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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Kent County (LST-855)
ex
USS LST-855 (1944 - 1955)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - Mike - Sierra
NIMS

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
Second Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal
Third Row - Korean Service Medal (6) - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal

542 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 6 September 1944, at Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., Seneca, IL.

Launched, 27 November 1944

Commissioned USS LST-855, 21 December 1944, LTjg. Thomas P. Kierl in command

During World War II USS LST-855 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater

Decommissioned, 15 February 1950, at Puget Sound Naval Ship Yard, Bremerton, WA.

Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group

Recommissioned, 3 November 1950, LT. L. J. Parsons in command

During the Korean War USS LST-855 participated in the following campaigns

**Korean War Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Communist China Spring Offensive, 22 April to 8 July 1951	Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952, 1 May to 30 November 1952
UN Summer-Fall Offensive, 9 July to 27 November 1951	Third Korean Winter, 1 December 1952 to 30 April 1953
Second Korean Winter, 28 November 1951 to 30 April 1952	Korea, Summer-Fall 1953, 1 May to 27 July 1953

Named USS Kent County (LST-855), 1 July 1955

Decommissioned, 22 January 1958

Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown

Final Disposition, sunk as a target, 19 March 1958

USS LST-855 earned six battle stars for the Korean War

Specifications:
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

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
552k	*LCT-1195, LCT-841* and USS LST-855 beached at Okinawa in 1945. Photo by Donald Berton Dale RM3/c LCT-1195	Bernard Urbanik
111k	USS LST-855 underway, date and location unknown.	Photo by R. D. Comes USS LST-855
126k	USS LST-855 underway, date and location unknown.	L. L. Edmunson RMSN USS LST-855
97k	USS LST-855 drydocked at Yokosuka, Japan, 1951. Standing on the drydock is RMSN L.L. Edmunson.	L. L. Edmunson RMSN USS LST-855
72k	USS LST-855 beached at Makpo, Korea, while disembarking Korean refuges in 1951. Note downfall fire hoses from the on-deck heads.	Photo by L. L. Edmunson RMSN USS LST-855
82k	USS LST-855 beached at Koje-Do, Korea, 19 October 1951.	Photo by L. L. Edmunson RMSN USS LST-855
58k	USS LST-855 beached at Koje-Do, Korea, 19 October 1951.	Photo by L. L. Edmunson RMSN USS LST-855
62k	USS LST-855 beached at Paengnyong-Do, Korea, 22 December 1951.	Photo by L. L. Edmunson RMSN USS LST-855
82k	USS LST-855 beached at Paengnyong-Do, Korea, 22 December 1951, while disembarking refugees.	Photo by L. L. Edmunson RMSN USS LST-855
57k	USS LST-855 beached at Paengnyong-Do, Korea, 22 December 1951.	Photo by L. L. Edmunson RMSN USS LST-855
151k	USS LST-855 beached at Paengnyong-Do, Korea, 22 December 1951.	Photo by L. L. Edmunson RMSN USS LST-855
67k	USS LST-855 and *LST-1096* beached at Paengnyong-Do, Korea, December 1953 .	Photo by R. D. Comes USS LST-855
104k	USS LST-855 iced in at Cho-Do, Korea February 1953.	Photo by R. D. Comes USS LST-855
78k	USS LST-855 beached at Paengnyong-Do, Korea, February 1953.	Photo by R. D. Comes USS LST-855