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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Kemper County (LST-854)
ex
USS LST-854 (1944 - 1955)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - Mike - Papa
NIMP

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon - Navy Unit Commendation
Second Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1)
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2)
Fourth Row - Korean Service Medal (5) - Vietnam Service Medal (5) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (5)
Fifth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

USS Kemper County (LST-854) was first transferred to Barbados, renamed Northpoint and them to Panama, renamed El Gato Blanco

542-Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 30 August 1944, at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL., LT. E. J. Robeson in command

Launched, 20 November 1944

Commissioned, USS LST-854, 14 December 1944

During World War II USS LST-854 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaign:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaign**
Campaign and Dates
Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, from April through June 1945

Following World War II LST-854 performed occupation duty in the Far East and saw service in China until early March 1949

Decommissioned, 21 October 1949

Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Puget Sound Group, Bremerton, WA.

Recommissioned, 20 November 1950, at Bremerton, WA

During the Korean War LST-854 participated in the following campaigns:

**Korean War Campaigns**
Campaigns and Dates
Communist China Spring Offensive 12 to 21 June 1951	Third Korean Winter 22 December 1952 to 24 January 1953 14 to 16 April 1953
UN Summer-Fall Offensive 9 September 1951 7 to 23 October 1951	Korea, Summer-Fall 1953 30 May to 10 June 1953 15 to 17 June 1953 13 to 21 July 1953 26 to 27 July 1953
Second Korean Winter 1 to 22 December 1951 11 to 29 January 1952	.

Named USS Kemper County (LST-854), 1 July 1955

During the Vietnam War USS Kemper County (LST-854) participated in the following campaigns:

**Vietnam War Campaigns**
Campaigns and Dates
Vietnam Defense 21 November to 24 December 1965	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III 1 to 23 June 1967
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 25 December 1965 to 6 January 1966 21 January to 8 March 1966 21 March to 2 April 1955	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V 23 July to 27 August 1968 17 September to 1 November 1968
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 25 February to 18 March 1967 12 April to 31 May 1967	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI 2 to 10 November 1968 8 to 14 December 1968

Decommissioned, 28 May 1969

Struck from the Naval Register (date unknown)

Transferred to the Government of Barbados in July 1975, renamed Northpoint

Sold to the Government of Panama, circa early-1980's, renamed El Gato Blanco

Final Disposition, fate unknown

USS Kemper County earned one battle star for World War II service, five battle stars for Korean War service, and one award of the Navy Unit Commendation and six campaign stars 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
Propulsion two General Motors 12-567, 900hp diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
USS LST-854
	92k	USS LST-854 and USS LST-172 moored to a buoy at Shanghai, China, circa April 1946.	George Curry GM2/c USS LST-172
	43k	USS LST-854, at NSO dock, NAVSTA Subic Bay PI, 11 March 1949	LST Home Port web site
	4k	USS LST-854, circa 1951, at Bremerton WA.	LST Home Port web site
	13k	USS LST-854, circa 1952, at Taeyonpyong, North Korea	LST Home Port web site
USS Kemper County (LST-854)
	97k	*USS Kemper County* (LST-854)** at anchor, probably at Hong Kong, BCC, date unknown.	© Richard Leonhardt
	58k	*USS Kemper County* (LST-854)** underway, date and location unknown.	Lloyd King
	58k	*USS Kemper County* (LST-854)** at anchor of Naval Support Activity Detachment Vung Tau, South Vietnam, circa 1967. Note the Australian Army vehicles on the barge in the foreground.	Dave Perham