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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Johnson County (LST-849)
ex
 USS LST-849 (1944 - 1955)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - Kilo - Uniform
 NIKU
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)

USS Johnson County (LST-849) was transferred to the Republic of Korea and renamed ROKS Wi Pong (LST-812)
542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 10 November 1944, at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA.
  • Launched, 30 December 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-849, 25 January 1945, LT. Emil C. Farkas, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-849 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Thirty-Two, CAPT. D.J. Sweeny;
     LST Group Ninety-Four, CDR. E. Roughton USN;
     LST Division One Hundred Eighty-Seven and participated in the following campaign:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 26 May to 30 June 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-849 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 9 to 25 September 1945
  • Decommissioned, 13 June 1946
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group
  • Named Johnson County (LST-849), 1 July 1955
  • Struck from the Naval Register, and transferred to the Republic of Korea in January 1959, renamed ROKS Wi Pong (LST-812), later redesignated (LST-676)
  • USS LST-849 earned one battle star for World War II service
  • Current Disposition, on display at a military museum in Gunsan, South Korea
    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 Contributed
    By
    USS LST-849
    LST-849 117k USS LST-849 launching at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA., 30 December 1944.
    Photo courtesy Martin S. Gorecki BKr3/c USS LST-849    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    LST-849
    1016084912    		 220k USS LST-849 tied up to a river bank, probably along the Ohio River soon after commissioning, circa January-February 1945.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # 19-N-84616, a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo    		 Mike Smolinski
    LST-842 197k USS LST-849, beached along with USS LST-842 and either USS LST-823 or USS LST-825, probably at Okinawa, circa 1945. Michelle Redfearn for her father, Charles A Mann USS LST-842, 1944-1946
    ROKS Wi Pong (LST-676)
    LST-849
    1016084914     		139k ROKS Wi Pong (LST-676) (ex-USS Johnson County (LST-849) moored in an unknown South Vietnamese port, 4 March 1965.
    Photo courtesy Republic of Korea Armed Forces. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. This image was originally posted to Flickr by Republic of Korea Armed Forces at https://www.flickr.com/photos/77969721@N08/7438435586    		 Robert Hurst
    LST-849 231k ROKS Wi Pong (LST-676) (ex-USS Johnson County (LST-849) moored at Saigon, South Vietnam, circa 1969-70 David Staszak
    LST-849 402k Ex-ROKS Wi Pong (LST-676) [ex- USS Johnson County (LST-849)] on display at a military museum in Gunsan, South Korea. Photos by Dave Carmichael
    LST-849 177k
    LST-849 227k
    LST-849 237k
    LST-849 306k
    LST-849 293k
    LST-849 524k
    LST-849 251k
    LST-849
    1016084913    		 125k Ex-ROKS Wi Pong (LST-676) as museum ship at Jinpo Maritime Park, Gunsan, South Korea, 2 June 2018.
    Photo taken by Jjw.     		Robert Hurst
    USS LST-849 / USS Johnson County (LST-849)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Farkas, Emil Charles, USNR25 January 1945 - December 1945
    02LTjg. Schneible, Willard P., USNRDecember 1945 - March 1946
    03LTjg. Waldrop, Francis G., USNRMarch 1946 - 13 June 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 Home Port
    State LST Chapters
    United States LST Association
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 5 April 2024