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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

LST-937

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
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia clasp)

LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 11 July 1944, at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, MA.

Launched, 12 August 1944

Commissioned USS LST-937, 6 September 1944

During World War II LST-937 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaign:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns**
Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Consolidation and capture of Southern Philippines; Mindanao Island landings April 1945	Borneo operation; Brunei Bay operation, June 1945

Following World War II LST-937 performed occupation duty in the Far East and saw service in China until late May 1946

Decommissioned at Shanghai, China, 24 May 1946 and transferred to the State Department

Transferred by the State Department to the Republic of China

Struck from the Naval Register, 3 July 1946

Final Disposition, fate unknown

LST-937 earned two battle stars 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 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
247k	*LST-937, LST-970* and *LST-690*, beached at Ie Shima, near Okinawa, 21 February 1946.	Photo contributed by LT. William (Bill) S. Barnes USS LST-970, caption by LTjg Earl M. Wiggs, Jr. USS LST-937
83k	*LST-937* beached at Labaun Island Borneo while offloading Royal Australian Air Force heavy construction equipment, 11 June 1945. Australian War Memorial photo # OG2922	Australian War Memorial
46k	*LST-937* beached at Labaun Island Borneo while offloading Royal Australian Air Force trucks, 11 June 1945. Australian War Memorial photo # OG2923	Australian War Memorial

View the LST-937
DANFS history entry located at the US Naval Historical Center web site

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

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
The USS LST Ship Memorial
LST Home Port
State LST Chapters
United States LST Association

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Last Updated 21 October 2005