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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-668

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Foxtrot - Juliet - Hotel
NFJH

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Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (4) Bottom Row - World War II Victory Medal - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)

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During World War II USS LST-668 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
LST Flotilla Eight, CAPT. E. Watts, USN;
LST Group Twenty-Two (flagship), CDR. E. H.Pope, USN; and participated in the following campaigns:

Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Western New Guinea operation Morotai landings, 15 September 1944	Consolidation and capture of Southern Philippines Mindanao Island landings, 10 to 16 May 1945
Leyte operation Leyte landings, 16 to 30 October and 9 to 29 November 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 12 to 28 June 1945

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 26 May 1947, to Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, PA.

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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

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Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description		Source
	54k	LST-668 at the American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA. prior to launching, 30 April 1944		Brenda Mitchell for her Father Ralph T. Johnston SKG3 USN USS LST-668
	73k	LST-668 launching at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA., 30 April 1944		Brenda Mitchell for her Father Ralph T. Johnston SKG3 USN USS LST-668
	69k	LST-668 after launching at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA., 30 April 1944		Brenda Mitchell for her Father Ralph T. Johnston SKG3 USN USS LST-668
	118k	USS LST-668 commissioning crew, at Navy Base Algiers, LA, 23 May 1944		Brenda Mitchell for her Father Ralph T. Johnston SKG3 USN USS LST-668
	189k	From right to left USS LST-942, USS LST-614, USS LST-757, USS LST-668 and two unidentified LSTs beached at Waterhole, Hollandia, date unknown.		Carol Hawk for her father-in-law Judson L Hawk, Jr. RM3/c LCT 1332
	109k	From right to left USS LST-614, USS LST-757, USS LST-668 and two unidentified LSTs beached at Waterhole, Hollandia, date unknown.		Bill Lambert USS LST-614
	49k	USS LST-668 and USS LST-1106 along with another LST beached at Leyte, circa 1945		Richard W. Friedrich, F/1c, USS LSM-467, Collection
	196k	USS LST-668 looking forward from the bridge, beached at Subic Bay, P.I., 9 February 1945.		Brenda Mitchell for her Father Ralph T. Johnston SKG3 USN USS LST-668
	82k	USS LST-668's deck force, date and location unknown.		Brenda Mitchell for her Father Ralph T. Johnston SKG3 USN USS LST-668
	101k	USS LST-668's ships doctor, Dr. Tondreau and the CO LT. Clark, date and location unknown.		Brenda Mitchell for her Father Ralph T. Johnston SKG3 USN USS LST-668
	44k	USS LST-668 beached, date and location unknown. (This photo is titled "Little".)		Brenda Mitchell for her Father Ralph T. Johnston SKG3 USN USS LST-668
	50k	USS LST-668 beached date and location unknown. (This photo is titled "Smith, Bielong, Moulder, Lyles, Fede".)		Brenda Mitchell for her Father Ralph T. Johnston SKG3 USN USS LST-668
	43k	USS LST-668 beached at Mindoro, P.I., date unknown.		Brenda Mitchell for her Father Ralph T. Johnston SKG3 USN USS LST-668
	52k	USS LST-668 beached at Mindoro, P.I., date unknown.		Brenda Mitchell for her Father Ralph T. Johnston SKG3 USN USS LST-668
	53k	USS LST-668 moored at Samar, P.I., date unknown.		Brenda Mitchell for her Father Ralph T. Johnston SKG3 USN USS LST-668

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USS LST-668
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

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Commanding Officers
	LT. McArthur, Roland Barrow, USN (Ferry Command)	15 May 1944 - 23 May 1944
01	LT. Clark, Milford E., USNR	23 May 1944 - December 1945
02	LTjg. Billue, John H., USNR	December 1945 - 30 June 1946

Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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

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Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
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 January 2015