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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Madera County (LST-905)
ex
USS LST-905 (1945 - 1955)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Juliet - Sierra - Bravo
NJSB

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Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons




Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (3) - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (2) - American Campaign Medal
Second Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
Third Row - National Defense Service Medal - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Dominican Republic) - Vietnam Service Medal (10)
Fourth Row - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (8) - Philippines Liberation Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

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USS Madera County (LST-905) was transferred to the Republic of the Philippines, renamed RPS Ilocos Norte (LT-98)

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During World War II USS LST-905 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
LST Flotilla Thirty-Two, CDR. D. J. Sweeny (23);
LST Group Ninety-Five, CDR. J. Capponi;
LST Division One Hundred Ninety and participated in the following campaign:

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
Campaign and Dates
Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 8 to 28 June 1945

Following World War II USS LST-905 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal
20 September to 1 November 1945
15 November to 2 December 1945

During the Vietnam War USS Madera County (LST-905) participated in the following campaigns:

Vietnam War Campaigns
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 9 to 19 May 1966 28 May to 15 June 1966	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V 1 July to 29 October 1968
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 25 to 31 July 1966 13 to 17 August 1966 26 August to 1 September 1966 13 to 20 September 1966 1 to 8 and 22 to 29 October 1966 11 to 22 November 1966 24 January to 31 May 1967	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI 24 November to 22 February 1969
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III 1 to 7 June 1967 21 August to 12 December 1967 11 to 29 January 1968	Tet 69/Counteroffensive 23 February to 17 April 1969 28 May to 8 June 1969
Tet Counteroffensive 30 January to 15 February 1968	Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969 9 June to 31 October 1969
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV 15 to 30 June 1968	Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970 1 to 11 November 1969

USS LST-905 earned one battle star for World War II service, and ten campaign stars for Vietnam War service as USS Madera County

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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

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Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description		Contributed By
USS LST-905
	220k	LST-905 commissioning party, 29 January 1945, at Dravo Corp. Pittsburgh, PA.		John Care for his father-in-law LT Paul Thompson, Commanding Officer USS LST-905
	213k	Christening by Mrs. Paul Gulling of LST-905 and launching, 29 January 1945, at Dravo Corp. Pittsburgh, PA.		John Care for his father-in-law LT Paul Thompson, Commanding Officer USS LST-905
	93k	USS LST-905 under way on the Ohio River while enroute to New Orleans from Pittsburgh for fitting out, circa January 1945.		Bob Keener in honor of his father William A. Keener (deceased) Shipfitter First Class USS LST-905 1944-1946.
	178k	USS LST-905 gun fire practice, date and location unknown.		John Care for his father-in-law LT Paul Thompson, Commanding Officer USS LST-905
	297k	USS LST-905 quartermasters, date unknown.		John Care for his father-in-law LT Paul Thompson, Commanding Officer USS LST-905
	242k	USS LST-905 crews mess crew, date unknown.		John Care for his father-in-law LT Paul Thompson, Commanding Officer USS LST-905
	78k	USS LST-905 crew members, left to right, Corrier, William Keener, Scroggs and Griffith.		Bob Keener in honor of his father William A. Keener (deceased) Shipfitter First Class USS LST-905 1944-1946.
	226k	USS LST-905 underway in convoy fully loaded, date and location unknown.		John Care for his father-in-law LT Paul Thompson, Commanding Officer USS LST-905
	58k	USS LST-905 crew photo, date and location unknown.		Bob Keener in honor of his father William A. Keener (deceased) Shipfitter First Class USS LST-905 1944-1946.
	121k	USS LST-905 crew photo, date and location unknown.		Bob Keener in honor of his father William A. Keener (deceased) Shipfitter First Class USS LST-905 1944-1946.
	60k	USS LST-905 and USS LST-990 beached at Okinawa, June 1945.		Bob Keener in honor of his father William A. Keener (deceased) Shipfitter First Class USS LST-905 1944-1946.
USS Madera County (LST-905)
	49k	USS Madera County (LST-905) on the Hudson River in New York Harbor, date unknown		Daniel A. Brown, SM3, USS Madera County, 1967-68
	17k	USS Madera County (LST-905) at anchor in the Mekong River, South Vietnam, 1967.		Photo by Tom O'Donnell, RM3 USS Madera County, Submitted by Daniel A. Brown, SM3, USS Madera County, 1967-68
	117k	USS Madera County (LST-905) under way on a river in South Vietnam, date unknown. US National Archives photo # 428GX-K38677 US National Archives photo.		Michael Mohl
	299k	USS Madera County (LST-905) under way on a river in the Mekong Delta, circa late-summer-1969. Photo was taken from USS Hickman County (LST-825) as the two ships passed each other.		Photo by Steven Eldred SN USN USS Hickman County (LST-825)
	103k	USS Madera County (LST-905) moving slowly upriver at Saigon, South Vietnam, date unknown. Australian War Memorial, Photo No. P06322.042		Mike Green
BRP Ilocos Norte (LT-98)
	94k	Ex-USS Madera County (LST-905) in Philippines naval service as BRP Ilocos Norte (LT-98) moored at Cavite, Luzon Island, Philippine Islands in 1988.		Edison Sy
	88k	At left, Ex-USNS Orleans Parish (T-LST-1069) in Philippines service as BRP Cotabato Del Norte (LT-511) and at right, Ex-USS Madera County (LST-905) in Philippines naval service as BRP Ilocos Norte (LT-98) moored at Cavite, Luzon Island, Philippine Islands in 1988,		Edison Sy

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USS Madera County (LST-905)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

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Commanding Officers
01	LT. Thompson, Paul W., USNR	29 January 1945 - January 1946
02	LTjg. Tethers Jr., John E., USNR	January 1946 - 15 April 1946
03	LT. Davis, Robert Edward, USN	15 April 1946 - 11 September 1946
	Decommissioned	11 September 1946 - 30 March 1963
04	LT. Caldwell, Billy Frank, USN	30 March 1965 - 1 June 1965	In Commission In Reserve
05	LTjg. Parker, Charles Scott, USNR (acting)	1 June 1965 - 29 July 1965	In Commission In Reserve
06	LT. Mason Albert Thompson, USN	29 July 1965 - 4 January 1967
06	LT. McKeown Jr., Edward James, USN	4 January 1967 - January 1968
04	LT. McKenna, Richard Bernard, USN (USNA 1963)	January 1968 - January 1969
05	LCDR. Addicott, Raymond Walter	January 1969 - December 1969

Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

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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

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 24 December 2020