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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-970

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Kilo - India - Tango
NKIT

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Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia clasp)

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During World War II USS LST-970 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, 21 May to 30 June1945

Following World War II USS LST-970 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
20 to 28 September 1945
25 October to 5 November 1945
29 January to 26 February 1946	29 January to 26 February 1946

Merchant Service

Sold, 25 April 1947, to American Overseas Chartering reorganized as Trailerships, Inc., renamed MV Albany

MV Albany hauled loaded trucks between New York City and Albany on the Hudson River until September 1955

Acquired at a US Marshal's sale by McAllister Brothers in September 1955

Resold to Chesapeake Bay Ferry District, March 1957, renamed M/V Old Point Comfort

Resold to Chesapeake Bridge and Tunnel District, date unknown

Resold to Delaware River Bay Authority, 16 December 1964

Resold to Navegacion, Atlantida, S.A., 6 January 1967, renamed M/V Atlantico, reflagged Uruguayan

Placed in ferry service between Buenos Aires and Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay in March 1967, sailing on that route until early 90s. Between 1993/94 M/V Atlantico was laid and later abandoned on the San Nicolas Coast, Argentina. There she has vandalized, and set on fire

Current Disposition, laid up and abandoned circa 1993-94 at Rio Parana, near San Nicolas, Argentina

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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
USS LST-970
	66k	Hingham MA, USS LST-970 launching, 16 December 1944, at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc. Hingham, MA.		LT. William (Bill) S. Barnes USS LST-970
	251k	USS LST-970 commissioning ceremony, at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc. Hingham, MA., 13 January 1945. LT. William W. Rader, assuming command		Courtesy Frank Rader Submitted by LT. William (Bill) S. Barnes USS LST-970
	587k	USS LST-970 ships company during commissioning ceremony, 13 January 1945, at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc. Hingham, MA. Note, LST-972 in the background.		Courtesy Frank Rader Submitted by LT. William (Bill) S. Barnes USS LST-970
	267k	USS LST-970 seen here beached after unloading her cargo along with LST-117 and LST-822 at Leyte, 12 September 1945.		LT William (Bill) S Barnes
	247k	USS LST-970 flanked by LST-937 and USS LST-690 beached at Ie Shima, near Okinawa, 21 February 1946.		Photo contributed by LT. William (Bill) S. Barnes USS LST-970, caption by LTjg Earl M. Wiggs, Jr. USS LST-937
	228k	USS LST-970 beached at Ie Shima, near Okinawa, 21 February 1946.		LT. William (Bill) S. Barnes USS LST-970
Merchant Service
	21k	Ex-USS LST-970 seen here in merchant service as the Chesapeake Bay Ferry District car ferry M/V Old Point Comfort		LT. William (Bill) S. Barnes USS LST-970
	33k
	373k	The Chesapeake Bay Ferry District car ferry M/V Old Point Comfort under way in Cheasepeake Bay.		William Baxter
	431k	Post card image of the Chesapeake Bay Ferry District car ferry M/V Old Point Comfort departing Little Creek ferry terminal, circa 1958.		William Baxter
	153k	Ex-LST-970 seen here in merchant service as Navegacion, Atlantida, S.A., M/V Atlantico coming into Darsena Norte, within the Port of Buenos Aires, Argentina		LT. William (Bill) S. Barnes USS LST-970
	45k	Ex-M/V Atlantico laid up, circa 1993-94 and abandoned on the San Nicolas Coast, Argentina.		D.P. Martin
	2019k	Ex-M/V Atlantico laid up and abandoned on the San Nicolas Coast, Argentina, 18 June 2009.		Ivan Fangio
	2324k
	2448k

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USS LST-970
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

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Commanding Officers
01	LT. Rader, William W., USNR	13 January 1945 - December 1945
02	LTjg. Bell, George E., USNR	December 1945 - 28 April 1946
03	LTjg. D'Aiuto, Anthony James, USN	28 April 1946 - 10 july 1946

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
USS LST-970 Voyage Log
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 27 May 2016