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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Juniata County (LST-850)
ex
USS LST-850 (1944 - 1955)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - Kilo - Victor
NIKV
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)


542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 15 August 1944. at Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., Seneca, IL.
  • Launched, 3 November 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-850, 27 November 1944, LT. Perry B. Hazard, USNR, in command
  • During World War II, USS LST-850 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Twenty-Five, CAPT. H.E. Richter USN (24);
    LST Group Seventy-Four, CDR. J.G. Farnsworth;
    LST Division One Hundred Forty-Eight and participated in the following campaign:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 26 to 30 June 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-850 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 22 September to 13 October 1945
  • Decommissioned, 18 January 1947
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group
  • Named Juniata County (LST-850), 1 July 1955
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 November 1958
  • USS LST-850 earned one battle star for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, sunk as a target
    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 Contributed
    By
    LST-850 217k USS LST-850 moored pierside at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard in February 1945. LST-850 has LCT-1419 loaded on her main deck.
    US Navy photos from US National Archives at College Park, MD.
    Tracy White

    USS LST-850
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Hazard, Perry, Belmont, USNR27 November 1944 - 30 June 1945
    02ENS. Hirsch, Stanley Marvin, ENS, USN (temporary)30 June 1945 - July 1945
    03LT. Hazard, Perry Belmont, USNRJuly 1945 - March 1946
    04LTjg. Entwistle Jr., Ralph T., USNRMarch 1946 - June1946
    05LTjg. MacKenzie, James Bisbee, USNJune 1946 - 18 January 1947
    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
    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 May 2015