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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-920

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Kilo - Alpha - Alpha
NKAA

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive)
Second Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)

542-Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 26 April 1944, at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, MA.

Launched, 29 May 1944

Commissioned USS LST-920, 17 June 1944, Lt. Harry Schultz USN in command

During World War II USS LST-920 was first assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater (convoy HXM 30) and later reassigned 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, June 1945

Following World War II USS LST-920 performed occupation duty and saw service in China until early March 1946

Decommissioned, 8 July 1946, at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco, CA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 14 March 1947

USS LST-920 earned one battle star for World War II service

Sold for commercial operations, 17 June 1948, to Standard Oil & Gas Co., named MV Stanolind 55

Sold in 1951 to Empreza Internacional de Transportes, renamed MV Guarape, reflagged Brazilian

Modified for cargo handling at Higgins, New Orleans, adding four hatches in the main deck and four derricks

Sold, date unknown, to Companhia Paulista de Commercio Maritimo, Santos, Brazil, name retained

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 23 June 1972

USS LST-920 earned one battle star for World War II 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 4 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
81k	USS LST-920 underway while ferrying a deck load of US Army vehicles across the English Channel to the Normandy beachhead, circa 25 August to 23 November 1944.	John Ross for his step-father Raymond Willis SF1/c USS LST-920
62k	USS LST-920 crew mustering on the main deck, circa 25 August to 23 November 1944 while the ship was in the European Theater ferrying supplies across the Channel to the Normandy beachhead.	John Ross for his step-father Raymond Willis SF1/c USS LST-920
71k	USS LST-920 off Utah Beach, Normandy, 10 September 1944. *LST-920* was being towed back to England due to engine room flooding when the hull was breached as she beached at Utah Beach on 9 September. She was being towed stern first, so the photo is a shot towards the bow as the ship is being towed away from the beach.	John Ross for his step-father Raymond Willis SF1/c USS LST-920
120k	USS LST-920 with *LCT-642* loaded on her main deck. *LCT-642* was loaded aboard *LST-920* at Plymouth, England, 14 December 1944, and transported to Norfolk, VA. She was off loaded sometime between 13 January and 22 February 1945.	John Ross for his step-father Raymond Willis SF1/c USS LST-920
44k	USS LST-920 with *LCT-1145* loaded on her main deck, while beached in the Russell Islands, Solomons Island Group, to take on pontoons, circa 29 July to 2 August 1945.	John Ross for his step-father Raymond Willis SF1/c USS LST-920
55k	USS LST-920 crew photo of Section III, at Okinawa, 1945. Raymond Willis is second from the right.	John Ross for his step-father Raymond Willis SF1/c USS LST-920
94k	USS LST-920 partial crew photo, at Okinawa, 1945.	John Ross for his step-father Raymond Willis SF1/c USS LST-920
47k	USS LST-920 launching *LCT-1145* at Jinsen (Inchon), Korea, 18 September 1945.	John Ross for his step-father Raymond Willis SF1/c USS LST-920
113k	USS LST-920 beached while unloading vehicles and equipment, at Okinawa, 1945.	John Ross for his step-father Raymond Willis SF1/c USS LST-920
50k	USS LST-920 beached, at Okinawa in 1945.	John Ross for his step-father Raymond Willis SF1/c USS LST-920
101k	USS LST-920 beached, at Okinawa in 1945 with an unidentified crew member at left and Ens. Don Leher on the right.	John Ross for his step-father Raymond Willis SF1/c USS LST-920
138k	USS LST-920's 1st Lieut. Ens. Leher, at Okinawa, date unknown.	John Ross for his step-father Raymond Willis SF1/c USS LST-920