT. Laidlaw;
     LST Group Seventeen, CAPT. E. Watts USN;
     LST Division Thirty-four and participated in the following campaign

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 April to 30 June 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-708 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    20 September to 2 October1945
    17 October to 5 November 1945
    1 to 6 December 1945
  • Decommissioned, 28 May 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 3 July 1946
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 21 May 1948, to Basalt Rock Co., Napa, CA.
  • USS LST-708 earned one battle star 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.
    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-690 73k USS LST-708 underway, in the Pacific. Note the six davits for LCVPs that have been fitted so that she could function as a semi-attack transport.
    Text and photo from " U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History" by Norman Friedman.    		 Robert Hurst
    LST-690 49k USS LST-708 exchanging movies with USS LST-690 while underway in the Pacific, date unknown. John Lee
    USS LST-708
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Beckerleg, William H., USNR17 July 1944 - 17 November 1945
    02LTjg. Miller Grover C., USNR17 November 1945 - 10 May 1946
    03LTjg. Murphy, Arnold A., USNR10 May 1946 - 28 May 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
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Tank Landing Ship (LST) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 20 March 2015