Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-501


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Delta - Xray - Bravo
 NDXB
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 - European-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (2)
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia Clasp)
LST-491 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 30 June 1943, at Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN.
  • Launched, 22 September 1943
  • Commissioned USS LST-501, 26 November 1943, LTjg. E. R. Thacker, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-501 was first assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and later to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater 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, 3 May to 30 June 1945
    Invasion of Southern France, 15 August to 25 September 1944
    From the Unit History of the 214th AAA Bn, Sept. 1944.
    2 September 1944, Batteries alerted for loading on to LSTs at Ajaccio, Corsica, D
    Battery with all radars on LST-501.Left docks about 1530
    and sailed from the harbor at 1800.
    CO and S-3, 406th AAA Gun Bn saw us off.
    Fresh meat for supper.
    3 September 1944, Sea journey to St. Tropez, France. windy and rough.
    Anchored in harbor about 2030.
    4 September 1944, Debarking took place at Delta beach, approximately
    3 miles west of St. Tropez, from 0800 to 1245
    		 

  • While assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater USS LST-501 came under the command of
    LST Flotilla Thirty Six, CAPT. Shea, D. F. J. USN (23);
     LST Group One Hundred Six, CDR. O.P. Thomas Jr. USN (26);
     LST Division Two Hundred Twelve
  • Following World War II USS LST-501 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 9 to 26 October 1945
  • Decommissioned, 20 August 1947
  • Transferred, 7 May 1948, by the Maritime Commission to Commander Naval Forces Far East (COMNAVFE) Shipping Control Authority for Japan (SCAJAP), redesignated Q097
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 29 September 1947
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 7 May 1948, to Consolidated Builders, Inc., Seattle, WA.
  • USS LST-501 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
    LST-77 81k LSTs and LCTs loading German POWS in Southern France, date unknown. From left to right:
    Unidentified LST
    USS LST-501
    USS LST-77,
    LCT-610, and
    LCT-288    		 Robert Rutter, photo by his grandfather CAPT. Anthony Kohout Jr. ex CO USS LST-77
    LST-501 105k USS LST-501 loading in an English port prior to D-Day operations.
    Photo extracted from an Army Pictorial Service film.    		 Paulo Soukup
    LST-501 66k USS LST-501 in convoy while enroute to Okinawa, date unknown. Photo taken from USS LST-17. Dale Maloney
    USS LST-501
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LTjg. Thacker, E. R., USN26 November 1943 - September 1944
    02LT. Quinlan, D. I., USNRSeptember 1944 - November 1945
    03LT. Holbrook, A. W., USNRNovember 1945 - 15 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
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Tank Landing Ship (LST) Photo Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created by David W. Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 28 November 2014