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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-864


International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - Uniform - Golf
 NIUG
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia clasp)
542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 3 October 1944, at Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN.
  • Launched, 18 November 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-864, 13 December 1944, LT. Richard B. J. Wathen. USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-864 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-Eight and participated in the following campaign:

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

  • Following World War II USS LST-864 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    China Service Medal (extended)
    7 to 27 September 1945 
    22 October to 23 November 1945 
    24 June 1946 to 23 January 194724 June 1946 to 23 January 1947

  • Decommissioned, 1 May 1947
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 22 May 1947
  • USS LST-864 earned one battle star for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 26 June 1948, to Consolidated Builders, 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
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    LST-864 79k USS LST-864 unloading across a floating causeway, date and location unknown. The Commanding Officer Lt. Wathen watches the unloading of his ship. Mike Martin
    LST-864 229k USS LST-864 under way outbound from San Francisco Bay, circa 1945.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH 51443, courtesy of D.M. McPherson, 1967.    		 Mike Green
    LST-864 228k USS LST-864 under way fully loaded in San Francisco Bay, circa 1945.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH 51444, courtesy of D.M. McPherson, 1967.    		 Mike Martin
    LST-864 65k USS LST-864 beached while unloading at Yokosuka, Japan, date unknown. Mike Martin
    LST-1120 26k USS LST-864 beached with USS LST-1130 and USS LST-1120, date and location unknown. B.E. Hughes, LST-1120 web site
    LST-864 362k USS LST-864 crew members William Provins and Walter Rushing. Mike Martin
    USS LST-864
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Wathen, Richard B. J., USNR13 December 1944 - 26 October 1945
    02ENS. Haines, Frank L., USN (USNA 1945)26 October 1945 - January 1946
    03LTjg. Grady, Charles R., USNRJanuary 1946 - March 1946
    04LTjg. Marshall, Byron S., USNMarch 1946 - 1 May 1947.05.1947
    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
    "THE LADY LUCK" Story of the USS LST-864
    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
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    Last Updated 5 January 2024