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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-131


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Delta - Uniform - Xray
 NDUX
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 (3) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 7 July 1943, at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN.
  • Launched, 19 September 1943
  • Commissioned USS LST-131, 15 November 1943, LT. John M. Tully, USNR, in command
  • During World War II, USS LST-131 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Thirteen, CAPT. J.G. Sampson USN (22);
    LST Group Thirty-Seven, CDR. R.D. Higgins USNR;
    LST Division Seventy-Three and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Marianas operation
    Capture and occupation of Saipan, 15 June to 28 July 1944     		Western Caroline Islands operation
    Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 6 September to 14 October 1944
    Tinian capture and occupation, 24 to 28 July 1944  

  • Following World War II USS LST-131 was assigned the Occupation service in the Far East from 2 September 1945 to 1 January 1946
  • Decommissioned, 20 May 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 10 June 1947
  • USS LST-131 earned three battle stars for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 6 April 1948, to Kaiser Co., Inc., Seattle, WA.
    Specifications:
    Displacement
    1,625 t.(lt)
    4,080 t.(fl) (sea-going draft w/1675 ton load)
    2,366 t.
    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-131 65k USS LST-131 at anchor, date and location unknown. Vic Syfrit QM3/c USS LST-131
    LST-1085 42k USS LST-683, USS LST-1085 and USS LST-131 on the LST ramp at Yokohama between, circa September to November 1945. Patrick D. Dolan in honor of Charles Houston Harris SM3/c USS LST-1085
    LST-131 234k A pontoon causeway is being loaded aboard USS LST-131 by personnel assigned to 302nd NCB, date and location unknown. Raymond Cvetovich, Ph.D.

    For more photos and information about USS LST-131 see;
  • Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
  • Western Caroline Islands Attack Landing Order
  • Beach White Peleliu - CTF 32 Operation Plan A501-44 Appendix 4 to Annex "D"
  • The USS LST Ship Memorial
  • LST Home Port
  • State LST Chapters
  • United States LST Association
    • Commanding Officers
    01LT. Tully, John M., USNR15 November 1943 - 5 July 1945
    02LTjg. Robbins, Kenneth W., USNR5 July 1945 - 5 December 1945
    03LTjg. Everett, Leroy C., USNR5 December 1945 - 20 May 1946
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    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 26 September 2015