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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-923


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Kilo - Alpha - India
 NKAI
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 (2) - World War II Victory Medal
Bottom Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippine Liberation Medal (1)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 3 May 1944, at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, MA.
  • Launched, 11 June 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-923, 6 July 1944, LT. John T. Gordon USN in command
  • During World War II USS LST-923 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Leyte operation;
    Lingayen Gulf landings, 9 January 1945     		Okinawa Gunto operation;
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 2 April to 18 June 1945
  • For the Okinawa campaign USS LST-923 was assigned to:
    LST Flotilla Six, CAPT. Laidlaw;
     LST Group Sixteen (flagship), LCDR. J. T. Brugger USNR;
     LST Division Thirty-Two
  • Following World War II USS LST-923 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    2 September to 28 October 1945
    9 November 1945 to 10 April 1946

  • Decommissioned, 9 July 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 15 August 1946
  • USS LST-923 earned two battle stars for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 31 May 1948, to Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, PA.
    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
    7 officers, 104 enlisted
    Troop Accommodations
    16 officers, 147 enlisted
    Boats 4 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-792 156k USS LST-792, wearing an unidentified camouflage pattern and USS LST-923 with various other amphibious craft at Okinawa, 31 May 1945. Photo was taken from USS Oak Hill (LSD-7).
    US National Archives Photo # 80-G-274439, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives, courtesy of C. Lee Johnson, (usndazzle.com)    		 Mike Green
    LST-923 463k USS LST-923 alongside an unknown ship, date and location unknown. Brian Miller
    LST-923 99k USS LST-923 underway in San Francisco Bay, circa early 1946.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # NH 79584, courtesy of D.M. McPherson, 1974.    		 Robert Hurst
    USS LST-923
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LTjg. Gordon, John T. USN6 July 1944 - March 1946
    02LTjg. Zollicofer Jr., A. A., USNRMarch 1946 - June 1946
    03LTjg. Rowe Jr., Harris J., USNRJune 1946 - 9 July 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 and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 27 September 2019