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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-473

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Golf - Golf - Victor
NGGV

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive - 4 Sept. 1943) - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (5)
Bottom Row - World War II Victory Medal - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippine Liberation Medal (2)
Individual Awards

Medal of Honor (Posthumously) and Purple Heart S1c Johnnie David Hutchins, off Lae, New Guinea, September 4, 1943
Navy Cross - S1c Frederick L. Erickson
Silver Star - CPhM Nelson Tudor and Ens. J.K. Hayes
Purple Heart - 22 (8 KIA, 14 WIA)

LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship

Laid down, 10 July 1942, at Kaiser, Inc., Vancouver, WA.

Launched, 9 December 1942

Commissioned USS LST-473, 16 March 1943, LT. Rowland W. Dillard, USN, in command

During World War II USS LST-473 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
LST Flotilla Seven, CAPT. R. M. Scruggs, USN;
LST Group Nineteen, CDR. James E. Van Zandt, USNR and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Eastern New Guinea operation Lae occupation, 4 to 5 September 1943	Manila Bay-Bicol operations Zambales-Subic Bay operation, 29 to 30 January 1945
Leyte operation Leyte landings, 16 to 29 October 1944	Consolidation and capture of Southern Philippines Mindanao Island Landings, 17 to 23 April 1945
Luzon operations Lingayen Gulf landings, 9 to 18 January 1945

Decommissioned, 18 March 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, 17 April 1946

USS LST-473 earned five battle stars for World War II service

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 21 April 1948, to Hughes Brothers, Inc., New York, N.Y.

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
	33k	USS LST-473 bomb damage during the Eastern New Guinea operations at Lae, September 1943	Mike Guarino
	56k	USS LST-473 moored to a causeway with bow doors open, Southwest Pacific, April 1944.	Mike Guarino
	887k	Christmas 1945 and New Years 1946 greetings from Commander LST Group Nineteen, CDR James E. Van Zandt USNR to the ships of the Group: USS LST-466 USS LST-245 USS LST-467 USS LST-171 USS LST-181 USS LST-469 USS LST-470 USS LST-471 USS LST-468 USS LST-473 USS LST-475 and USS LST-474	Bill James for his father William James USS LST-471
	44k	USS LST-473 laying off shore during the Lingayen Gulf landings, January 1945.	Mike Guarino
1016047303	134k	USS LST-473 coming alongside a light cruiser possibly *USS Nashville* (CL-43), or USS Phoenix (CL-46) mid to late June 1945, following the Battle off Labuan Island, Borneo. LST-473**, cranes ready and hatches open, pulls alongside the cruiser to replenish ammunition.	YN/1c Dan B. Murphy

USS LST-473
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Dillard, Rowland Wingo, USN	16 March 1943 - 24 November 1943
02	LTjg. Bunch, John McMullan, USN	24 November 1943 - July 1944
03	LTjg. Triplitt, Joe Will USNR (acting)	July 1944 - September 1944
04	LT. Miller, Hayes N., USNR	September 1944 - May 1945
05	LT. Davis, Edwin H., USNR	May 1945 - 16 September 1945
06	LTjg. Gott, Warren C. USNR	16 September 1945 - 18 March 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

Last Updated 8 December2023