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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-555


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Echo - Uniform - Lima
 NEUL
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (4) - World War II Victory Medal
Bottom Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippine Liberation Medal (2)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 5 February 1944, at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN.
  • Launched, 22 March 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-555, 28 April 1944, LT. James I. Mooney, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-555 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Western Caroline Islands operation
    Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 6 September to 14 October 1944     		Manila Bay-Bicol operations
    Zambales-Subic Bay, 29 to 30 January 1945
    Leyte operation
    Leyte landings, 18 October 6 November 1944     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 April 30 June 1945

  • For the Okinawa Gunto operation USS LST-555 was assigned to:
    LST Flotilla Fourteen, CAPT. E. A. Seay USN (24);
     LST Group Forty-Two, CDR. G. E. Artz USN (34);
     LST Division Eighty-Three
  • Following World War II USS LST-555 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 2 September 1945 to 6 January 1946
  • Decommissioned, 6 January 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 21 January 1946
  • USS LST-555 earned four battle stars for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, hulk was destroyed by gunfire, 26 January 1946
    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
    106 enlisted
    Troop Accommodations
    16 officers
    147 enlisted
    Boats 6 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 Contributed
    By
    LST-614 52k USS LST-555 (far right), USS LST-614 (far left), and USS LST-667 (center) unload at Lingayen Gulf, 9 January 1945. US Navy photo Bill Lambert
    LST-614 61k
    LST-555 82k USS LST-555 unloading cargo on the US Sixth Army beachhead at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 9 January 1945.
    US Navy photo    		 Robert Hurst
    USS LST-555
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Mooney, James I., USNR28 April 1944 - 16 December 1945
    02LTjg. Williams, Thomas J., USNR16 December 1945 - 6 January 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 Homeport
    State LST Chapters
    United States LST Association
    Commander LST Group Nine (CTU 55.3.5), Letter of Commendation recommendation for LT. James I. Mooney, USNR
    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 and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 18 December 2020