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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Stone County (LST-1141)
ex
USS LST-1141 (1945 - 1955)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Kilo - Hotel - Charlie NKHC

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (Vietnam, 5 March 1968)
Second Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2)
Fourth Row - Korean Service Medal (4) - Vietnam Service Medal (5) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (5)
Fifth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal

USS Stone County (LST-1141) was transferred to Thailand and renamed HTMS Lanta (LST-4)

LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 22 January 1945, at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL.

Launched, 18 April 1945

Commissioned, USS LST-1141, 9 May 1945, LT. E. M. Biggs, USNR, in command

During World War II USS LST-1141 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater

Following World War II USS LST-1141 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
6 to 22 October 1945	1 June to 3 September 1947
19 August to 13 October 1946	21 to 28 November 1947
13 to 22 February 1947	21 to 28 March 1948 to 19 April 1949
	8 to 12 February 1955

Decommissioned, 24 August, 1949, at San Diego, CA.

Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group

Recommissioned, 3 November 1950, at San Diego

During the Korean War USS LST-1141 participated in the following campaigns:

**Korean War Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
UN Summer-Fall Offensive 4 to 5 September 1951 21 September to 2 October 1951	Third Korean Winter 21 March to 19 April 1953
Second Korean Winter 11 to 12 January 1952	Korea Summer-Fall 1953 7 to 17 May 1953 18 to 19 June 1953 26 to 27 July 1953

Named USS Stone County (LST-1141), 1 July 1955

During the Vietnam War USS Stone County participated in the following campaigns:

**Vietnam War Campaigns**
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Vietnam Defense 7 to 24 September 1965	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV 25 April to 13 June 1966
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 10 to 22 June 1966	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V 2 to July 1968 9 August to 6 September 1968
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 17 July to 26 September 1966 20 to 30 October 1966

Decommissioned, May 1970 at Apra, Guam

Transferred under lease to Thailand, 12 March 1970, renamed HTMS Lanta (LST-4)

Sold outright to Thailand under the Security Assistance Program, 15 August 1973

Struck from the Naval Register, 15 August 1973

Hull number changed from LST-4 to LST-714, date unknown

Decommissioned by the Royal Thai Navy, date unknown

USS Stone County received four battle stars for Korean War service and five campaign stars for Vietnam War service

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

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 shafts, twin rudders

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
USS Stone County (LST-1141)
	122k	USS LST-1141 underway during the 1950s. US Navy photo # NH 104074 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.	US Naval Historical Center
	55k	*USS Stone County* (LST-1141)** departing San Diego, date unknown.	Lloyd King
	66k	*USS Stone County* (LST-1141) and USS Thomaston (LSD-28)** at anchor in Subic Bay, P.I. with other fleet units, circa 1957.	Photo by Donald J. Wagner SM3, USN USS Gunston Hall
	96k	*USS Stone County* (LST-1141)** unloading ammunition and stores on a beach near Da Nang, Republic of Vietnam, 25 July 1966. Another LST is also on the beach, at right. US Navy photo # K-32530 by JO1 Ernest L. Filtz.	US Naval Historical Center
	54k	*USS Stone County* (LST-1141)** unloading at night at the Danang LST ramp, circa 1968. US Navy photo from Navy Support Facility Danang yearbook.	Pete Harlem
HTMS Lanta (LST-14) (LST-714)
	202k	*HTMS Lanta* (LST-714) (ex-USS Stone County (LST-1141) moored pierside along with HTMS Pangan (LST-713) (ex-USS Stark County (LST-1134)), moored outboard of Lanta**, at the Royal Thai Navy Dock Yard Phachunlachomklao, 8 January 2005.	Photo by Nye Nava
	210k	The decommissioned Thai Royal Navy LSTs *HTMS Lanta* (LST-714) (outboard) and HTMS Chang (LST-712)** (ex-Lincoln County (LST-898)) moored pierside at the Royal Thai Navy Dock Yard Phachunlachomklao, 12 January 2008.	Photo by Nye Nava
	876k	Ex-*HTMS Lanta* (LST-714)** grounded next to Klong Jilad Pier in Krabi, Thailand. It appears the ship is being prepared as a historical site, 30 January 2012.	Photo by Nicholas Cox