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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive
Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USNS Pulaski County (T-LST-1088)
ex
 USS Pulaski County (LST-1088) (1955 - 1967)
 USS LST-1088 (1945 - 1955)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Alpha - Papa - Hotel
 NAPH
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 (5-Dominican Republic)
Third Row - Vietnam Service Medal (2) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (5) - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 16 December 1944, at American Bridge Co. Ambridge, PA,
  • Launched, 11 February 1945
  • Commissioned USS LST-1088, 27 March 1945, at Naval Repair Base Algiers, LA., LT. Charles B. Link, USNR in command
  • During World War II USS LST-1088 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-1088 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 25 October 1945 to 1 January 1946
  • Decommissioned, 29 August 1946 at Portland, OR.
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group, Astoria, OR.
  • Named USS Pulaski County (LST-1088), 1 July 1955
  • Moved to Pacific Reserve Fleet, Bremerton Group, 1961
  • Recommissioned, 21 May 1963
  • During the Vietnam War USS Pulaski County participated in the following campaigns:

    Vietnam War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive
    9 to 14 April 1966
    1 to 10 May 1966
    5 to 9 and 19 to 24 June 1966     		Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II
    1 to 3, 12 to 15- July 1966
    1 to 5, 13 to 20 August 1966
    4 to 7, 21 to 24 September1966
    4 to 12, 22 to 27 October 1966
    20 to 30 December 1966
    6 January to 23 March 1967

  • Decommissioned and placed in-service by MSTS in July 1967 as USNS Pulaski County (T-LST-1088), Korean crewed
  • Placed out-of-service, date unknown
  • Struck From the Naval Register, 1 November 1973
  • USS Pulaski County earned two campaign stars for Vietnam War service
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 1 January 1975, by DRMS (Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service)
    Specifications:
    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 propeller shafts
    twin rudders
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    USS LST-1088
    LST-1120 885k Aerial view of ships berthed at Mare Island, 8 February 1946.
    Left (inboard to outboard):
    USS LST-1134,
    USS LST-828,
    USS LST-1088,
    USS LST-1120
    and YOS-1.
    Right (inboard to outboard):
    USS General William Mitchell (AP-114),
    USS General G. M. Randall (AP-115),
    YD-33 and what appears to be
    YC-293.    		 Darryl Baker
    USS Pulaski County (LST-1088)
    Pulaski County
    1016108823    		 408k USS Pulaski County (LST-1088) underway, date and location unknown.
    US Naval History an Heritage Command photo # NH 84886, courtesy of William H. Davis, 1976.    		 Mike Smolinski
    Pulaski County 326k USS Pulaski County (LST-1088) entering Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, VA. in 1965. William Sorey
    Pulaski County 95k USS Pulaski County (LST-1088) beached at Nha Trang, South Vietnam in 1966. Richard L. Ballard EN3 USS Pulaski County 1966-67
    Pulaski County 47k USS Pulaski County (LST-1088) moored alongside another LST in Vietnam circa 1967. CAPT. Edward C Ruff USN Ret
    Pulaski County 27k USS Pulaski County (LST-1088) moored to a floating causeway, date and location unknown. Richard Ballard EN3 USS Pulaski County
    Pulaski County 681k USS Pulaski County (LST-1088) crew photo Hong Kong, BCC, January 1967. Richard Ballard EN3 USS Pulaski County
    Pulaski County 110k USS Pulaski County (LST-1088) beached at Vung Tau in 1967. The ship lost cooling water to her engines when the tide went out. Richard L. Ballard EN3 USS Pulaski County 1966-67
    Pulaski County
    1016108824    		 225k
    Pulaski County 98k A medivac helicopter landing aboard USS Pulaski County (LST-1088) at My Tho on the Mekong River in 1967. Richard L. Ballard EN3 USS Pulaski County 1966-67
    Pulaski County 97k A PBR comes alongside to escort USS Pulaski County (LST-1088) up the Saigon River to the port of Saigon in 1967. Richard L. Ballard EN3 USS Pulaski County 1966-67
    Pulaski County 76k USS Pulaski County (LST-1088) moored to a barge on the Saigon River in 1967. Richard L. Ballard EN3 USS Pulaski County 1966-67
    Pulaski County 102k USS Pulaski County (LST-1088) moored outboard of another LST at Naval Base Sasebo, Japan in 1967. Note the stern of USS Ajax (AR-6) in the background. Richard L. Ballard EN3 USS Pulaski County 1966-67
    Pulaski County 107k USS Pulaski County (LST-1088) secured to a YFU while unloading ammunition at Dong Tau on the Mekong River in1967. Richard L. Ballard EN3 USS Pulaski County 1966-67
    Pulaski County 123k
    USS Pulaski County (LST-1088) moored alongside another LST at Sasebo, Japan in 1967.    		 Richard L. Ballard EN3 USS Pulaski County 1966-67
    Pulaski County 110k USS Pulaski County (LST-1088) docking at Pusan, South Korea in 1967 to begin preparations for demilitarization and turn over to her new MSTS Korean crew waiting on the pier. Richard L. Ballard EN3 USS Pulaski County 1966-67
    USS Pulaski County (LST-1088)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Link, Charles Butler, USNR27 March 1945 - 29 April 1945
    02LT. Potter III, Sheldon, USNR29 April 1945 - 17 December 1945
    03LTjg. Holland, Dale Emerson, USN17 December 1945 - 29 August 1946
     Decommissioned29 August 1946 - 22 May 1963
    04LT. Cobb, Loren Hatch, USN22 May 1963 - 30 January 1965
    05LCDR. Stewart, Charles Carroll, USN30 January 1965 - 1966
    06LT. Clark, USN1966 - July 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
    Additional Photos from the Richard Ballard Photo Collection
    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
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    Last Updated 14 April 2023