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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-638


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Foxtrot - Hotel - Oscar
 NFHO
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (1)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 25 May 1944, at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL.
  • Launched, 23 August 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-638, 8 September 1944, LTjg. Frank Data, USN, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-638 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    Consolidation and capture of Southern Philippines
    Palawan Island landings, 1 to 2 March 1945
    Visayan Island landings, 2 to 4 and 9 to 10 April 1945     		Borneo operations
    Brunei Bay operation, 10 to 12 June 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-638 was assigned to Occupation and China Service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    China Service Medal (extended)
    8 September 1945 to 22 May 19468 September 1945 to 22 May 1946

  • Decommissioned, 8 June 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 12 March 1948
  • USS LST-638 earned two battle stars for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, destroyed as a target, 15 June 1948
    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
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Source
    LST-538 63k USS LST-638 beached at Morotai, Halmahera Islands, Netherlands East Indies, 27 May 1945, as Royal Australian Air Force Signals Units load telephone cable bound for Labuan Island, Borneo.
    Australian War Memorial photo # OG2796.    		 Australian War Memorial
    LST-538 58k USS LST-638 and USS LST-560 beached at Morotai, Halmahera Islands, Netherlands East Indies, 27 May 1945, Royal Australian Air Force Signals Units are loading telephone cable aboard USS LST-638 needed at Labuan Island, Borneo in order to establish vital communication links.
    Australian War Memorial, Photo No. OG2795    		 Mike Green
    LST-942 213k Brown Beach, Brunei Bay Borneo, June 10-12, 1945. USS LST-942, USS LSM-638, USS LST-637, and the remaining 14 LST's of the Brown Assault Unit offload their men and equipment. LST-942 delivered elements of the RAAF 4th Airfield Construction Battalion. Brian Miller
    USS LST-638
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Data, Frank, USN8 September 1944 - December 1945
    02LTjg. Hagard Jr., Luther G., USNRDecember 1945 - 7 May 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
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To the Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Tank Landing Ship (LST) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 1 September 2017