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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Lafayette County (LST-859)
ex
USS LST-859 (1944 - 1955)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - November - Yankee
NINY

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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
Second Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal
Third Row - Korean Service Medal (6) - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

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USS Lafayette County (LST-859) was transferred to the Republic of China and renamed ROCS Chung Cheng (LST-224)

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During World War II USS LST-859 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
LST Flotilla Thirty-One, CAPT. H. S. Covington USN (23);
LST Group Ninety-Three CDR. E. R. Sperry USN (23);
LST Division One Hundred Eighty-Six and participated in the following campaign:

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
Campaign and Dates
Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 26 to 30 June 1945

Following World War II USS LST-859 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal
23 September to 25 October 1945
15 November to 3 December 1945

During the Korean War USS LST-859 participated in the following campaigns:

Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
North Korean Aggression 12 and 18 to 19 September 1950	Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 1 to 7 May 1952 10 to 20 August 1952 3 to 9 September 1952 11 to 14 October 1952 12 to 18 November 1952 30 November 1952
Inchon Landing 13 to 17 September 1950	Third Korean Winter 1 to 6 December and 13 to 20 December 1952 31 December 1952 to 8 January 1953 18 to 23 January 1953 13 to 23 February 1953 3 to 5 March 1953 and 14 to 16 March 1953 6 to16 April 1953
Second Korean Winter 7 to 19 February 1952 13 to 20 March 1952 31 March to 30 April 1952	Korean Summer-Fall 1953 25 to 28 May 1953 13 to 17 June and 25 to 29 June 1953 16 to 19 July 1953

Final Disposition, fate unknown

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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

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Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description		Contributed By
	201k	USS LST-859 among other LSTs anchored off Saipan, circa August 1945. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 74695, a U.S.A.A.C. 7th maintenance unit flotation (OLIVER FURSON) photo, courtesy Major H.G. Toomey, Jr.		US Naval History and Heritage Command
1016085901	423k	USS LST-859 moored in her berth at Naval Supply Center, Pearl Harbor, HI., circa late 1940s. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # L45-161.01.01.		Mike Smolinski

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USS LST-859 / USS Lafayette County (LST-859)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

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Commanding Officers
01	LT/LCDR Kipnis, Daniel D., USNR	6 January 1945 - 14 January 1946
02	LTjg/LT. Hayler, USNR	6 January 1945 - 14 January 1946
03	LT. Paul, George J., USNR	14 January 1946 - 22 February 1946
04	LTjg. Darin, Dennis A., USNR	22 February 1946 - June 1946
05	LT. Rapelyea, Oscar Fisher, USN	June 1946 - September 1947
06	LTjg. William Birch, USN (USNA 1945)	September 1947 - ?
07	LT. Tinsley, Leeland, USN	~1950
08	LT. Ginn, John Orrell, USN	1955 - 25 August 1956
09	LT/LCDR. Smith, Wallace Elliott, USN	25 August 1956 - 31 December 1957
10	ENS/LTjg. Hagensick, Elmer Donald, USNR	31 December 1957 - 15 August 1958

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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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

Last Updated 1 March 2024