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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USAT LST-246
ex
USS LST-246 (1943 - 1947)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Papa - Juliet - Mike
NPJM

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Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (6) - World War II Victory Medal
Bottom Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (1)

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During World War II USS LST-246 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
LST Flotilla Thirteen, CAPT. J.G. Sampson USN (22);
LST Group Thirty-Eight, LCDR. M.F. Stiling USNR;
LST Division Seventy-Five and participated in the following campaigns:

Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Marshall Islands operation Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, 31 January to 8 February 1944 Occupation of Eniwetok Atoll, 17 to 23 February 1944	Western Caroline Islands operation Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 6 September to 14 October 1944
Marianas operation Capture and occupation of Saipan, 15 June to 28 July 1944	Luzon operation Lingayen Gulf landings, 9 January 1945
Tinian capture and occupation, 24 to 28 July 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 2 to 22 +May 1945

Following World War II USS LST-246 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal
16 November to 17 December 1945
16 January to 15 February 1946

Final Disposition, lost due to grounding, date and location unknown

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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-246
	82k	USS LST-246 under way in convoy enroute to an invasion beach, circa 1944-45		Bill Alexander for his father Thomas. W. Alexander MoMM1/c USS LST-246
	194k	USS LST-246 beach during an invasion, circa 1944-45		Bill Alexander for his father Thomas. W. Alexander MoMM1/c USS LST-246
USAT LST-246
	76k	Artists Sketch of USAT LST-246		Bill Valashinas
	23k	USAT LST-246 aground, date and location unknown.		Bill Valashinas

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Commanding Officers
01	LT. McGaughey, M. W., USN	23 August 1943 - ?

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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For more photos and information about USS LST-246 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 Dead Engine Incident of LST 246 Robert Carol Bingham - LST 246 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

Last Updated 18 August 2023