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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-1043

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Alpha - Alpha - Lima
NAAL

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia clasp)

LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 17 December 1944 at Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh, PA.

Launched, 27 January 1945

Commissioned USS LST-1043, 24 February 1945. LT. Clifford Off, Jr. USNR in command

During World War II USS LST-1043 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater;
LST Flotilla Thirty-Three, CAPT. C. A. Legg USN (24);
LST Group Ninety-Seven, CDR. H. B. McLean;
LST Division One Hundred Ninety-Four

Following World War II USS LST-1043 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 11 to 20 September 1945

Decommissioned, 22 July 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, 28 August 1946

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 10 December 1947, to the Learner Co., Oakland, CA.

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

two twin 40MM gun mounts w/Mk. 51 directors

four single 40MM gun mounts

twelve single 20MM gun mounts

Propulsion two General Motors 12-567, 900hp Diesel engines

two propellers

twin rudders

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description		Contributed By
	118k	Side launch of *LST-1043*, 27 January 1945, at Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh, PA.		Greg Tatum for his father Leonard S. Tatum PhM 1/c USS LST-1043
	102k	USS LST-1043 commissioning crew photo, circa 27 January 1945, at Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh, PA.		Greg Tatum for his father Leonard S. Tatum PhM 1/c USS LST-1043

USS LST-1043
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Off Jr., Clifford, USNR	24 February 1945 - 15 November 1945
02	LTjg. Bergner, Hans Erich, USNR	15 November 1945 1 February 1946
03	LTjg. Rising, Vernon K., USNR	1 February 1946 - 22 July 1946


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 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 12 August 2016