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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-392

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Charlie - India - Sierra
NCIS

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - European-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (4) Asiatic Pacifice Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal

LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 14 July 1942, at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, VA.

Launched, 28 October 1942

Commissioned USS LST-392, 7 December 1942, LT. Louis R. Lemaire, Jr., USNR, in command

During World War II USS LST-392 was assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaigns
Tunisian occupations, 6 May to 9 July 1943	Salerno landings, 12 to 21 September 1943
Sicilian occupation, 9 to 15 July 1943	Invasion of Normandy, 6 to 25 June 1944

Following commissioning USS LST-392 was used as a training ship in Chesapeake Bay from December 1942 through February 1943

She departed for North Africa in February 1943 and following Mediterranean service she was assigned to the Normandy Campaign

For the Normandy Campaign USS LST-392 she was outfited to carry rolling stock (railroad)

She made 55 trips between England and France between June 1944 and April 1945

She was the first LST to enter Cherbourg Harbor in France, before mine sweeping was completed, and landed the first rail cars brought to France from England following the invasion.

USS LST-392 returned to the US in April 1945 and was converted to an Ordnance Installation Ship

She had just reached Pearl Harbor on 2 August and returned to the US following the surrender of Japan and was re-converted back to a standard LST

Decommissioned, 12 April 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, 19 June 1946

USS LST-392 earned four battle stars for World War II service

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 8 October 1947, to H. H. Buncher Co., Pittsburgh, PA.

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
1016039208	198k	*LST-392* launching, stern view, at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, VA., 28 October 1942.	Tracy White
	166k	*LST-392* launching, bow view, at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, VA., 28 October 1942.	Dale Hargrave
	484k	USS LST-392 and USS LST-393 moored pierside at Oran, Algeria, date unknown.	Eugene Coughenour SM/1c USNR V6, USS LST-7
1016039207	113k	Noted newspaper reporter Ernie Pyle with soldiers and sailors aboard USS LST-392 date and location unknown.	Tommy Trampp
III-SC 182816. Box 187	1560k	USS LST-392 and HM LST-160 with other LSTs beached on the beach side of the breakwater at Termini-Imerese, Sicily, 13 September 1943 while loading reinforcements for the American 5th Army during the Salerno landing campaign. US National Archives photos # III-SC 182816, Box 187 and III-SC 182819, Box 187, US Army Signal Corps. photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Dave Kerr
III-SC 182819. Box 187	1089k		Dave Kerr
	423k	USS LST-392 hooked up to a specially constructed ramp in Cherbourg Harbor, before unloading 31 railway flatbed cars. 1 August 1944. This was attempted for the first time by the Army Transportation Corps. US National Archives photo # SC 197143 a US Army Signal Corps photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Dave Kerr
	997k	In the first such attempt, using a specially constructed ramp, the Army Transportation Corps, unloads freight cars from USS LST-392 in Cherbourg Harbor, 1 August 1944. US National Archives photo # III-SC 192961 a US Army Signal Corps photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Bill Gonyo and Dave Kerr
	45k	USS LST-392 unloading troops on the bank of the Rhine River in early 1945 after unloading elements of the 8th Armored Division.	Pete Harlem, Courtesy Charlie McDonnell of 8th Armored Division Assn

USS LST-392
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Lemaire Jr., Louis R., USNR	7 December 1942 - December 1943
02	LT. Walker, John D., USNR	December 1943 - May 1945
03	LT. Blalock, Samuel G., USNR	May 1945 - December 1945
04	LT. Watkins, James C., USN	December 1945 - 12 April 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
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

Last Updated 20 December 2024