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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USNS T-LST-1066
ex
 USS New London County (LST-1066) (1955 - 1967)
 USS LST-1066 (1945 - 1955)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Alpha - India - Foxtrot
 NAIF
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal
Second Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (3-Dominican Republic)
Third Row - Vietnam Service Medal (2) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

USS New London County (LST-1066) was transferred to Chile and renamed BACH Comandante Hemmerdinger (LST 88)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 18 January 1945, at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, MA.
  • Launched, 21 February 1945
  • Commissioned USS LST-1066, 20 March 1945, LT. Elvin J. Gilman USNR in command
  • During World War II USS LST-1066 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Thirty-Three, CAPT. C. A. Legg USN (24);
     LST Group Ninety-Eight, LCDR. R. H. Menges USNR;
     LST Division One Hundred Ninety-Eight
  • Following World War II USS LST-1066 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods;

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    21 to 29 October 1945
    14 November to 14 December 1945

  • Decommissioned in January 1947
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet
  • Named New London County (LST-1066), 1 July 1955
  • Recommissioned, 21 December 1965
  • During the Vietnam War USS New London County (LST-1066) participated in the following campaigns:

    Vietnam Campaigns
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    Vietnam Counteroffensive
    26 May to 5 June 1966    		 Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase II
    18 August to 10 September 1966
    15 to 24 October 1966
    6 to 15 November 1966
    29 November to 13 December 1966
    30 December 1966 to 8 January 1967
  • Decommissioned, 27 February 1967
  • Transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) and placed in service as USNS T-LST-1066, Korean crew
  • Placed out of service, date unknown
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 10 June 1973
  • USS New London County (LST-1066) earned two campaign stars for Vietnam War service
  • Sold under the Security Assistance Program in August 1973 to Chile, renamed BACH Comandante Hemmerdinger (LST-88)
  • Out of Chilean service, 14 October 1983
  • Authorization to sell, 16 November 1983
  • Sold for commercial service, 19 January 1984, renamed M/V Maquiserv Chilean flagged, Valparaiso
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
    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-1066
    LST-1066 1115k USS LST-1066 under way, circa 1950s.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 84883. Courtesy of William H. Davis, 1976    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    USS New London County (LST-1066)
    LST-1066 80k New London County (LST-1066) beached, in South Vietnam, 1966. Photo by LT. Richard Dawson USS Renville
    USNS T-LST-1066
    LST-1066 811k USNS T-LST-1066 underway on a river in the Mekong Delta, circa summer-1969. Photo was taken from USS Hickman County (LST-825) as the two ships passed each other. Photo by Steven Eldred SN USN
    USS Hickman County (LST-825)
    LST-1066 320k USNS T-LST-1066 beached at Vung Tau, Vietnam, summer 1969. Photo was taken from USS Hickman County (LST-825) Photo by Steven Eldred SN USN
    USS Hickman County (LST-825)
    BACH Comandante Hemmerdinger (LST-88)
    LST-1066 291k Ex-New London County (LST-1066) in Chilean naval service as BACH Comandante Hemmerdinger (LST-88) beached at San Mateo Beach, south of Valparaiso, Chile in 1980. Carlos Alviņa
    New London County (LST-1066)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Gilman, Elvin J., USNR20 March 1945 - December 1945
    02LT. Murphy, Lewis James, USNDecember 1945 - 9 July 1946
    03LTjg. Owsley, Raymond, USN9 July 1946 - January 1947
     DecommissionedJanuary 1947 - 21 December 1965
    04LCDR. Burke Jr., Thomas Jerome21 December 1965 - 27 February 1967
    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
    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
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 9 September 2016