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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Clearwater County (LST-602)
ex
 USS LST-602 (1944 - 1955)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Foxtrot - Bravo - Hotel
 NFBH
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Second Row - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal
Third Row - Korean Service Medal (2) - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

USS Clearwater County (LST-602) was sold to the Republic of Mexico and renamed ARM Manzanillo (A 02)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 23 October 1943, at the Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL.
  • Launched, 9 March 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-602, 31 March 1944, ENS. John H. Mehus, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-602 was assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and participated in the following campaign:

    Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Invasion of southern France, August and September 1944
    From the Unit History of the 214th AAA Bn, Sept. 1944.
    2 September 1944, Batteries alerted for loading on to LSTs at Ajaccio, Corsica, HQ & C Batteries on LST-602. Left docks about 1530 and sailed
    from the harbor at 1800. CO and. S-3, 406th AAA Gun Bn saw us off. Fresh meat for supper.
    3 September 1944, Sea journey to St. Tropez, France. windy and rough. Anchored in harbor about 2030.
    4 September 1944, Debarking took place at Delta beach, approximately 3 miles west of St. Tropez, from 0800 to 1245
  • Decommissioned in 1946
  • Laid up in the Reserve Fleet
  • Recommissioned in 1950
  • During the Korean War USS LST-602 participated in the campaigns:

    Korean War Campaigns
    Campaigns and Dates Campaigns and Dates
    Second Korean Winter
    22 December 1951 to 14 January 1952
    22 February to 11 March 1952
    20 to 28 March 1952     		Korea, Summer-Fall 1953
    27 July 1953

  • Named USS Clearwater County (LST 602), 1 July 1955
  • Decommissioned, date unknown
  • Custody transferred to the Maritime Administration, 9 November 1956
  • Temporary custody assigned to th US Air Force from September 1957 to September 1969
  • Transferred temporary custody to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) for lay up in the National DEfense Reserve Fleet, Olympia, WA., September 1969
  • Custody transferred to the Navy, 15 December 1971
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 May 1972
  • Sold to Mexico, 30 May 1972, renamed ARM Manzanillo (A 02)
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
  • USS LST-602 earned one battle star for World War II service and two battle stars for Korean service
    Specifications:
    Displacement
    1,625 t.(lt)
    4,080 t.(fl) (sea-going draft w/1675 ton load)
    2,366 t.
    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
    USS LST-602
    LST601/602/603 77k USS LST 601 (foreground), USS LST-602 (middle) and USS LST-603 (background), Naval Amphibious Base Norfolk VA., 10 May 1944 The Library of Virginia, US Army Signal Corps Photograph Collection
    LST602 80k USS LST 602 anniversary dinner menu cover, 31 March 1945. Robert Rutter, photo by his grandfather CAPT. Anthony Kohout Jr. ex CO USS LST-77
    LST602 177k USS LST 602 anniversary dinner menu, 31 March 1945. Robert Rutter, photo by his grandfather CAPT. Anthony Kohout Jr. ex CO USS LST-77
    LST602 59k USS LST 602 Christmas card, circa 1951 with crew photo. Kevin Gauthier for his father Leo F. Gauthier BM2 USS LST-602 1950-54
    LST602 85k USS LST 602 underway, date and location unknown. Kevin Gauthier for his father Leo F. Gauthier BM2 USS LST-602 1950-54
    LST602 329k USS LST 602 at anchor with LCVPs on her main deck, circa April 1953 - April 1954, location unknown. Dave Fletcher for his father Harry L. Fletcher ENC, USN Ret USS LST-602 1953-54
    LST602 371k USS LST 602 beached, circa April 1953 - April 1954, location unknown. Dave Fletcher for his father Harry L. Fletcher ENC, USN Ret USS LST-602 1953-54
    USS Clearwater County (LST-602)
    LST602 233k USS LST 602 underway during "DEW" Line support operations, September 1955. USCGC Bittersweet (WAGL-389 is doing the icebreaking. Photo by LTjg. Ernest Fuller USCGC Bittersweet. David Fuller for his father, LTjg. Ernest Fuller USCGC Bittersweet.
    ARM Manzanillo (A02)
    Auman 280k Ex-USS Joseph M. Auman (APD-117) in Mexican naval service as the escort vessel ARM Tehuantupec (B05) and the Mexican navy LST ARM Manzanillo (A02) at anchor in the harbor at Acapulco Mexico in the late 1970s. Dave Schroeder and John Chiquoine
    USS LST-602
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01ENS. Mehus, John Harold, USNR31 March 1944 - 25 September 1945
    02LTjg. Durham, James E., USN25 September 1945 - February 1946
    03LTjg. Farina, Joseph A., USNRFebruary 1946 - 1946
     Decommissioned1946 - 1950
    04LT. Whitfield, John C.1952
    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 Homeport
    State LST Chapters
    United States LST Association
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Tank Landing Ship (LST) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 6 September 2019