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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive
(USS LST-914 served as flagship for Landing Ship Squadron Seven)
Contributed by Mike Smolinski


Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Mahoning County (LST-914)
ex
 USS LST-914 (1944 - 1955)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Victor - Papa - Uniform
 NVPU
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons




Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Unit Commendation
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Europe Africa Middle East Campaign Medal (1) - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1)
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal - Korean Service Medal (6)
Fourth Row - Philippines Liberation Medal - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 16 February 1944, at Bethlehem Hingham Shipyard, Hingham, MA.
  • Launched, 18 April 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-914, 18 May 1944, LT. Arthur W. Meyer USNR in command
  • During World War II USS LST-914 was first assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle Theater and later to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater
  • While assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater USS LST-913 came under the control of
    LST Flotilla Thirty-Six, CAPT. D.F.J. Shea USN (23);
     LST Group One Hundred Six, CDR. O.P. Thomas Jr. USN (26);
     LST Division Two Hundred Eleven and participated in the following campaigns;

    Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign
    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Invasion of southern France
    15 August to 21 September 1944     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 8 May to 30 June 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-914 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    20 September to 2 October 1945
    20 October to 14 November 1945

  • Decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register, 26 June 1946,
  • Loaned to the US Army
  • Reacquired, reinstated in the Naval Register and recommissioned, 26 August 1950, at Yokosuka Japan, LT. R. L. Holzhaus in command
  • During the Korean War USS LST-914 participated in the following campaigns:

    Korean War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    North Korean Aggression
    18 September to 2 November 1950     		First UN Counter Offensive
    25 January to 1 April 1951
    Communist China Aggression
    3 November 1950 to 24 January 1951     		Second Korean Winter
    20 March to 30 April 1952
    Inchon Landing
    15 to 17 September 1950     		Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952
    1 to 4 May 1952
    5 to 19 July 1952

  • Named USS Mahoning County (LST-914), 1 July 1955
  • Decommissioned, 5 September 1959, at Long Beach, CA.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown
  • USS LST-914 earned two battle stars for World War II service and six battle stars for Korean War service
  • Final Disposition, sold to Zidell Explorations Corp, 22 June 1960 for scrapping
    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
    Mahoning County 63k USS LST-914, LCT-222 LCT-274, and LCT-1003 beached after the invasion of southern France "Operation Anvil" in August 1944.
    US Army photo from     Skylighters web site.    		 Dennis Painter
    Mahoning County 1041k USS LST-914 beached, date and location unknown. Dave Kerr dedicated to his uncle Thomas J. Kerr, B Co, 63rd Infantry Regiment, 6th Infantry Division, KIA, 18 January 1945,
    buried at the ABMC Cemetery in Manila. Thomas J. Kerr landed at Luzon from USS LST-914
    Mahoning County 170k USS LST-914 beached at Taloma, Mindanao, P.I. 24 December 1945. Note LCT with the laundry drying in the left foreground. Richard W. Friedrich, F/1c, LSM-467, Collection, slide number 075
    Mahoning County 21k USS LST-914 at anchor, date and location unknown. Henry A. Mastracco
    Mahoning County 110k Marines of the First Marine Division pack the deck of USS LST-914, left. and a Japanese crewed Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) LST, right, as the MSTS LST unloads a tank following the Inchon landings, 23 September 1950.
    Acme photo by staff photographer Richard C. Ferguson.    		 Tommy Trampp
    Mahoning County 988k A General Patton tank (M-46) leaving through the bow doors of USS LST-914 during the invasion of Wonsan, Korea, 2 November 1950.
    US Navy photo 80-G-421355, now in the collections of the US National Archives    		 Dave Kerr
    Mahoning County 50k USS LST 914 enroute from Japan to San Diego, transferring equipment to USS Atlas (ARL7), early October 1952. Asa B. Robinson
    Mahoning County 100k USS LST 914 enroute from Japan to San Diego, transferring equipment to USS Atlas (ARL7), early October 1952. Asa B. Robinson
    Mahoning County 201k USS LST 914 circa 1950's during one of her Arctic summer DEW Line deployments working with USS Staten Island (AGB-5). Photo was probably taken from USS Arneb (AKA-56) Corey Ginsberg
    Mahoning County 56k USS LST 914 at anchor at Toyama, Japan during the 15th anniversary of the Toyama Prefecture Industrial Exposition in celebration of the opening of Japanese port during the Edo era. Tommy Trampp
    Mahoning County
    1016091412    		 375k USS Mahoning County (LST 914) underway, date and location unknown.
    US National Archives photo # USN 1045998, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Mike Smolinski
    Mahoning County 82k Forward port quarter view of USS Mahoning County (LST 914) off Mare Island, 11 April 1957. Mahoning County was undergoing repairs at Mare Island from 6 February to 22 April 1957.
    Naval Shipyard Mare Island photo # 33901-4-57, 4/11/57.    		 Darryl Baker
    USS LST-914 / USS Mahoning County (LST-914)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Meyer, Arthur W., USNR18 May 1944 - December 1945
    02LTjg. Tomassoni, Blaze J., USNRDecember 1945 - March 1946
    03LTjg. Longe Jr., John H., USNRMarch 1946 - 26 June 1946
     Decommissioned26 June 1946 - 26 August 1950
    04LT. Holzhaus, Ralph Leonard, USN26 August 1950 - 6 August 1951
    05LT. Shupling, Hampton USNR6 August 1951 - 15 November 1952
    06LT. Stilwell, Louis C., USN15 November 1952 - ?
    07LT/LCDR. Wells, Lionel Emmett, USN1955 - 18 May 1957
    08LT. McKinley, William, USN (USNA 1948-A)18 May 1957 - 24 July 1958
    09LT. Dodd, Robert Lee, USN24 July 1958 - 5 September 1959
    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 Homeport
    State LST Chapters
    United States LST Association
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 1 March 2024