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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Contributed by Lloyd King

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Polk County (LST-1084)
ex
USS LST-1084 (1945 - 1955)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Alpha - Oscar - Kilo
NAOK

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
Second Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2)
Third Row - Korean Service Medal (4) - Vietnam Service Medal (4) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
Fourth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 27 November 1944, at American Bridge Co. Ambridge, PA.

Launched, 19 January 1945

Commissioned USS LST-1084, 19 February 1945, LT. Lawrence E. Prehn, USNR in command

During World War II USS LST-1084 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
LST Flotilla Thirty-Two, CAPT. D.J. Sweeny;
LST Group Ninety-Six, CDR. J.M. Dod USNR;
LST Division One Hundred Ninety-One

USS LST-1084 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal
2 to 9 September 1945
15 October 1951 to 20 February 1952

Decommissioned, 13 August 1946 at Vancouver, WA., and laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group

Recommissioned, 3 November 1950

During the Korean War USS LST-1084 participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Korean War Campaigns
First UN Counter Offensive 11 February to 17 March 1951	Second Korean Winter 20 to 30 April 1952
Communist China Spring Offensive 28 April to 1 May 1951 9 to 17 May 1951	Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 1 to 3 May and 17 to 30 May 1952 13 August 1952 24 August to 16 September 1952 18 October 1952

Named USS Polk County (LST-1084), 1 July 1955

During the Vietnam War USS Polk County (LST-1084) participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Vietnam War Campaigns
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 9 January to 22 February 1966 20 to 26 March 1966	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI 18 December 1968 to 2 January 1969 18 January to 22 February 1969
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III 23 July to 23 August 1967	Tet/69 Counteroffensive 23 February to 15 March 1969 23 March to 8 April 1969

Decommissioned, 30 October 1969, at San Diego CA.

Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group

Struck From the Naval Register, 15 September 1974

USS Polk County (LST-1084) earned four battle stars for the Korean War and four campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Final Disposition, sold, 1 December 1975, for scrapping by (DRMS) Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service

Specifications:

Displacement

1,625 t.(lt)

4,080 t.(fl) (sea-going draft w/1675 ton load)

2,366 t.

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	Source/ Contributed By
USS LST-1084
	814k	USS LST-1084 commissioning crew photo, taken at American Bridge Co. Ambridge, PA., 6 February 1945.	Paul S. Lambres for his father John A. Lambres (John S. Pellicarri S1/c, USS LST-1084)
	89k	USS LST-1084 with *LCT-1374* cradled on her main deck, and USS LSM-425 moored at Saipan, 1945.	Al DeBacker
1016108408	338k	With a Homeward Bound pennant flying USS LST-1084 enters San Francisco Bay with *LCT-1374* cradled on her main deck. *LST-1084* returned to the United States, circa late-1945-early 1946, after completing her tour of duty in the Far East. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 79868	Mike Smolinski
	33k	USS ST-1084, ships plaque.	Lloyd King
	64k	USS LST-1084 at anchor, location unknown, circa 1950-52.	Lloyd King
1016108412 NA Riverside 17112	304k	USS LST-1084 moored pierside at Long Beach Navy Yard, 18 July 1952. US National Archives, Riverside, photo #'s NA Riverside 17112 and 17111.	Dave Schroeder and John Chiquoine
1016108413 NA Riverside NA 17111	123k		Dave Schroeder and John Chiquoine
USS Polk County (LST-1084)
	16k	*USS Polk County* (LST-1084)** at anchor, date and location unknown.	Bill McFerren, LST 1084 web site
	17k	*USS Polk County* (LST-1084)** underway, date and location unknown.	LST Home Port web site
	70k	*USS Polk County* (LST-1084)** at anchor, date and location unknown. US Navy photo.	Robert Hurst
1016108410	225k	*USS Polk County* (LST-1084)** underway off San Diego, CA., circa early-1960s. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 68715	Mike Smolinski
1016108409	282k	*USS Polk County* (LST-1084)** underway off San Diego, CA., circa mid to late-1960s. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo #'s NH 68714 and NH 68712	Robert Hurst
1016108411	223k		Robert Hurst
	265k	*USS Summit County* (LST-1146), USS Henry County (LST-824), USS Polk County (LST-1084)** and two additional LSTs, conducting landing practice off San Diego, CA., circa 1960s. US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH 68716	Mike Smolinski
	91k	From left to right *USS Wexford County* (LST-1168), USS Jerome County (LST-848), USS Polk County (LST-1084) and two unidentified LSTs conducting landing practice off San Diego, circa 1960s. Photograph received from USS Polk County (LST-1084)*, 1969. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 68713*	US Naval History and Heritage Command
	84k	*USS Polk County* (LST-1084)** making way with bow doors open, circa 1964-65, location unknown.	Submitted by Larry Lee for his step-father H.R. Adams CS1 USN, USS Polk County 1966 and 1967.
	55k	*USS Polk County* (LST-1084) moored pierside, 3 June 1965, at Naval Station San Diego, Ca.. Astern of Polk County** the ex-Oswegatchie (YTB-515) is being handed off to the Venezuelan Navy. She would be renamed *ARV Jose Felix Ribas* (R-13)**.	CDR Reinaldo Ramirez (Rey) VN, skipper ARV Jose Felix Ribas (R-13) 1965
	55k
	123k	*USS Polk County* (LST-1084)** beached at Cua Viet, South Vietnam while off-loading equipment and supplies, circa May 1968. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, June 1959	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.

USS Polk County Additional Ships Patches Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Polk County (LST-1084)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Prehn, Lawrence E., USNR	19 February 1945 - October 1945
02	LTjg. McKaig, Michael B., USNR	October 1945 - 13 August 1946
	Decommissioned	13 August 1946 - 3 November 1950
03	LT. Wintter, William A., USNR	3 November 1950 - June 1952
04	LT. Howland, Frank Stuart, USN	June 1952 - May 1953
05	LT. Ozab, Philip Warren, USNR	May 1953 - December 1953
06	LT. Harper, George Albert, USN	December 1953 - 12 September 1955
07	LT. Weeks, Robert Eugene USN	12 September 1955 - 4 January 1958
08	LCDR. Gross, James Robert, USN	4 January 1958 - 2 April 1959
09	LT/LCDR. Shafer, Walter Richard, USN	2 April 1959 - 2 July 1960
10	LT/LCDR. Wallace, Cedric Sterling, USN (USNA 1952)	2 July 1960 - 26 December 1962
11	LT/LCDR. McClenahan, Richard Myrl, USN	26 December 1962 - 28 February 1964
12	LT. Ensley, Arthur Frank, USN	28 February 1964 - 17 September 1965
13	LT. Johnston, William Alfred, USN	17 September 1965 - September 1967
14	LT. White II, John Dwyer, USN (USNA 1962)	September 1967 - 7 August 1969
15	LT. Groves, Geoffery Jackson, USN (USNA 1965)	7 August 1969 - 30 October 1969


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
USS Polk County (LST-1084)
Mobile Riverine Force Association
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 1 March 2024

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Polk County (LST-1084)ex USS LST-1084 (1945 - 1955)

USS Polk County (LST-1084)
ex
USS LST-1084 (1945 - 1955)