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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-807


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Bravo - Bravo
 NHBB
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, Iwo Jima) - China Service Medal (extended) - 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, 29 July 1944 at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN.
  • Launched, 11 September 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-807, 3 October 1944, LT. John D. Holder, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-807 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Twenty-Five, CAPT. H. E. Richter USN (24);
     LST Group Seventy-Three CDR. L D. York USNR;
     LST Div One Hundred Forty-Five and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Iwo Jima operation
    Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 20 to 26 February 1945     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 2 May to 30 June 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-807 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    China Service Medal (extended)
    20 October 1945 to 28 May 194620 October 1945 to 27 May 1946

  • Decommissioned, 27 May 1946
  • Transferred to the State Department for disposition
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 3 July 1946
  • USS LST-807 earned two battle stars for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
    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
    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 Contributed
    By
    LST-807 104k USS LST-807 under way heading down river on the Mississippi after leaving her builders yard at Evansville, IN. heading for the Gulf of Mexico, circa September-October 1944.
    Photo by Jack and Don Followell.    		 Tommy Trampp
    LSM-201/391 and LST-807 142k Marines unload supplies from USS LSM-201 and USS LST-807, and other amphibious warships beached at Iwo Jima on D-Day, 15 February 1945.
    US National Archives
    photo # NWDNS-26-G-4098    .    		 USS LSM / LSMR Association
    LST-807 133k USS LST-807 on the beach at Iwo Jima, 23 February 1945. Photo was taken from USS LST-399 and shows the carnage on station Red Beach which was under mortar attack by the Japanese defenders. Photo by William E. Jayne USS LST-399
    USS LST-807
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Holder, John D., USNR3 October 1944 - 17 January 1945
    02LT. Straight, George D., USN 17 January 1945 - 3 February 1946
    03LTjg. Letzler, Alton H., USNR 3 February 1946 - 27 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 Homeport
    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 8 May 2015