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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-458


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Foxtrot - Kilo - Charlie
 NFKC
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Unit Commendation
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (6) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation -Philippine Liberation Medal (2)
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 18 September 1942, at Kaiser, Inc., Vancouver, WA.
  • Launched, 26 October 1942
  • Commissioned USS LST-458, 10 February 1943, LT. Frederick W. Hinrichs, USNR, in command
  • During World War II LST-458 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Eastern New Guinea operation
    Lae occupation, 4 to 5, 9 to 11 September 1943
    Saidor occupation, January and 12 to 14 February 1944     		Western New Guinea operations
    Toem-Wakde-Sarmi area operation, 17 to 18, 23 to 25 May 1944
    Biak Island operation, 6 to 10, 14 to 20 June 1944
    Noemfoor Island operation, 2 to 4, 5 to 10 July 1944
    Cape Sansapor operation, 12 to 18 20 to 26 August 1944
    Morotai landings, 15 September 1944
    Bismarck Archipelago operations
    Cape Gloucester, New Britain, 25 to 28 December 1943, 21 to 23 January, 18 to 21, 23 to 26 February 1944
    Admiralty Islands landings, 7 to 11, 14 to 18 March 1944     		Leyte operation
    Leyte landings, 13 to 28 October, 2 to 18 November 1944
    Hollandia operation, 21 to 25 April 1944 Consolidation and capture of Southern Philippines
    Mindanao landings, 17 to 23 April 1945

    USS LST-458's AA batteries downed four Japanese Zeros while under enemy air attack at Lae, Cape Cretin, Biak Island, Leyte, Los Negroes Island, Admiralty Islands. and Noemfoor Island.
    Source: Personal Journal of RM1/c James Albin, USS LST-458 - 10 February 1943 to August, l945
  • Following World War II USS LST-458 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 29 September to 21 October 1945
  • Decommissioned, 15 April 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 3 July 1946
  • USS LST-458 received the Navy Unit Commendation and earned six battle stars for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, transferred to the Maritime Commission and sold for scrapping, 31 October 1947, to Luria Steel and Trading Corp., Philadelphia, 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
    LCI(L)-339 121k Australian troops disembark from USS LST-458, USS LCI(L)-339 and USS LST-466 an other LSTs at Lae New Guinea, circa 1 to 4 September 1943.USS LCI(L)-339 was lost due to enemy air attack on 4 September while at Lae.
    US National Archives photo #54378.    		 Jerry Gilmartin MMC(SW) USN Ret. Secretary AFMM LCI 713, Curator PT-658 Save the PT Boat Inc, courtesy Dennis Blocker LCI National Association Historian
    LST-458 67k USS LST-458 beached at Toem, Dutch East Indies, while unloading scout planes, 17 May 1944. Australian War Memorial
    LST-458 76k USS LST-458 at Morotai Island, Dutch East Indies, 15 September 1944, off loading equipment.
    US National Archives image    		 Bill Brinkley
    LST-462 1209k USS LST-462, USS LST-245, USS LST-458 and an unidentified LST beached at Morotai, 15 September 1944, as Army engineers unload their equipment.
    US Army Signal Corps photo # SC 261042, by T/SGT Henry Palm, now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Dave Kerr
    LST-458 33k USS LST-458 beached at Leyte Island, Philippines, 20 October 1944. Ronald J. Albin, in honor of his father James C. Albin RM1/c USS LST 458 10 February 1943 to 31 August 1945
    LST-458 14k Ex-USS LST-458 “banked” in a nest of seven LSTs on the Sabine River, Texas side, probably just above the Naval Base at Orange. LST-458 was struck 3 July 1946 and transferred to the Maritime Commission 31 October 1947. Jim Swank
    LST-458 13k
    USS LST-458
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Hinrichs, Frederick W., USNR10 February 1943 - 4 August 1944
    02LT. Cooper, Richard L., USNR4 August 1944 - 6 November 1945
    03LT. McManus, William H., USNR6 November 1945 - March 1946
    04LTjg. Wiercioch, Chester R., USNRMarch 1946 - 15 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
    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