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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive
Struck mine at Normandy, 11 June 1944

USS LST-496


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Papa - India - Yankee
 NPIY
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
American Campaign Medal - European-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal
Personal Awards

Navy Marine Corp Medal - Tom Cutis Evans StM2c, USNR / Purple Heart - U.S. Navy casualties 15 KIA and 85 WIA, U.S Army casualties, 14 KIA and 14 WIA
LST-491 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 24 August 1943, at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN.
  • Launched, 22 October 1943
  • Placed in reduced commission, 19 December 1943, for transit to her fitting out yard at New Orleans, LT Robert J. Gregory USNR in command
  • Commissioned in full as USS LST-496, 27 December 1943, LT. Robert J. Gregory USNR in command
  • During World War II, USS LST-496 was assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and participated in the following campaign:

    Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign
    Invasion of Normandy, 6 to 11 June 1944

  • Sunk by enemy mines off Omaha Beach, Normandy, 11 June 1944
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 22 August 1944
  • USS LST-496 earned one battle star 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 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 Source
    LST-507 1016050705 104k Chart of Convoy T4, showing positions of LSTs and E-Boats off Slapton Sands England the night of 27-28 April 1944.
    dday.overload.com    		 Tommy Trampp
    LST-506 291k Normandy Invasion, June 1944. Four LST's take vehicles aboard during pre-invasion loading operations at an English port. Circa early June 1944. Ships present include:
    USS LST-496;
    USS LST-506;
    USS LST-291.
    US National Archives Photo # 80-G-252172    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    LST-506 1016050614 323k USS LST-496 alongside USS LST-506 as a US Army field kitchen is driven aboard USS LST-506 at Falmouth and Plymouth in preparation for the Invasion of Normandy. Robert Hurst
    LST-496 57k The sunken hulk of USS LST-496 off Omaha Beach, Normandy, circa 11 June 1944. William Fraser
    LST-496
    1016049602    		 111k USS LST-496 crew member Tom Curtis Evans StM2c, USNR receives the Navy Marine Corps Medal for his actions, 11 June 1944, in the rescue of wounded ENS. Rex H. Scott who was trapped under debris in the ship's wardroom and was unable to extract himself without the help of Petty Officer Evans Mike Guarino
    USS LST-496
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Gregory, Robert J., USNR19 December 1943 - February 1944
    02LTjg. Koch, Stanley H., USNRFebruary 1944 - 11 June 1944 (KIA-11 June 1944)
    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
    Exercise Tiger: Disaster at Slapton Sands 28 April 1944 open in new window)
    Historic England -American Landing Ships Involved in D-Day Rehearsals
    Exercise Tiger - The Quiet Sacrifice
    "The U.S. Navy at Normandy Fleet Organization and Operations in the D-Day Invasion" by Greg W. Williams. pages 357-359, LST-496 at Normandy, 11 June 1944
    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
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 11 February 2022