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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Marinette County (LST-953)
ex
 USS LST-953 (1944 - 1945)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Kilo - Foxtrot - Bravo
 NKFB
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 15 September 1944, at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, MA.
  • Launched, 15 October 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-953, 7 November 1944, LT. John T. Sexton, USN in command
  • During World War II USS LST-953 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Twenty-One, CAPT. W. H. Brereton, USN (24);
     LST Group Sixty-Three, LCDR. R .E. Farnestock USNR;
     LST Division One Hundred Twenty-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-953 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    20 to 26 September 1945
    1 January to 5 April 1946
  • Decommissioned, 12 November 1946
  • Placed in service as a Naval Reserve Training ship, date and location unknown
  • Placed out of service and laid up, 17 June 1950, in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Green Cove Spring, FL.
  • Renamed Marinette County, (LST-953), 1 July 1955
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 November 1958
  • USS LST-953 earned one battle star for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
    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 Contributed
    By
    LST-953 92k USS LST-953 launching at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, MA., 15 October 1944 Christopher Demitras
    LST-953 108k USS LST-953 soon after launching at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, MA., 15 October 1944 Christopher Demitras
    USS Marinette County (LST-953) / USS LST-953
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Sexton, John Thomas, USN7 November 1944 - February 1946
    02LTjg. Kelly, T. L.February 1946 - October 1946
    03LT. Owens, W. J., USNOctober 1946 - 12 November 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
    Action Report - Landing of Occupation Forces, Nagasaki Japan, September 1945
    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
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 26 January 2018