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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Duval County (LST-758)
ex
USS LST-758 (1944 - 1955)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Golf - Golf - Yankee NGGY

USS LST-758 was manned by the US Coast Guard during World War II

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3)- World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2) - Korean Service Medal (4)
Fourth Row - Armed Forces Service Medal (Cuba) - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal

LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 5 June 1944, at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA.

Launched, 25 July 1944

Commissioned USS LST-758, 19 August 1944, LT. Felix J. Molenda USCG in command

During World War II USS LST-758 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
LST Flotilla Twenty-Nine, CAPT. C. H. Peterson USCG (25);
LST Group Eighty-Five, CDR. Millington, W. B. USCG (32);
LST Division One Hundred Sixty-Nine and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Iwo Jima operation Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 19 to 26 February 1945	Minesweeping Operations Pacific Fukuoka (Kyushu-Korea Area), 28 November to 14 December 1945
Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 2 April to 30 May 1945

Following World War II USS LST-758 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
20 to 25 September 1945	15 to 17 February 1953

Decommissioned, 13 July 1946

Laid up in the Reserve Fleet

Recommissioned, 3 November 1950 with a US Navy crew

During the Korean War USS LST-758 participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Korean War Campaigns
UN Summer-Fall Offensive 12 July to 2 September 1951 29 October to 23 November 1951	Third Korean Winter 10 to 18 and 22 to 23 December 1952 3 to 31 January 1953 14 to 30 March 1953 7 to 12 April 1953
Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 14 to 20 November 1952	Korean Summer-Fall 1953 7 to 8, 13, and 24 to 27 July 1953

Named Duval County (LST-758), 1 July 1955

Decommissioned, 13 October 1969

Custody transfer to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Lee Hall, VA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 1 November 1976

USS Duval County earned three battle stars for World War II service and four battle stars for Korean service as USS LST-758

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping by MARAD, 18 August 1981, to North American Smelting Co., for $81,111,11

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	Contributed By
USS LST-758
	188k	USS LSM-49 and USS LST-758 beached at Iwo Jima during the campaign to capture the island in February 1945.	Sandy Molenda for his father LT. Felix J. Molenda, USCG, Commanding Officer USS LST-758
	494k	USS LST-758 underway circa 1950, location unknown.	Debbie Pavlos for her father Sam Spiro Pavlos USS LST-758
	451k	USS LST-758 drydocked with *LSU-877* loaded on her main deck, circa 1960-61, location unknown.	Debbie Pavlos for her father Sam Spiro Pavlos USS LST-758
	138k	USS LST-758 transporting North Korean Prisoners of War to Koje-do Island POW camp, circa 1950-51.	Debbie Pavlos for her father Sam Spiro Pavlos USS LST-758
	125k	USS LST-758 in port, circa 1950-51 while loading a Chance-Vought F4U Corsair belonging to *US Marine Corps Attack Squadron VMA-212* aboard.	Debbie Pavlos for her father Sam Spiro Pavlos USS LST-758
	158k	USS LST-758 moored pierside in a South Korean port, circa 1950-51 aboard.	Debbie Pavlos for her father Sam Spiro Pavlos USS LST-758
	254k	USS LST-758 crew party, circa 1950-51, location unknown.	Debbie Pavlos for her father Sam Spiro Pavlos USS LST-758
	68k	USS LST-758 was taken under tow by *USS Quapaw* (ATF-110) in early 1953 from Tok Chok Do, Korea enroute to Sasebo, Japan after grounding on an unmarked rock in the harbor of that island during the prisoner of war repatriation operations, Little Switch and Big Switch. From Sasebo she was towed to Pearl Harbor by another LST. With one engine running she was able to enter Pearl Harbor under her own power. LST-758** left Pearl Harbor a few days later under her own power but was unable to sustain her single operating engine and required a tow to San Diego. Just outside San Diego the engineers got the engines running again and she was able to enter the bay under our own power. The photo may have been taken at any time during these operations between March 1952 and April 1954. US Coast Guard photo, from the collections of the US Coast Guard Historian's Office.	Photo - Mike Green, Description - Robert D. (Bud) Hoffman, JOC, USN Ret.
USS Duval County (LST-758)
	251k	A US 3rd Marine Division M50 Ontos rolling on to a beach from *USS Duval County* (LST-758)** near Japan's Mt. Fuji during an exercise in 1958. US Marine Corps Photo 127-GW-3d-9-166-58 now in the collection of the US National Archives.	Tracy White
	89k	*USS Duval County* (LST-758)** at sea, date and location unknown. US Navy photo # USN 1045633, circa 1959, now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Daniel Dunham
	62k	*USS Duval County* (LST-758)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo # USN 1045640, circa 1959, now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Daniel Dunham
	66k	*USS Duval County* (LST-758)** in drydock at San Diego, September 1960. Note the Martin P5M "Marlin" overhead.	Lee Noland STGC USN Ret.
	454k	An M-48 medium tank of the First Armored Division rolls onto a sandy beach from *USS Duval County* (LST-758)** near Hollywood, FL., 4 December 1962. Approximately 1,000 men and their armor assaulted the area in a landing maneuver. The troops were a part of the military forces moved into Florida during the Cuban Crisis. An Associated Press.	Tommy Trampp
1016075826	122k	A still frame from the movie PT-109 released in 1963 showing *USS Duvall County* (LST-758) underway near Key West, FL. Duvall County** is painted to look like USS LST-449, when she was attacked by Japanese bombers while John F. Kennedy was aboard.	David Upton
	126k	*USS Duval County* (LST-758)** underway, date and location unknown. US National Archives photo # 80-G-67866, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Daniel Dunham
	373	*USS Duval County* (LST-758)** at sea off the VACAPES. US Navy photo # 1131599 , dated 27 March 1968, by PH2 R. Meckel, now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Mike Smolinski
	56k	*USS Duval County* (LST-758)** at sea off the VACAPES. US Naval Air Station Norfolk, VA. photo DAP # 28795-3-68, dated 27 March 1968, by PH2 R. Meckel, now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Daniel Dunham
	81k	*USS Duval County* (LST-758)** at sea off the VACAPES. US Naval Air Station Norfolk, VA. photo DAP # 28796-3-68, dated 27 March 1968, by PH2 R. Meckel, now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Daniel Dunham
	81k	*USS Duval County* (LST-758)** at sea off the VACAPES. US Naval Air Station Norfolk, VA. photo DAP # 28797-3-68, dated 27 March 1968, by PH2 R. Meckel, now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Daniel Dunham
	64k	*USS Duval County* (LST-758)** at sea off the VACAPES. US Naval Air Station Norfolk, VA. photo DAP # 28798-3-68, dated 27 March 1968, by PH2 R. Meckel, now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Daniel Dunham
	93k	*USS Duval County* (LST-758)** at sea off the VACAPES. US Naval Air Station Norfolk, VA. photo DAP # 28799-3-68, dated 27 March 1968, by PH2 R. Meckel, now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Daniel Dunham
	93k	*USS Duval County* (LST-758)** at sea off the VACAPES. US Naval Air Station Norfolk, VA. photo DAP # 28800-3-68, dated 27 March 1968, by PH2 R. Meckel, now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Daniel Dunham
	119k	*USS Duval County* (LST-758)** at sea off the VACAPES. US Naval Air Station Norfolk, VA. photo DAP # 28801-3-68, dated 27 March 1968, by PH2 R. Meckel, now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Daniel Dunham
	141k	*USS Duval County* (LST-758)** at sea off the VACAPES. US Naval Air Station Norfolk, VA. photo DAP # 28802-3-68, dated 27 March 1968, by PH2 R. Meckel, now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Daniel Dunham
	103k	*USS Duval County* (LST-758)** plaque.	Tommy Trampp

USS LST-758 / USS Duval County (LST-758)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Molenda, Felix J., USCG	19 August 1944 - 13 July 1946
	Decommissioned	13 July 1946 - 3 November 1950
02	LCDR. Taylor, N. O.	03.11.1950
03	LCDR. Teague, John Wesley	no dates
04	LT/LCDR. Brink, Merrill John, USN	1955 - 3 October 1956
05	LT/LCDR. Aicklen Jr., William Joseph, USN (USNA 1947)	3 October 1956 - 23 July 1958
06	LT. Lassiter, Will Ed, USN	23 July 1958 - 29 January 1960
07	LT. Roach, Francis Leroy, USN (USNA 1953)	29 January 1960 - 7 July 1961
08	LT. Stegall, Woodie Clayton, USN	7 July 1961 - 2 October 1961
09	LT. Schutte, John Junior, USN	2 October 1961 - 10 December 1963
10	LT/LCDR. Ustick Jr., Richard Coughlan, USN :RADM	10 December 1963 - 8 June 1964
11	LT/LCDR. Mitchell, David Lewis, USN (USNA 1957)	8 June 1964 - 23 November 1965
12	LT/LCDR. Jones Sr., Ralph William, USN	23 November 1965 - 19 April 1968
13	LT. Brown, Carroll Dean, USN	19 April 1968 - 13 October 1969


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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Last Updated 22 March 2024

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Duval County (LST-758)ex USS LST-758 (1944 - 1955)

USS Duval County (LST-758)
ex
USS LST-758 (1944 - 1955)