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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-779


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Golf - Uniform - Yankee
 NGUY
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, Iwo Jima, February 1945) - China Service Medal (retroactive) American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 21 May 1944, at Dravo Corp. Pittsburgh, PA.
  • Launched, 1 July 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-779, 3 August 1944, LTjg. Joseph A. Hopkins, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-779 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Six, CAPT. J. Laidlaw USN (24);
     LST Group Eighteen, CDR. P. Neikum Jr., USN (Ret) (26);
     LST Division Thirty-Six and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Iwo Jima operation
    Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 19 to 28 February 1945     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 17 to 21 April 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-779 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    China Service Medal (extended)
    20 September to October 1945 
    22 October to 30 November 1945 
    1 January to 8 April 19461 January to 8 April 1946

  • Decommissioned, 18 May 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 19 July 1946
  • USS LST-779 earned two battle stars for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, sold, 5 December 1947, to Bosey, Philippines, fate unknown
    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
    13 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
    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 Source
    LST-779 54k LST-779 launching at Dravo Corp. Pittsburgh, PA, 1 July 1944. The restricted areas of inland waterways necessitating a side launch.
    US National Archives Photo No. 19-N-67843, a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command.    		 Mike Green
    LST-779
    1016077901    		 123k USS LST-779 at anchor in the transport area at Iwo Jima, 19 February 1945.
    Frame from a short film called "Amphibious Invasion of Iwo Jima, H-Hour Minus One". Dept. of the Navy. National Archives ID 80201, Local ID 428-NPC-15841.     		David Upton
    LST-779 52k As waves crash against beached LVTs (the one in the foreground, 5A-30, named FELICE), USS LST-779 unloads at Iwo Jima, 26 February 1945. Mount Suribachi looms in the background. Note weathered camouflage and duplicate identification numbers.
    US National Archives Photo # 80-G-317961.    		 Mike Green
    LSM-242 121k Aerial view of the Iwo Jima beachhead, circa February 1945. Ships that can be identified include;
    USS LST-715,
    USS LST-790,
    USS LST-724,
    USS LST-224,
    USS LST-784 and
    USS LST-779.
    LSM's include;
    USS LSM-242,
    USS LSM-140,
    USS LSM-47, and
    USS LSM-43.
    LCTs include;
    LCT-892, and
    LCT-1029.
    The one lone LCI that is identifiable is USS LCI(L)-1077.
    USMC photo # 110582    		 USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LSM-264 154k From top to bottom;
    USS LST-779,
    USS LST-808,
    USS LST-788,
    USS LST-760,
    USS LST-724 and USS LSM-264 beached at the foot of Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, 25 February 1945.
    US Navy photo # S-193-A2.    		 USS LSM / LSMR Association
    USS LST-779
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Hopkins, Joseph A., USNR 3 August 1944 - December 1945
    02LT. Schout, James W., USNR December 1945 - 14 February 1946
    03LTjg. Higgins, A. E., USN 14 February 1946 18 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
    USS LST-779 Deck Logs, 27 July to 1 August 1945
    USNI News - "New Lead Uncovered in Search for USS Indianapolis"
    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 26 August 2022