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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Chesterfield County (LST-551)
ex
USS LST-551 (1944 - 1955)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Echo - Uniform - Delta
NEUD

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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 - European-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal
Second Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Europe clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Dominican Republic)
Third Row - Vietnam Service Medal (2) - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

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During World War II USS LST-551 was assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and participated in the following campaign:

Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign
Campaign and Dates
Invasion of southern France 14 August to 7 September 1944

During the Vietnam War USS Chesterfield County (LST-551) served continuously in country and in contiguous waters, with the exception of overhaul periods, from early 1966 to early 1967 participating in the following campaigns. (Dates listed do not include underway transit times within the contiguous waters along the Vietnam coast as defined by the US Navy and so specified by the Vietnam Service Medal.)

Vietnam War Campaigns
Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 3 to 7 March1966 10 to 13 May 1966 11 to 30 June 1966	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 1 July to 22 August 1966 6 to 13 and 30 to 31 October 1966 1 to 15 December 1966 23 December 1966 to 1 January 1967 17 to 25 and 26 January 1967

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping in February 1971 to Mitsui and Co., Japan

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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

7 officers, 104 enlisted
Troop Accommodations

16 officers, 131 enlisted
Boats 5 LCVP, 1 LCPL

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		Contributed By
	20k	USS LST-551 moored pierside, date and location unknown.		LST Home Port web site
	77k	USS LST-551 beached on a ramp at Civitivecchia, Italy while loading RAF equipment in July 1944, bound for Corsica.		Gordon Rae for his father Roy Rae RAF 111th Squadron, 324 Wing)
	49k
	122k
	122k	USS LST 551 (left) and USS LST-1012 (right) beached on a ramp at Civitivecchia, Italy while loading RAF equipment in July 1944 bound for Corsica.		Gordon Rae for his father Roy Rae RAF 111th Squadron, 324 Wing)
	89k
	126k	USS LST-551 beached at Corsica while unloading RAF equipment, date unknown.		Gordon Rae for his father Roy Rae RAF 111th Squadron, 324 Wing)
	85k	USS LST-551 beached, date and location unknown.		Arthur Neal for his father Lacy Neal SC/3 USS LST-177
	14k	USS LST-551 off loading vehicles across a pontoon causeway with LCT-566 beached to starboard during the invasion of southern France, August-September 1944.		John De Noma
1016090739	124k	USS LST-74, USS LST-907 and and USS LST-988 moored in a nest, date and location unknown. Luke Karolchyk LST-907 photo collection		Mary Ann Karolchyk and Cheryl Brozovic on behalf of their father Luke Karolchyk LST-907
	1159k	USS LST-551 on the ramp while an unidentified LST unloads USAAF 23rd Photo Recon Squadron trailer in France, 2 September 1944. Note USS LCI(M)-594 on the ramp in the background USAAF Photo # 58710 A.C.		Wolfgang Hechler and Jason Post
	355k	USS LST-551 unloading troops and mechanized equipment on Red Beach, D-Day of the 1949 Caribbean maneuvers, 2 March 1949. US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH 105801		Mike Smolinski
1016055113	137k	USS LST-551 participating in Caribbean maneuvers, probably at Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Ceiba, Puerto Rico, circa 1950s.		Mike Harpe
	234k	Amphibious Invasion Training at Camp Pendleton, Virginia Beach, VA., 26 August 1950. USS LST-551 and USS LST-1032 and other unidentified vessels are delivering Military Academy, Naval ROTC and Naval Academy midshipman in the mock invasion. Norfolk Public Library, Sargeant Memorial Collection, Charles Borjes photographer.		Mike Green
	158k	USS LST-551 beached at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, VA. as members of the Army's 73rd Tank Battalion train in preparation for Portrex, joint armed forces amphibious-airborne exercises which took place in the Caribbean in early March 1950. AP Wirephoto		Ron Reeves
	76k	USS Chesterfield County (LST-551) moored pierside, date and location unknown.		© Richard Leonhardt

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Commanding Officers
01	LT. Kimmel, Samuel, USNR	17 April 1944 - August 1945
02	LT. Holton Jr., John M., USNR	August 1945 - December 1945
03	LT. McAuley Jr., John Joseph, USN	December 1945 - 1946
04	LTjg. Curtice, William Hale, USN	1946 - ?
05	LT. Peery Jr., George Gose, USN (USNA 1944)	May 1950 - June 1952
06	LT. Cornetta, Martin Vincent	1954 - 10 June 1955
	Decommissioned	10 June 1955 - 29 March 1963
07	LT. Beaube, James David, USN	29 March 1963 - 6 January 1966
08	LT. Clement, Frank John, USN (USNA 1958)	6 January 1966 - 13 March 1967

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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For more photos and information about USS Chesterfield County see; Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships Change of Command Program, 6 January 1966 contributed by R.D. Wall The USS LST Ship Memorial Mobile Riverine Force Association History of USS Chesterfield County (LST-551) - Mobile Riverine Force Association LST Home Port State LST Chapters United States LST Association

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Last Updated 22 March 2024