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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive
Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Hickman County (LST-825)
ex
 USS LST-825 (1944 - 1955)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Kilo - Tango
 NHKT
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons





Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (2-12 & 30 May 68) - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korean Service Medal (2)
Fourth Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (6-Dominican Republic) - Vietnam Service Medal (10) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (6)
Fourth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

USS Hickman County (LST-825) was transferred to the Philippines and renamed RPS Cagayan (LT-97)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 2 October 1944, at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN.
  • Launched, 11 November 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-825, 8 December 1944, at New Orleans, LA., LT. Harry V. Hartsell in command
  • During World War II USS LST-825 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
  • LST Flotilla Twenty-Three, CAPT. W.W. Weeden Jr. USN;
  • LST Group Sixty-Eight, CDR. G. H. Dana USN (20);
  • LST Div One Hundred Thirty-Six and participated in the following campaign:
    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 18 April 30 June 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-825 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 2 to 29 September 1945
  • Decommissioned, 22 May 1946, at Swan Island, Portland, OR. and laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet
  • Recommissioned, 3 November 1950, LT. Thomas R. Ashton USNR in command
  • During the Korean War USS LST-825 participated in the following campaigns while assigned to the Korean Theater from 11 June 1952 to 5 February 1953 and from 9 March to 27 July 1954 and participated in the:
    Korean War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952
    28 June to 11 July 1952
    4 to 30 November 1952     		Third Korean Winter
    1 to 16 December 1952

  • Named USS Hickman County (LST-825), 1 July 1955
  • Decommissioned, 20 September 1955, at San Diego, CA.
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet
  • Recommissioned, 22 March 1963, at San Diego, LT Edward F. Powers Jr. in command
  • During the Vietnam War USS Hickman County (LST-825) participated in the following campaigns:
    Vietnam War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive
    6 May to 30 June 1966     		Vietnamese Counteroffensive-Phase V
    1 July to 1 November 1968
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive-Phase II
    1 July 1966 to 31 May 1967     		Vietnamese Counteroffensive-Phase VI
    29 December 1968 to 22 February 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive-Phase III
    1 June to 31 December 1967     		Tet 69/Counteroffensive
    23 February to 8 June 1969
    Tet Counteroffensive
    16 February to 1 April 1968     		Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969
    9 June to 26 July 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive-Phase IV
    2 April to 30 June 1968     		Vietnam Winter-Spring 1969
    1 to 3 November 1969

  • Decommissioned, date unknown
  • Transferred to the Philippines, 26 November 1969, Renamed RPS Cagayan (LT-97)
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 15 September 1979
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
  • USS LST-825 earned one battle star for World War II service, two battle stars for Korean War service and as USS Hickman County earned ten campaign stars for the Vietnam 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
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    USS Hickman County (LST-825)
    LST-925 88k USS Hickman County (LST-825) underway off Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, VA., August 1964. © Richard Leonhardt
    LST-825 42k USS Hickman County (LST-825) beached at the ramp at Dong Tam, South Vietnam, circa 1969 Photo by Larry Hickman RM3 USN
    USS Hickman County (LST-825)
    LST-825 928k USS Hickman County (LST-825) beached at the ramp at Vinh Long in the Mekong Delta. Vinh Long was one of several places where Hickman County delivered supplies to US Army bases. Photo by Steven Eldred SN USN
    USS Hickman County (LST-825)
    LST-825 589k After off loading pallets of cement from USS Hickman County (LST-825) at Can Tho, South Vietnam in the summer of 1969 the Vietnamese would clean the spilled cement from the ship's tank deck and then use it for their own purposes. Photo by Steven Eldred SN USN
    USS Hickman County (LST-825)
    RPS Cagayan (LT-97)
    LST-825 82k Ex-USS Hickman County (LST-825) in the Republic of the Philippines service as RPS Cagayan (LT-97) moored pierside, date and place unknown.
    US Navy photo by G. Arra.    		 Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
    USS Hickman County (LST-825)
    DANFS history entry located at the US Navy History and Heritage Command
    .
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Hartsell Jr., Harry Victor8 December 1944 - ?
     Decommissioned22 May 1946 - 3 November 1950
    02LT. Ashton, Thomas R. USNR3 November 1950 - ?
    03LT. Laughlin, Kenneth W.1953 - ?
     Decommissioned20 September 1955 - 22 March 1963
    04LT. Powers Jr., Edward Francis22 March 1963 - ?
    05LCDR. Sterling Jr., John Corydon 12 August 1964 - ?
    06LT. Forst, Ronald John13 July 1966 - ?
    07LT. Lett, Austin S.July 1967 - ?
    08LT. Bickel, Michael David16 July 1968 - ?
    09LT. Black, JohnAugust 1969 - ?
    10LT. Davis, Norman EwingSeptember 1969 - 26 November 1969
    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
    Mobile Riverine Force Association
    Brownwater Navy in Vietnam Web Book
    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 2 March 2012