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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-670


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Foxtrot - Juliet - Romeo
 NFJR
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippine Liberation Medal (2)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 22 March 1944, at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA.
  • Launched, 6 May 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-670, 29 May 1944, LT. Johnnie J. Wilkes, USN, in command
  • During World War II LST-670 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Leyte operation
    Leyte landings, 20 October 1944     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 21 March to 28 June1945
    Luzon operation
    Mindoro landings, 12 to 18 December 1944     		 

  • Following service in the Southwest Pacific Area USS LST-670 was assigned to:
    LST Flotilla Sixteen, CAPT. N. W. Sears;
     LST Group Forty-Seven, CDR. L. A. Drexler USN (23);
     LST Division Ninety-Four
  • Following World War II USS LST-670 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 6 to 23 September 1945
  • Decommissioned, 30 April 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 19 June 1946
  • USS LST-670 earned three battle stars for World War II service
  • Merchant Service
    Sold in 1948 to Suwanee Steamship Co., Jacksonville, FL. named MV Macoris
    Resold in 1952 to Navebras S.A., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, renamed MV Santa Madalena reflagged Brazil
    Final Disposition, burned, 16 October 1953, 15 miles off Sao Joćo Light, Maranhao
    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
    USS LST-670
    LST-670 129k USS LST-670 beached at Mindoro while unloading US soldiers wounded in a Japanese air attack at sea. "This is you" points to Joseph Riscica, USN. New York Herald Tribune photo, date unknown. Ken Bangerter
    Merchant Service
    LST-670 125k Ex-USS LST-670 in merchant service as the Suwanee Steamship Co.'s MV Macoris moored pierside at Philadelphia, PA. in 1948.
    Photo courtesy Boone-Lewis Collection    		 John Curdy
    USS LST-670
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Wilkes, Johnnie Jackson, USN29 May 1944 - September 1944
    02LT. Brewster, Leo M., USNRSeptember 1944 - December 1945
    03LTjg. Wolke, John E., USNRDecember 1945 - 30 April 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
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    This page is created by David W. Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 22 June 2018