Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive
Contributed by Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Snohomish County (LST-1126)
ex
 USS LST-1126 (1945 - 1955)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Bravo - Mike - Sierra
 NBMS
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons




Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (17 November 1968) - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Vietnam)
Fourth Row - Vietnam Service Medal (8) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (7) - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 16 November 1944, at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL.
  • Launched, 9 February 1945
  • Commissioned USS LST-1126, 28 February 1945 at New Orleans, LA., LT. Frank C. Helm, USNR in command
  • During World War II USS LST-1126 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Thirty-Three CAPT. C. A. Legg USN (24);
     LST Group Ninety-Eight LCDR. R. H. Meinges USNR;
     LST Division One Hundred Ninety-Five
  • Following World War II USS LST-1126 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following period:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    China Service Medal (extended)
    14 November 1945 to 20 February 194614 November 1945 to 20 February 1946

  • Named USS Snohomish County (LST-1126), 1 July 1955
  • During the Vietnam War USS Snohomish County (LST-1126) served continuously in country and in contiguous waters, with the exception of overhaul periods, from mid 1965 to early 1970 participating in the following campaigns. (Dates listed do not include underway transit times within the contiguous waters along the Vietnam coast as defined by the US Navy and so specified by the Vietnam Service Medal.)

    Vietnam War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Vietnam Defense
    20 July to 17 August 1965     		Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI
    3 to 26 November 1968
    14 December 1968 to 7 January 1969
    29 January to 22 February 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive
    22 to 26 February 1966
    14 March to 6 May 1966
    13 to 21 May 1966
    7 to 21 June 1966
    30 June 1966     		Tet69/ Counteroffensive
    23 to 24 February 1969
    29 May to 8 June 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II
    1 to 4 July 1966
    22 February to 27 March 1967
    29 April to 31 May 1967     		Vietnam Summer-Fall
    9 to 26 June 1969
    12 to 18 July 1969
    22 August to 15 September 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III
    1 May to 12 June 1967     		Vietnam Winter-Spring
    20 to 27 February 1970
    16 to 21 March 1970

  • Decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register, 1 July 1970, at Naval Station Guam, Marianas Islands
  • USS Snohomish County (LST-1126) earned eight campaign stars for Vietnam service
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping in January 1971, to Chin Ho Fa Steel and Iron Co. Ltd. Taiwan
    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-1126
    LST-1126
    1016112609    		 39k USS LST-1126 underway in San Francisco Bay, circa 1946 with LCT 1421 secured to her main deck. Note the homeward bound pennant.
    Post card post marked April 1951, from eBay    		 David Wright
    LST-1126 45k USS LST-1126 underway, date and location unknown. LST Home Port web site
    LST-1126 229k USS LST-1126 loading a 90 ton pontoon causeway in 1951, location unknown. Raymond Cvetovich, Ph.D.
    USS Snohomish County (LST-1126)
    LST-1126
    1016112602    		 274k USS Snohomish County (LST-1126) entering her homeport, San Diego, CA., 24 April, 1964. Note some of the deck force amidships at Quarters for entering port.
    US National Archives photo # USN 1104513, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Mike Smolinski
    LST-1126 92k USS Snohomish County (LST-1126) moored at a ramp, date and location unknown. Tommy Trampp
    LST-1126 95k USS Snohomish County (LST-1126) underway in 1964, location unknown.
    US Navy photo.    		 Robert Hurst
    LST-1126 72k USS Snohomish County (LST-1126) tending Coast Guard Cutters at Danang, South Vietnam, 24 July 1965.
    USCG photo # CPI-072465-03; 24 July 1965 by Nichols, PH1, USCG. Office of the US Coast Guard Historian.    		 Ed Pietzuch, HA(L)-3 US Navy, 1967-1971
    LST-1126 28k USS Snohomish County (LST-1126) tending Coast Guard Cutters at Danang, South Vietnam, circa 1966.
    USCG photo    		 Joe Radigan, MACM USN, Ret.
    LST-1126 37k USS Snohomish County (LST-1126) beached, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, April 1970.    		 Joe Radigan, MACM USN, Ret.
    USS Snohomish County (LST-1126)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    History of USS Snohomish County (LST-1126) - Mobile Riverine Force Association
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Helm, Frank C., USNR28 February 1945 - 23 June 1945 
    02LT. Clark, Russell Albert, USN23 June 1945 - March 1946 
    03LTjg. McGrath, Samuel V., USNRMarch 1946 - June 1946 
    04LT. May, Einer Albert, USNJune 1946 - August 1947 
    05LCDR. Easley, Ira DavidAugust 1947 - 10 February 1951 
    06LT. Mehus, John Harold, USN10 February 1951 - 25 March 1954 
    07CDR. McCarthy, John Francis25 March 1954 - August 1955 
    08LCDR. Landrum, Joe RichardAugust 1955 - 7 May 1958 
    09LT. Lamb, Derwin Taylor, USN7 May 1958 - 18 December 1959 
    10LCDR. Campbell, Ronald Alistair, USN (USNA 1952)18 December 1959 - 17 July 1962 
    11LT. Murphy, Arthur Daniel17 July 1962 - 13 May 1963 
    12LT. Barbour Jr., William Joseph13 May 1963 - August 1965 
    13LT. Curlee, John LeeAugust 1965 - September 1967 
    14LT. Wilson Jr., James AlexanderSeptember 1967 - 22 March 1969 
    15LCDR. Ryan, Kevin Thomas22 March 1969 - 8 August 1969hull swap with USS LST-525
    16LCDR. Kelly, John Patrick8 August 1969 - 1 July 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
    Mobile Riverine Force Association
    The USS LST Ship Memorial
    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
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 4 September 2020