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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Lyon County (LST-904)
ex
 USS LST-904 (1945 - 1955)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Juliet - Romeo - Romeo
 NJRR
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 Medal (with Asia Clasp)
542-Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 12 November 1944. at Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh, PA.
  • Launched, 23 December 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-904, 25 January 1945, LT. James L. Randles, Jr. USNR in command
  • During WWII USS LST-904 was assigned to Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Thirty-Two, CAPT. D. J. Sweeny;
     LST Group Ninety-Five, CDR. J. Capponi USNR;
     LST Division One Hundred Eighty-Nine and participated in the following campaign;

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 18 to 30 June 1945

  • Following World War II LST-904 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 2 September to 8 December 1945
  • Decommissioned, 1 December 1946
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group
  • Renamed USS Lyon County (LST-904), 1 July 1955
  • Designated as a target, 20 October 1958
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 November 1958
  • USS LST-904 earned one battle star for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, sunk in 1,280 fathoms off the coast of Washington, 13 May 1959, by USS Capitaine (SS-336), 13 May 1959
    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
    LST-904
    1016090402    		 293k USS LST-904 underway on the Ohio River en route to New Orleans for fitting out in late January-early February 1945. Zach S. Morris, Editor in Chief LST Scuttlebutt Magazine
    LST-904 200k USS LST-904 homeward bound with LCT(6)-1458 on board entering San Francisco Bay in 1946.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 79580    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    USS LST-904 / USS Lyon County (LST-904)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Randles Jr., James Laurence, USNR25 January 1945 - 24 October 1945
    02LTjg. Hershberger, Robert R., USNR24 October 1945 - March 1946
    03LTjg. Waldo Jr., George A., USNMarch 1946 - 1 December 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
    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 9 February 2024