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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

HM LST-4
ex
 USS LST-4 (1943 - 1944)

USS LST-4


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Foxtrot - Echo - November
 NFEN

USS LST-4 was transferred to the Royal Navy
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
American Campaign Medal - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (4) - World War II Victory Medal
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 4 July 1942, at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, PA.
  • Launched, 9 October 1942
  • Commissioned USS LST-4, 14 February 1943, LT. G. L. Reeves, USN, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-4 was assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

    Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Sicilian occupation, 9 July 1943 West Coast of Italy operations
    Anzio-Nuttuno advanced landings, 22 January to 2 February 1943
    Salerno landings, 9 to 21 September 1943 Invasion of southern France, 15 August to 25 September 1944

  • Decommissioned, 23 December 1944, at Bizerte, Tunisia
  • USS LST-4 earned four battle stars for World War II service
  • Royal Navy History
  • Commissioned into the Royal Navy, 24 December 1944, at Bizerte, as HM LST-4
  • Struck a mine, 14 January 1945, while on passage between Taranto and Piraeus, was able to make Piraeus, Greece
  • Remained at Piraeus about June when she went to Alexandria, Egypt
  • In Malta for repairs, 10 to 24 October 1945
  • Sailed back to the United States by a Royal Navy crew early in 1946
  • Port screw lost en-route, towed to Norfolk, VA. by another LST
  • Returned to US Naval custody
  • Struck from the Naval Register in June 1946
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping in September 1947
    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
    9 officers
    120 enlisted
    Troop Accommodations
    14 officers
    131 enlisted
    Boats 6 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 Source
    USS LST-4
    LST-4 65k USS LST-4 unloading supplies off Gela, Sicily, 10 July 1943.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-74826, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    LST-4 107k Soldiers and sailors singing hymns during religious services on board USS LST-4, while en route to the Invasion of Southern France, 13 August 1944. Photographed by Smith. Note capstan behind the men at left.
    Photograph from the US Army Signal Corps Collection in the US National Archives.
    US Army Signal Corps photo # 192720.    		 Gerd Matthes
    LST-4 85k Church services for men of the Third Division, on the forecastle of USS LST-4, one day out while en route to the Southern France landings, 13 August 1944. Photographed by Smith. Note 20mm and 40mm guns, with limiting rails around them to prevent firing into the ship's structure.
    Photograph from the US Army Signal Corps Collection in the US National Archives.
    US Army Signal Corps photo # 192719.    		 Gerd Matthes
    LST-4 84k USS LST-4 approaches Yellow Beach, Pampelonne Bay, France, 16 August 1944.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-256424, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 US Naval History and Heritage command
    LST-4
    1016000406    		 32k USS LST-4 conning tower art work "The Joe", apparently LST-4 had a nickname. The artwork is a pair of dice that rolls a "1" and a "3". If one rolls a "4" in craps it is called a "little Joe".
    US Naval History and Heritage Command, catalog number unknown    		 Don Miller (Donald J. Miller, Sr. was Cox, then BM2 in LST-4)
    HM LST-4
    LST-4 1595k HM LST-4 entering Malta Harbor in 1944. Tim Moore for his father Roland Moore (Pony) HM LST-4
    USS LST-4
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Reeves, G. L., USN14 February 1943 - December 1943
    02LT. Howell, Oren G., USNRDecember 1943 - 24 December 1944
    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 Homeport
    State LST Chapters
    United States LST Association
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 22 July 2022