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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-221


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Papa - India - Zulu
 NPIZ
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 - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 9 March 1943, at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL.
  • Launched, 7 August 1943
  • Commissioned USS LST-221, 2 September 1943, LT. Joseph H. Church, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-221 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Three, CDR USN (22);
    LST Group Nine, CDR. S. A. Leif USNR;
    LST Division Seventeen and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    Marshall Islands operation
    Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, 31 January to 8 February 1944
    Occupation of Eniwetok Atoll, 17 February to 2 March 1944     		Marianas operation
    Capture and occupation of Guam, 21 to 25 July 1944
    Hollandia operation, 21 to 27 April 1944 Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and Occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 3 to 9 April 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-221 assigned to Occupation service in the Far East 17 September 1945 to 16 February 1946
  • Decommissioned, 6 May 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 3 July 1946
  • USS LST-221 earned four battle stars for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, sold for non-self propelled merchant service, 4 March 1948, to Port Houston Iron Works, Inc., Houston, TX.
    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-221 72k USS LST-221 transferring bombs to USS Hancock (CV-19) mid-Pacific, 11 September 1944.
    US Navy photo.    		 Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret
    LST-221 2248k Six LSTs including USS LST-221, USS LST-456 and USS LST-452 loading men and equipment during a practice landing near Lae, New Guinea, 10 April 1944.
    US Army Signal Corps photo # SWPA-C-44-12328 by Cpl. Claude Carnay.    		 Dave Kerr
    LST-122 142k Left to Right; USS LST-122, USS LST-38, USS LST-221> and USS LST-456 beached at Finschhaven New Guinea, April 1944.
    US National Archives Record Group 111, Photo # SC 259917, a US Army Signal Corps photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 John Chiquoine
    LST-122 214k USS LST-221, USS LST-122 and USS LST-759 beached at Okinawa in August 1945. Patrick Dierking for his father Norman F. Dierking SF2c (CB)
    USS LST-221
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Church, Joseph Henry, USNR2 September 1943 - 19 August 1944
    02LT. Baker, Eugene M., USNR19 August 1944 - 1 July 1945
    03LTjg. Phelan, Joseph J., USNR1 July 1945 - 6 May 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
    History of LST Flotilla Seven
    The USS LST Ship Memorial
    LST Home Port
    State LST Chapters
    United States LST Association
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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 25 June 2021