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USS Berkshire County (LST-288)
ex
 USS LST-288 (1943 - 1955)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Golf - Hotel - Mike
 NGHM
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon - (Normandy 1944) - American Campaign Medal - Europe - Africa - Middle East Campaign Medal (2)
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)

USS LST-288 was transferred to South Korea and renamed ROKS Kae Bong (LST-810)
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 6 September 1943, at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA.
  • Launched, 7 November 1943
  • Placed in reduced commission as USS LST-288, 4 December 1943, LT. Edwin L. McCloud, USN, in command
  • Ferried down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans, LA. for fitting out
  • Commissioned USS LST-288 in full, 20 December 1943, LT. Edwin L. McCloud, USN, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-288 was first assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle Theater and later to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater
  • While assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater USS LST-288 was under the command of LT. E. G. Caldwell USNR and assigned to:
    LST Flotilla Thirty-Five, CAPT. D. H. Johnston USN (22);
    LST Group One Hundred Five, CDR. E.P. Wilson USN (20);
    LST Division Two Hundred Ten and participated in the following campaigns:

    Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign
    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Invasion of Normandy, 6 to 25 June 1944 Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 30 May to 30 June 1945
    Invasion of southern France, 15 to 16 August 1944  

  • Following World War II USS LST-288 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    11 to 23 September 1945
    20 December 1945 to 2 March 1946

  • Decommissioned, 6 March 1946
  • Transferred to Commander Naval Forces Far East (COMNAVFE) Shipping Control Authority for Japan (SCAJAP), for service from 20 May 1949 to 14 June 1950, designated Q085
  • Named Berkshire County (LST-288), 1 July 1955
  • Transferred on loan to Korea, 5 March 1956, renamed ROKS Kae Bong (LST-810)
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 15 November 1974
  • Redesignated LST-675 date unknown
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
  • USS LST-288 earned three 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.
    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
    USS LST-288
    LST-288
    1016028804    		 93k USS LST-288 undeway off the Normandy, France, Beachhead, 7 June 1944.
    Select frame from a short film named "Invasion of Rangoon, Rangoon, Burma; Landing on Tarakan, Indonesian Borneo". Film was spliced with the invasion of Normandy, May-June 1944 footage. Date was found in the film image of roll I.D. shot by cameraman.
    US National Archives and Records Administration NAID: 17951, Local ID 111-ADC-4149    		 David Upton
    LST-288 45k USS LST-288 beached at Normandy while unloading Sherman tanks, date unknown. Note the Grumman F4F Wildcat overhead. Russ Padden
    ROKS Kae Bong (LST-675) / (LST-810)
    LST-288 283k ROKS Kae Bong (LST-675) approaches the beach, 1 March 1982 during exercise Team Spirit ‘82.
    Department of Defense Media, Photo # DN-ST-82-06900    		 Mike Green
    LST-227 110k ROKS Kae Bong (LST-810) (ex-USS Berkshire County (LST-288) and ROKS Duk Bong (LST-808) (ex-USS LST-227) moored at Chinhae, South Korea, circa 1956 or later.
    US Navy photo.    		 Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
    LST-288 288k ROKS Kae Bong (LST-810) underway, date and location unknown.
    Official South Korean Navy photo.    		 Robert Hurst
    USS LST-288 / USS Berkshire County (LST-288)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. McCloud, Edwin L., USNR4 December 1943 - July 1944
    02LT. Caldwell, E. G., USNRJuly 1944 - October 1945
    03LTjg. Hibbie, Elmer H., USNROctober 1945 - 6 March 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 Home Port
    State LST Chapters
    United States LST Association
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 13 December 2024