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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USNS Harris County (T-LST-822)
ex
 USS LST-822 (1944 - 1955)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Hotel - Juliet - November
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons




Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1)
Second Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal
Third Row - Korean Service Medal (4) - Vietnam Service Medal (2) - Philippines Liberation Medal
Fourth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive) - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

USNS Harris County (T-LST-822) was transferred to the Republic of the Philippines and renamed BRP Aurora (LT-508)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 20 September 1944, at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN.
  • Launched, 1 November 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-822, 23 November 1944, at New Orleans, LA., LT. Robert N. Mclntyre, USNR, in command
  • During World War II LST-822 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Twenty-Three, CAPT. W. W. Weeden Jr. USN;
     LST Group Sixty-Eight, CDR. G. H. Dana USN (20);
     LST Division One Hundred-Thirty-Five and participated in the following campaign;

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates
    Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 18 April to 10 May 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-822 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    20 September to 2 October 1945
    20 October 1945 to 4 March 1946

  • Decommissioned, 27 July 1946 at Portland, OR.
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group, 10 August 1946
  • Recommissioned, 23 November 1950, at Bremerton, WA., LT. Kent D. Myers , in command
  • During the Korean War USS LST-822 participated in the following campaigns:

    Korean War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Communist China Spring Offensive Third Korean Winter
    Korean Defense Summer - Fall 1952 Korean Summer - Fall 1953

  • Decommissioned, 21 February 1955
  • Placed in service with the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) in March 1955
  • Named USNS Harris County (T-LST-822), 1 July 1955
  • Placed out of service, date unknown
  • Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown
  • USS LST-822 earned one battle star for World War II service and four battle stars for Korean War service
  • Sold to the Republic of the Philippines, 13 September 1976, renamed BRP Aurora (LT-508)
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
    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
    > USS LST-822
    LST-822
    1016082207    		 46k USS LST-822 Commissioning party and guests: Mr. C.B. Forbey, Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co.; Mrs Seed, Ship's Sponsor; Miss Adams, Maid of Honor and Mrs. Eloise Forbey, wife of C.B. Forbey.
    Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co. photo from USS LST Ship Memorial, Inc. LST Shipyard Collection    		 Tommy Trampp
    LST-822 89k USS LST-822 underway, date and location unknown. Gretchen Perryman for her father Tom Perryman USS LST-822, 1950-52
    LST-822 93k USS LST-822 underway, date and location unknown. Gretchen Perryman for her father Tom Perryman USS LST-822, 1950-52
    LST 970 267k USS LST-822, LST-970 and LST-117 beached at Leyte after unloading their cargo, 12 September 1945. LT. William (Bill) S. Barnes
    LST-822 399k USS LST-822 underway, date and location unknown.
    US National Archives photo # USN 1046006, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Mike Smolinski
    USNS Harris County (T-LST-822)
    San Bernardino County
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-685966    		 291k USNS Harris County (T-LST-822), and USS San Bernardino County (LST-1110) unloading over the beach at Point Barrow, Alaska, during "DEW" Line support operations, 16 September 1955.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-685966 a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives    		 Mike Smolinski
    Glenn Ryerson
    San Bernardino County 154k
    LST-822 55k USNS Harris County (T-LST-822 underway, date and location unknown.  
    LST-822 63k USNS Harris County (T-LST-822 underway, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine November 1965    		 Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
    LST-590 465k USNS Harris County (T-LST-822) (right) and USNS T-LST-590 (at left) beached at South Beach, Cam-Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, circa 1967. Photo by Shot by SSG Tommy Trampp
    LST-590 445k
    LST-822
    1016082206    		 236k USNS Harris County (T-LST-822) beached on a ramp in South Vietnam, circa 1968-69 Paul Kopsick NDQSA Historian
    USS LST-822 / USNS Harris County (T-LST-822)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. McIntyre, Robert N., USNR23 November 1944 - 17 January 1946
    02LTjg. Tunnicliffe, Wilber K., USNR17 January 1946 - 18 May 1946
    03LTjg. Harned, Russell D., USNR18 May 1946 - 1 July 1946
    04LTjg. Knight Jr., John S., USNR1 July 1946 - 27 July 1946
     Decommissioned27 July 1946 - 23 November 1950
    05LT. Meyers, Kent D.23 November 1950 - 1953
    06LT. Witham Jr., Burton Brooks1953 - 21 February 1955
    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 22 January 2021