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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

LST-408

LST-408 was transferred to the United Kingdom for the duration of World War II

LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 9 September 1942, at Bethlehem Fairfield Co., Baltimore, MD.

Launched, 31 October 1942

LST-408 saw no active service with the US Navy

Transferred to the Royal Navy and commissioned HM LST-408, 23 December 1942

Participted in Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, Normandy and Malaya operations (MacDermott Ships Without Names)

Decommissioned by the Royal Navy and returned to US Naval control, 4 May 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, 19 June 1946

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 5 December 1947, to Bosey, Philippines

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 - US Varied with availability when each vessel was outfitted. Retro-fitting was accomplished throughout WWII. The ultimate armament design for United States vessels was

two - Twin 40MM gun mounts w/Mk. 51 directors

four - Single 40MM gun mounts

twelve single 20MM gun mounts

Armament - UK Lend Lease built vessels were to be outfitted with armament after convoying across Atlantic and included

one - 12 Pounder anti-aircraft multi-barrel mount

six - 20MM single gun mounts

four - Fast Aerial Mine (FAM) 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

Size	Image Description	Source
77k	HM LST-408 starts to unload onto a Rhino ferry while DUKWS scurry back and forth, Normandy 1944.	Robert Hurst
59k	HM LST-408 unloading rations and members of British Borneo Civil Affairs Unit (BBCAF) at Borneo, 18 October 1945. Australian War Memorial by Fullford, Richard Kennedy, Photo No. P02919.017	Mike Green
64k	HM LST-408 beached at Labuan Island, New Guinea while loading Japanese Prisoners of War for transportation to Morotai, New Guinea, 27 October 1945.	Australian War Memorial
51k	HM LST-408 loads Australian troops of the 66th Battalion at Chick Pontoon, Labuan, Northwest Borneo, November 3 1945, for transportation to Morotai, Northwest Borneo.	Australian War Memorial

LST-408
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 10 March 2017