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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-552

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Echo - Uniform - Foxtrot
NEUF

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, San Pedro Bay, 25OCT44)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (4) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)
Individual Awards

Silver Star (LT. Ralph E. Sandvigen USNR CO. Action at San Pedro Bay, Leyte landings, October 1944)
Purple Heart (5-KIA, 20-WIA San Pedro Bay, 25 October 1944)

LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship

Laid down, 19 January 1944, at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN.

Launched, 14 March 1944

Commissioned USS LST-552, 19 April 1944, LT. Ralph E. Sandvigen USNR in command

During World War II USS LST-552 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
LST Flotilla Fourteen, CAPT. E. A. Seay USN (24);
LST Group Forty-Two, CDR. G. E. Artz USN (34);
LST Division Eighty-Three and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Western Caroline Islands operation Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 6 September to 14 October 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 9 April 1945
Leyte operation Leyte landings, 18 October to 6 November 1944	Manila Bay - Bicol operation Zambales - Subic Bay, 29 to 30 January 1945

Following World War II USS LST-552 performed occupation duty in the Far East from 12 to 17 October 1945

Decommissioned, 19 April 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, 1 May 1946

USS LST-552 earned four battle stars for World War II service

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 3 November 1947, to Dulien Steel Products, Inc., Seattle, WA.

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

Size	Image Description	Source
37k	USS LST-552 beached in the Philippines, 1944.	John B. C. Golini to honor is father Lt. Benjamin H. Golini USNR (Supply and Gunnery Officer) USS LST-552
118k	USS LST-552 beached, date and location unknown while off loading a tank.	John B. C. Golini to honor is father Lt. Benjamin H. Golini USNR (Supply and Gunnery Officer) USS LST-552
146k	USS LST-552 beached, date and location unknown while off loading heavy construction equipment.	John B. C. Golini to honor is father Lt. Benjamin H. Golini USNR (Supply and Gunnery Officer) USS LST-552
50k	USS LST-552 beached at White Beach Leyte after landing on Oct 25,1944.	Wally Boerger to honor his father-in-law Ignacio Josue.
466k	USS LST-552 main deck showing bomb damage from enemy air attack at Leyte Gulf on 24 October 1944.	Daniel Delp for his father Chalmer Delp S1/c USS LST-552
214k	USS LST-552 sailors gather on the conning tower following the Leyte campaign to show off the three Rising Sun flags representing the three enemy aircraft downed by the ship's gunners. Chalmer Delp is directly beneath the center flag	Daniel Delp for his father Chalmer Delp S1/c USS LST-552
77k	USS LST-552 at anchor while one of her LCVPs passes across her bow, date and location unknown.	John B. C. Golini to honor is father Lt. Benjamin H. Golini USNR (Supply and Gunnery Officer) USS LST-552
69k	USS LST-552, USS LST-462 and two unidentified LSTs beached on White Beach, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 21 January 1945.	John B. C. Golini to honor is father Lt. Benjamin H. Golini USNR (Supply and Gunnery Officer) USS LST-552
963k	Medium tanks splash off USS LST-552, while beached on White Beach, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 21 January 1945. In the background is USS LST-462. US Army Signal Corps photo # SC 200015, from the collections of the US National Archives.	Dave Kerr
96k	USS LST-552 ceremony on deck, date and location unknown.	John B. C. Golini to honor is father Lt. Benjamin H. Golini USNR (Supply and Gunnery Officer) USS LST-552

Crew photos submitted by Daniel Delp for his father Chalmer Delp S1/c USS LST-552

USS LST-552
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Sandvigen, Ralph Edward, USNR	19 April 1944 - 23 September 1945
02	LT. McKenna, Robert Jack, USNR	23 September 1945 - March 1946
03	LTjg. Haller, Jack G., USNR	March 1946 - 19 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 24 December 2020