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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-544

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Echo - Golf - Foxtrot
NEGF

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
American Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal

LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 8 December 1943, at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN.

Launched, 4 February 1944

Commissioned USS LST-544, 16 March 1944, LCDR. Ole J. Heggem, USNR, in command

Decommissioned, 9 August 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, 25 September 1946

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 23 June 1948, to Willamette Iron and Steel Co., Vancouver, WA.

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

Size	Image Description	Source
92k	USS LST-544 beached, date and location unknown. Photo is from a Christmas card with handwritten date of "Dec. 25 1944"	Ron Bauer for his grandfather Harold Albrecht, Cox. USNR USS LST-544
43k	USS LST-544 loading bombs at the US Naval Magazine, Indian Island, WA., date unknown. Un-numbered US Navy photo now in the collections of the Seattle NARA, Record Group 181, Wartime History of US Naval Magazine, Indian Island, WA.	Tracy White
28k	USS LST-544 moored pierside at the US Naval Magazine, Indian Island, WA., date unknown. The smoke and "fire" in the is from the Port Townsend paper mill. Un-numbered US Navy photo now in the collections of the Seattle NARA, Record Group 181, Wartime History of US Naval Magazine, Indian Island, WA.	Tracy White

USS LST-544
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LCDR. Heggem, Ole J., USNR	16 March 1944 - March 1945
02	LT. Drips, Stanley F., USNR	March 1945 - December 1945
03	LT. Mayo, Maxey H., USNR	December 1945 - March 1946
04	LTjg. McBride, L. E., USNR	March 1946 - June 1946
05	LTjg. Sutton, Dale R., USNR	June 1946 - 9 August 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 by David W. Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 24 December 2020