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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive


Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Monmouth County (LST-1032)
ex
USS LST-1032 (1944 - 1955)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Victor - Papa - Delta
NVPD
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons




Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Unit Commendation - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (2) - American Campaign Medal
Second Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
Third Row - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Dominican Republic) - Vietnam Service Medal (11)
Fourth Row - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (6) - Philippines Liberation Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal


542-Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 9 June 1944, at Boston Navy Yard, Boston, MA.
  • Launched, 9 July 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST 1032, 1 August 1944, LT. Jose M. Medina, USNR in command
  • During WWII USS LST-1032 was assigned to Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Six, CAPT. Laidlaw USN (25);
    LST Group Eighteen, CDR. P. Neikum USNR Ret. (26);
    LST Division Thirty-Five and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Iwo Jima operation
    Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 19 to 25 February 1945
    Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 April to 10 June 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-1032 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 9 September to 26 October 1945
  • Named USS Monmouth County (LST-1032), 1 July 1955
  • Decommissioned, 14 October 1955
  • Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Florida Group
  • Transferred to Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Philadelphia Group, August 1961
  • Recommissioned in Reserve, 28 May 1962, at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, VA. as a unit of Reserve LST Squadron 2
  • Fully commissioned, 21 December 1965
  • During the Vietnam War USS Monmouth County (LST-1032) participated in the following campaigns;

    Vietnam War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive
    31 May to 13 June 1966
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI
    2 November 1968 to 13 February 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II
    19 July to 2 August 1966
    12 to 13 and 27 to 31 August 1966
    9 September to 17 November 1966
    16 to 23 January 1967
    1 to 7 February 1967
    23 February to 6 March 1967
    16 to 20 March 1967
    4 to 13 April 1967
    30 to 31 May 1967
    Tet 69/Counteroffensive
    21 March to 8 June 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III
    1 June to 9 August 1967
    17 December 1967 to 29 January 1968
    Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969
    9 June to 8 September 1969
    Tet Counteroffensive
    30 January to 1 April 1968
    Winter-Spring 1970
    3- November 1969 to 15 February 1970
    18 March to 30 April 1970
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV
    2 7 April 1968
    17 May to 19 June 1968
    Sanctuary Counteroffensive
    1 to 2 May 1970
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V
    15 July to 10 September 1968
    28 October to 1 November 1968
     

  • Decommissioned at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA., 12 August 1970
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 12 August 1970
  • USS LST-1032 earned two battle stars for World War II service and as USS Monmouth County (LST-1032), eleven campaign stars for Vietnam War service
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 11 September 1971, to Zidell Exploration Inc., Portland, OR.
    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
    USS LST-1032
    LST-1032
    1016103211
    88k USS LST-1032 with LCT-1031 on deck in the transport area off Iwo Jima, 19 February 1945. Note the dive bombers in the background bombing the foot of Mt. Suribachi.
    Frame from a short film called "Amphibious Invasion of Iwo Jima, H-Hour Minus One". Dept. of the Navy. National Archives ID 80201, Local ID 428-NPC-15841.
    David Upton
    LST-1032
    1016103210
    362k USS LCI(L)-771 and USS LST-1032 beached at Iwo Jima. circa 19 to 28 February 1945. Original caption reads "Smashed by Jap mortar and shell fire, trapped by Iwo's treacherous black-ash sands, amtracs and other vehicles of war lay knocked out on the black sands of the volcanic fortress."
    US National Archives Identifier 205585232, Local Identifier 26-G-4474, US Coast Guard photo # 4474 by PhoM/3c Robert M. Warren
    Robert Hurst, Robert Morrissey, David Upton
    LST-1032 25k USS LST-1032 and USS LSM-48 beached at Iwo Jima, February 1945 Paul Burket USS LSM-341
    LST-1032 208k USS LST-1032 beached after releasing a causeway pontoon, date and location unknown. Richelle Slater for her father Richard F. Ring MoMMC USS LST-134
    Chesterfield County 234k Amphibious Invasion Training at Camp Pendleton, Virginia Beach, VA., 26 August 1950. USS LST-551 and USS LST-1032 and other unidentified vessels are delivering Military Academy, Naval ROTC and Naval Academy midshipman in the mock invasion.
    Norfolk Public Library, Sargeant Memorial Collection, Charles Borjes photographer.
    Mike Green
    USS Monmouth County (LST-1032)
    LST-1032
    1016103209
    368k USS Monmouth County (LST-1032) underway on the Potomac River, passing Mount Vernon, 12 August 1964.
    US National Archives photo # USN 1108772 a US Navy photo by PH3 A. Sanders now in the collections of the US National Archives
    Mike Smolinski
    LST-1032 152k USS Monmouth County (LST-1032) drydocked at Sasebo, Japan in December 1966. Photo by Philip Eastman EM3 USN USS Monmouth County (LST-1032)
    LST-1032 158k USS Monmouth County (LST-1032) off loading cargo at Nha Trang, South Vietnam in February 1967.
    Photo by Mark Collier EM3 USS Monmouth County
    Philip Eastman EM3 USN USS Monmouth County (LST-1032)
    LST-1032 124k USS Monmouth County (LST-1032) off loading cargo at Danang, South Vietnam in February 1967. Photo by Philip Eastman EM3 USN USS Monmouth County (LST-1032)
    LST-1032 158k USS Monmouth County (LST-1032) off loading a cargo of bombs at Chu Lai, South Vietnam in 1967. Photo by Philip Eastman EM3 USN USS Monmouth County (LST-1032)
    LST-1032 83k USS Monmouth County (LST-1032) beached at Vung Tau, South Vietnam, RVN, circa 1968. Monmouth County usually operated between Saigon and points of the Delta hauling various cargos from point to point. Photo by Robert M. Young, Lt(jg), SC, USN USS Monmouth County (LST-1032)
    LST-1032 25k USS Monmouth County (LST-1032) beached at Vung Tau, South Vietnam, RVN, circa 1969 Photo by Larry Hickman ex RM3 USN USS Hickman County (LST-825)

    USS Monmouth County (LST-1032)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    History of USS Monmouth County (LST-1032) - Mobile Riverine Force Association
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Medina, Jose Mecado, USNR1 August 1944 - 4 June 1945
    02LT. Harrison Jr., William Franklin, USNR4 June 1945 - 3 January 1946
    03LTjg. Pope, John W., USNR3 January 1946 - 30 April 1946
    04LT. Miller, Hugh McMillin, USN30 April 1946 - September 1948
    05LT. Wootton, William Turnor, USN (USNA 1944)September 1948 - August 1949
    06LT. Ball1952
    07LCDR. Smith, Douglas Gould, USNR1953
    08LT. Clark? - 14 October 1955
     Decommissioned14 October 1955 - 28 May 1962
    09LT. Marshall, R.C., USN1961 - 1962 (Reserve Fleet)
    10LT. Carver. Robert Lee, USN1962 - 18 August 1963
    11LT. Miniter Jr., Howard Elmer, USN (USNA 1957)18 August 1964 - 18 March 1966
    12LCDR. Clark Jr., Charles Wiggin, USN18 March 1966 - 2 March 1967
    13LT. Sexton Jr., Harold Patrick, USN2 March 1967 - February 1968
    14LT. Marnane, Joseph Peter, USNFebruary 1968 - August 1970
    15LT. Lindfors, Bo Gottfrid, USN (USNA 1967)August 1970 - 12 August 1970
    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
    Mobile Riverine Force Association
    Brownwater Navy in Vietnam Web Book
    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
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    Last Updated 26 August 2022