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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

During World War II USS LST-708 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the following campaign:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaign**
Campaign and Dates
Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, in June 1945

Following World War II USS LST-708 performed occupation duty in the Far East until early-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: (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

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
Propulsion two General Motors 12-567, 900hp diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description		Contributed By
	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
	49k	USS LST-708 exchanging movies with USS LST-690 while underway in the Pacific, date unknown.		John Lee

View the USS LST-708
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

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

Last Updated 29 May 2009