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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USNS Harris County (T-LST-822)
ex
USS LST-822 (1944 - 1955)

Flag Hoist/International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Juliet - November

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1)
Second Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal
Third Row - Korean Service Medal (4) - Vietnam Service Medal (2) - Philippines Liberation Medal
Fourth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive) - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

USNS Harris County (T-LST-822) was transferred to the Republic of the Philippines and renamed BRP Aurora (LT-508)

LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 20 September 1944, at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN.

Launched, 1 November 1944

Commissioned USS LST-822, 14 November 1944, at New Orleans, LA., LT. R. N. Mclntyre, in command

During World War II LST-822 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaign;

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates
Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 18 April to 9 May 1945

Decommissioned, 27 July 1946 at Portland, OR.

Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group, 10 August 1946

Recommissioned, 23 November 1950, at Bremerton, WA., LT. R. N. Mclntyre, in command

During the Korean War LST-822 participated in the following campaigns:

**Korean War Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Communist China Spring Offensive	Third Korean Winter
Korean Defense Summer - Fall 1952	Korean Summer - Fall 1953

Decommissioned, 21 February 1955

Placed in service with the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) in March 1955

Named USNS Harris County (T-LST-822), 1 July 1955

Placed out of service, date unknown

Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown

Sold to the Republic of the Philippines, 13 September 1976, renamed BRP Aurora (LT-508)

Final Disposition, fate unknown

Harris County earned one battle star for World War II service and four for Korean War 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

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

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Source
> USS LST-822
	89k	*LST-822* underway, date and location unknown.	Gretchen Perryman for her father Tom Perryman USS LST-822, 1950-52
	93k	*LST-822* underway, date and location unknown.	Gretchen Perryman for her father Tom Perryman USS LST-822, 1950-52
	267k	*LST-822, LST-970* and *LST-117* beached at Leyte after unloading their cargo, 12 September 1945.	LT. William (Bill) S. Barnes
USNS Harris County (T-LST-822)
	104k	*USNS Harris County* (T-LST-822)*, and San Bernardino County* (LST-1110) unloading over the beach at Point Barrow, Alaska, during "DEW" Line support operations, 16 September 1955. US National Archives photo 80-G-685966 a US Navy photo now in the collection of the US National Archives.	Naval Historical Center
	55k	*Harris County (T-LST-822* underway, date and location unknown.	.
	63k	Harris County (T-LST-822 underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine November 1965	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
	465k	*USNS Harris County* (T-LST-822)** (right) and USNS T-LST-590 (at left) beached at South Beach, Cam-Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, circa 1967.	Photo by Shot by SSG Tommy Trampp
	445k		Photo by Shot by SSG Tommy Trampp