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

USS LST-177

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Zulu - November - Charlie
NZNC

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
American Campaign Medal - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (2) - World War II Victory Medal

USS LST-177 was transferred to France and named RFS Laita (K05) later (L9001)

LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship

Laid down, 5 February 1943, at the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., Evansville, IN.

Launched, 16 May 1943

Commissioned USS LST 177, 22 June 1943, LT. Samuel H. P. Read Jr., USN, in command

During World War II USS LST-177 was assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and participated in the following actions/campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Europe-Africa-Middle East
Convoy UGS-36, 1 April 1944	Invasion of southern France, 15 August to 25 September 1944

Decommissioned, 17 February 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, 12 April 1946

Transferred, 13 March 1947, to France as a sale

Commissioned into the French Navy as RFS Laita (K05), later (L9001)

Decommissioned in January 1962 and converted to a port depot ship

Final Disposition, fate unknown

USS LST-177 earned two battle stars for World War II service

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 6

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-177
	677k	USS LST-177 moored pierside, date and location unknown.	Del Morris for his father Leon Morris USS LST-177
	432k	USS LST-177 officers listed on back of photo: "Back row left to right; Struber, Taylor, Jones. Front row; Norton, Dubinski, Leon Morriss, Coppinger. Kneeling; Compton. Missing; Jackson, Swart, Fisher, Bushey," date and location unknown.	Del Morris for his father Leon Morris USS LST-177
	811k	USS LST-177 crew photo, date and location unknown.	Del Morris for his father Leon Morris USS LST-177
	354k	USS LST-177 moored pierside at Marseille, France, New Years Day, 1 January 1945.	Del Morris for his father Leon Morris USS LST-177
	488k	USS LST-177 moored pierside at Marseille, France, New Years Day, 1 January 1945.	Del Morris for his father Leon Morris USS LST-177
	296k	USS LST-177 with deck cargo of trucks. Photo is labeled "Camouflage on main deck ferry of Canadian troops - Feb 1945."	Del Morris for his father Leon Morris USS LST-177
	119k	USS LST-177 and *LST-656* beached, probably in southern France, August or September 1944.	Kevin Harris
	70k	USS LST-177 crew inspection while at Palermo, Italy, date unknown.	Del Morris for his father Leon Morris USS LST-177
	69k	USS LST-177 beached at Salerno, Italy, date unknown.	Del Morris for his father Leon Morris USS LST-177
	57k	USS LST-177 beached date and location unknown.	Gerd Metthes
	91k	USS LST-177 drydocked, date and location unknown.	Arthur Neal for his father Lacy Neal SC/3 USS LST-177

Casual Snapshots of USS LST-177 Crew Members
Contributed by Arthur Neal for his father Lacy Neal SC/3 USS LST-177

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
RFS Laita (K05) (L9001)
	23k	RFS Laita ship's crest.	André Pilon Quartermaster (signalman) RFS Golo
	69k	French sailors assigned to the commissioning crew of *RFS Laita* (K05)**, circa March 1947, location unknown.	Arthur Neal for his father Lacy Neal SC/3 USS LST-177
	43k	Ex-USS LST-177 in the Republic of France service as *RFS Laita* (K05)** underway, circa 1949, location unknown.	Robert Hurst
	76k	*RFS Laita* (K05)** partial crew photo, 20 July 1950, location unknown.	André Pilon Quartermaster (signalman) RFS Golo
1016017734	159k	*RFS Laita* (K05)** underway near Toulon, France, circa 1950s.	Jacques Druel
	60k	*RFS Laita* (L9001)** on the beach at Frejús, France, 15 August 1954, the tenth anniversary of the landing in Provence, Southern France. Photo published in the newspaper french Navy : "Cols Bleus" and provided by R. de Renty.	André Pilon Quartermaster (signalman) RFS Golo
	93k	*RFS Laita* (L9001)** underway, circa May 1968 in the harbor at Bôner, Algéria.	André Pilon RFS Golo for Robert Badier enseigne de vaisseau, RFS Cheliff

RFS Laita (L9001) drydocked at Toulon shipyard, circa 1950s.
Contributed by Jacques Druel

USS LST-177
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Read Jr., Samuel Henry Palmer, USN	22 June 1943 - 1944
02	LT. Dodson, Cleo W., USNR	1944 - 1945
03	LTjg. Compton, D. E., USN	1945 - 17 February 1946


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
LST Homeport
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

Last Updated 6 October 2023