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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-355

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Yankee - Yankee - Xray
NYYX

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, 9 Sept. 1943 - Salerno landings, Normandy 1944) - American Campaign Medal - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (2)
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia Clasp)
Individual Awards
The Commanding Officer of LST-355, LT. Albert J. Cadaret USN, was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal

LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 7 September 1942, at Charleston Navy Yard. Charleston, S.C.

Launched, 16 November 1942

Commissioned USS LST-355, 22 December 1942, LT. Norman L. Knipe, Jr., USNR, in command

During World War II USS LST-355 was assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
European-Africa-Middle East Campaigns
Salerno landings, 9 to 21 September 1943	Invasion of Normandy, 6 to 25 June 1944

Following World War II USS LST-355 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal
20 October 1945 to 20 January 1946
30 January to 6 March 1946

Decommissioned, 6 March 1946

Transferred by the Maritime Commission, 10 April 1946, to Commander Naval Forces Far East (COMNAVFE) Shipping Control Authority for Japan (SCAJAP), redesignated Q084

Struck from the Naval Register, 31 October 1947

USS LST-355 earned two battle stars for World War II service

Final Disposition, fate unknown

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

Size	Image Description	Source
33k	USS LST-355 unloading trucks while high and dry on the beach at Normandy, circa June 1944.	Al Cadaret for his father LT. Albert J. Cadaret, USN, CO USS LST-355
27k	USS LST-355 underway in heavy weather, date unknown.	Al Cadaret for his father LT. Albert J. Cadaret, USN, CO USS LST-355
56k	USS LST-355 and another LST (*LST-355* is the closer of the two) on the beach at Normandy along with numerous other ships and landing craft, June 1944.	Al Cadaret for his father LT. Albert J. Cadaret, USN, CO USS LST-355
114k	USS LST-355 lays to seaward of the sunken USS LCI(L)-416 off Omaha Beach amidst reinforcement and cleanup activities on 7 June 1944. In the lower right corner are *LCT(6)-637* and an unidentified LCT. US National Archives photo from the USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association 2006 calendar. (Note this is a cropped image of photo #3)	Ardie Hunt
155k	Scene on a Gushikawa beach, shortly after a large ammunition explosion wrecked *LCT-560* and damaged several other ships, on January 2, 1946. Ships landing on beach are (from left to right): USS LST-355, USS LST-783, *LCT(5)LCT 141, LCT(6)LCT-560* (destroyed), *LCT(6)LCT-891, and LCT(6)LCT-785. Offshore is USS LST-920, which had been beached between the other two LSTs at the time of the explosion. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 76149*. Courtesy of Lieutenant Commander Frank L. Howard (Ret.)	US Naval History and Heritage Command

USS LST-355
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
USS LST-355 Official US Navy History

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Knipe Jr., Norman L., USNR	22 December 1942 - July 1943
02	LT. Cadaret, Albert J., USN	July 1943 - 13 March 1945
03	LT. Rankin Jr.,E. L., USNR	13 March 1945 - 5 November 1945
04	LT. Kelley, John J., USNR	5 November 1945 - 6 March 1946

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
Letter from David H. Clement Capt. MC. US Army, Ship’s Surgeon during battle for Salerno
The USS LST Ship Memorial
LST Home Port
State LST Chapters
United States LST Association

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This page is created by David W. Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 16 June 2017