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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-40


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Bravo - Foxtrot
 NHBF
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 (4) - World War II Victory Medal - Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship
  • Laid down, 3 June 1943, at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, PA.
  • Launched, 7 August 1943
  • Commissioned USS LST-40, 15 September 1943, LTjg. William H. Farmer, USN, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-40 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater:
    LST Flotilla Five, CAPT. J. R. Clark USN;
    LST Group Fifteen, CDR. V.K. Busck USN
    LST Division Thirty and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Consolidation of Solomon Islands
    Consolidation of Southern Solomon Islands, 16 June 1943     		Tinian capture and occupation, 24 to 28 July 1944
    Marianas operation
    Capture and occupation of Saipan, 15 June to 10 August 1944     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 3 to 18 May 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-40 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    14 to 25 September 1945
    12 October to 3 November 1945
    1 to 27 November 1945

  • Decommissioned, 18 February 1946, and turned over to Commander Naval Forces Far East (COMNAVFE) Shipping Control Authority for Japan (SCAJAP), redesignated Q066
  • Sold in February 1947 to the Military Government, Korea
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 5 March 1947
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
  • USS LST-40 earned four battle stars for World War II service
    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 Source
    LST-40
    1016004002 - B63570A.C.    		 212k USS LST-119 and USS LST-40 loading the equipment of the US Army Air Corps 804th Engineering Aviation Battalion at Pearl Harbor, T.H., 21 May 1944, for transport to Saipan, Marianas Islands.
    US Army Air Corps photos #'s B63570A.C., A63570A.C. and US National Archives Identifier 1938345104 now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 1016004002 - Jason Post
    1016011905 - David Upton
    1016011906 - David Upton
    LST-119
    1016011905 - A63570A.C.    		 291k
    LST-119
    1016011906
    NA Identifier 193835104    		 265k
    LST-40
    1016004001    		 186k Heavy equipment rolls off USS LST-40 during landing operations 1878th Engineer Aviation Battalion on Okinawa, the night of 3 May 1945. Also present are USS LST-31 to right of LST-40 and an unidentified LSM.
    US Army Air Corps photo # 64364 A.C. now in the collections of the US National Archives    		 Jason Post
    USS LST-40
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LTjg. Farmer, William Henry, USN15 September 1943 - 24 November 1944
    02LT. Walker Jr., Philip B., USNR24 November 1944 - December 1945
    03LT. Crayne, Clarence Lloyd, USNDecember 1945 - 18 February 1946
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    LST Flotilla Five War Diary May 1944
    LST Flotilla Five War Diary July 1944
    The USS LST Ship Memorial
    LST Home Port
    State LST Chapters
    United States LST Association
    SCAJAP - Shipping Control Authority, Japan
    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 by David W. Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 9 June 2023