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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive
Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Dodge County (LST-722)
ex
 USS LST-722 (1944 - 1955)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Foxtrot - Uniform - Whiskey
 NFUW
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 (1)
Second Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia or Europe clasp) - National Defense Service Medal
Third Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Cuba) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (1)

USS Dodge County (LST-722) was transferred to Thailand and renamed HTMS Prathong
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 15 July 1944, by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN.
  • Launched, 21 August 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-722, 13 September 1944, LT. Victor M. Merchant Jr., USN, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-722 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaign:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Consolidation and capture of southern Philippines
    Palawan Island landings, 28 February to 1 March and 6 to 7 March 1945
    Mindanao Island landings, 17 to 23 April 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-722 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    23 September to 26 October 1945
    24 December 1945 to 12 April 1946

  • Decommissioned, 13 July 1946
  • Laid up in the Reserve Fleet
  • Recommissioned, 16 November 1951
  • USS LST-722 was assigned to Occupation service in Europe from 20 January to 15 May 1955
  • Named USS Dodge County (LST-722), 1 July 1955
  • Decommissioned, 3 January 1956
  • Laid up in the Reserve Fleet
  • Recommissioned circa early 1960s
  • Decommissioned, date unknown
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 15 September 1974
  • USS LST-722 earned one battle star for World War II service
  • Transferred, sold to Thailand, under the Security Assistance Program, 1 November 1975 and renamed HTMS Prathong
  • Final Disposition, sunk off the coast of Thailand as a reef in December 2016
    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
    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 Contributed
    By
    USS LST-722
    LST-1034 62k USS LST-1034, USS LST-722 along with other LSTs beached while offloading equipment, probably during the Mindanao campaign, circa April 1945 Mike Reade in honor of his father John Francis Reade USS LST1034
    LST-722 313k USS LST-722 underway, date and location unknown.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH 84867    		 Mike Smolinski
    USS Dodge County (LST-722)
    LST-722 85k USS Dodge County (LST-722) arrives at Savannah, GA. to off-load 1st Armored Division during the Cuban Missile Crisis, in October 1962. Photo taken from USS Duval County (LST-758). William W. Maki ETR2
    LST-722 121k US Army LCU 1515 unloads a bulldozer as part of a beach landing exercise involving some 1,500 men of the 1st Armored Division. The exercise was designed to sharpen the skills in loading and unloading vehicles for a beach assault. USS Dodge County (LST-722) is beached to the left preparing to unload her cargo of tanks while USS Duval County (LST-758) stands off shore waiting her tern to unload across the beach at Hutchinson Island, Fort Pierce, FL., 17 November 1962 in 1962.
    Fort Pierce Florida Press wire photo    		 Tommy Trampp
    LST-722 82k Tanks from the 1st Armored Division roll from the tank deck of USS Dodge County (LST-722) onto a steel causeway to the beach at Hutchinson Island, Fort Pierce, FL. 17 November 1962.
    AP wire photo    		 Tommy Trampp
    HTMS Prathong
    LST-722 1321k Ex-USS Dodge County (LST-722) as the Royal Thai Navy's Tank Landing Ship HTMS Prathong at anchor at Singapore, circa 1981.
    Photos by Don Meehan    		 Chris Howell, Southland Ship Stores Limited, Port of Bluff, N.Z.
    LST-722 1959k
    USS LST-722 / USS Dodge County (LST-722)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Merchant Jr., Victor Morris, USN13 September 1944 - 30 May 1946
    02LTjg. Lowendick, Carl R., USNR30 May 1946 - 13 July 1946
     Decommissioned13 July 1946 - 16 November 1951
     Decommissioned3 January 1956 - 1960
    03LTjg. Caprio, Gabriel Paul, USN (acting)1962
    04LT. Kelly, Frank P. 1 May 1963 - ?
    05LT. Price, Billy Lee, USN~1966
    06LCDR. Daily, Roger Morgan 1968 - 1969
    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 and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 11 October 2024