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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Bradley County (LST-400)
ex
USS LST-400 (1943 - 1955)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Delta - Bravo - Alpha NDBA

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USS Bradley County (LST-400) was transferred to the Republic of China and renamed ROCS Chung Chao (LST-217)

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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
Bottom Row - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (3) - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal

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During World War II USS LST-400 was assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaigns
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
North African occupation, 9 to 15 July 1943	Sicilian occupation, 9 July 1943
Invasion of Normandy, 6 to 25 June 1944

Final Disposition, sunk as target, 16 July 2018 off the coast of Orchid Island

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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

7 officers, 104 enlisted

Troop Accommodations

16 officers, 147 enlisted

Boats 4 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
USS LST-400
1016040016	89k	USS LST-400 at anchor in Seine Bay, 7 June 1944, during the invasion of Normandy. Frame from a short film called "Activity in Seine Bay, Near St. Marcoux; Landing Craft Move In While USS Nevada Bombards". Dept. of the Navy. National Archives ID 77048; Local ID 428-NPC-4308.		David Upton
	52k	USS LST-400 at anchor, date and location unknown.		Lloyd King
	96k	USS LST-400 underway, date and location unknown.		Jim White USS LST-400
	391k	MRS. Margret R. Leeper standing in from of her husband Harold's ship USS LST-1081 and USS LST-400 moored at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, VA., January 1954. Photo by Harold J. Leeper.		Tom Leeper for his father Harold J. Leeper ET3 USS LST-1081
ROCS Chung Chao (LST-217)
	3378k	Ex-USS Bradley County (LST-400) in the Republic of China service as ROCS Chung Chao (LST-217) evacuates high school students from their small coastal village on Quemoy to Taiwan, 10 October 1958. AP Wirephoto.		Tommy Trampp
	106k	ROCS Chung Chao (LST-217), 1979 crew photo		Siang Tu
	96k	ROCS Chung Chao (LST-217) engineers at work, circa 1979		Siang Tu
	289k	ROCS Chung Chao (LST-217) engineers at work, circa 1979		Siang Tu
	70k	ROCS Chung Chao (LST-217) with a helicopter on her main deck while evacuating injured/wounded crew member, Taiwan Sea, circa 1981.		@copySiang Tu
	61k	ROCS Chung Chao (LST-217) underway, date and location unknown.		@copySiang Tu
	88k	ROCS Chung Chao (LST-217) "English Team" at Kaohsiung , circa 1981.		Siang Tu
	72k	ROCS Chung Chao (LST-217) moored at Naval Base Zuoying, circa 1981.		@copySiang Tu
	78k	ROCS Chung Chao (LST-217) crew members at Kaohsiung , circa 1982.		Siang Tu
	216k	ROCS Chung Chie (LST-218) (ex-USS LST-279) and ROCS Chung Chao (LST-217) moored pierside at Zuoying Naval Yard, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, date unknown.
	195k	ROCS Chung Chao (LST-217) underway, date and location unknown.
	155k	ROCS Chung Chao (LST-217) beached, at Taiwan, date unknown.
	142k	ROCS Chung Chao (LST-217) moored pierside at Zuoying Naval Yard, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 29 December 2010 for decommissioning.
	180k

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USS Bradley County (LST-400)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

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Commanding Officers
01	LT. Lyden, C. J.	7 January 1943 - May 1945
02	LTjg. McMahon, L. J.	May 1945 - February 1946
03	LTjg. Mann, Fletcher C., USNR	February 1946 - ?
04	LT. Hanson, Bernard Theodore	1953
05	LT. Scruggs, William Franklin	1953

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 Homeport
State LST Chapters
United States LST Association

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 26 August 2022