Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive
Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Chimon (AKS-31)
ex
 USS Chimon (AG-150) (1949 - 1950)
 USS LST-1102 (1945 - 1949)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Alpha - Uniform - Yankee
 NAUY
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 (1) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal - Korean Service Medal
Fourth Row - Philippine Liberation Medal - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 23 November 1944, at Missouri Bridge and Iron Works Evansville IN.
  • Launched, 10 January 1945
  • Commissioned USS LST-1102, 29 January 1945, LT. Lloyd J. Patterson, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-1102 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Thirty-Two, CDR. D. J. Sweeny (23);
     LST Group Ninety-Five, CDR. J. Capponi;
     LST Division One Hundred Ninety and participated in the following campaign:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 8 to 30 June 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-1102 was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    China Service Medal (extended)
    22 September to 2 October 1945 
    15 October to 5 November 1945 
    13 November 1945 to 22 May 194613 November 1945 to 22 May 1946
     28 April 1946 to 9 October 1947

  • Decommissioned, 21 November 1947
  • Reclassified Miscellaneous Auxiliary (AG-150), 27 January 1949
  • Named USS Chimon, 1 February 1949
  • Recommissioned, 27 December 1950 as USS Chimon (AG-150), LT. G. W. Hessemer, USNR, in command
  • Reclassified, (AKS-31), 27 December 1950
  • Decommissioned, 22 April 1958
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 2 November 1959
  • Final Disposition, sold, 2 November 1959, fate unknown
  • USS Chimon earned one battle star as LST-1102 for World War II service
    LST-542 Class 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
    USS LST-1102
    Chimon 89k USS LST-1102 at anchor in the Whangpoo River at Shanghai, China, circa 1946. Paul Webb for his father ENS. Ronald H. Webb, USNR USS LST-1102
    Chimon 76k USS LST-1102 at anchor probably at Shanghai, China, circa 1946. Storekeepers fishing from the bow ramp. Paul Webb for his father ENS. Ronald H. Webb, USNR USS LST-1102
    Chimon 74k USS LST-1102 moored pierside "Pier 3", date and location unknown. Paul Webb for his father ENS. Ronald H. Webb, USNR USS LST-1102
    Chimon 76k Captain's Inspection aboard USS LST-1102 while moored pierside "Pier 3", date and location unknown. Paul Webb for his father ENS. Ronald H. Webb, USNR USS LST-1102
    Chimon 81k USS LST-1102 while moored pierside "Pier 3", date and location unknown. View from the Conn. Paul Webb for his father ENS. Ronald H. Webb, USNR USS LST-1102
    Chimon 262k USS LST-1102 moored at Shanghai, China in 1946, deck crew. Paul Webb for his father ENS. Ronald H. Webb, USNR USS LST-1102
    Chimon 271k USS LST-1102 moored at Shanghai, China in 1946, ENS. Stacey and Storekeepers. Paul Webb for his father ENS. Ronald H. Webb, USNR USS LST-1102
    Chimon 262k USS LST-1102 moored at Shanghai, China in 1946, ENS. Jim Rice and Engineers. Paul Webb for his father ENS. Ronald H. Webb, USNR USS LST-1102
    Chimon 97k USS LST-1102 moored at Shanghai, China in 1946, Ship's officers Paul Webb for his father ENS. Ronald H. Webb, USNR USS LST-1102
    Chimon 91k USS LST-1102 and USS LST-846 moored in an anchorage at either Shanghai or Tsingtao, China in 1946 Paul Webb for his father ENS. Ronald H. Webb, USNR USS LST-1102
    Chimon 73k USS LST-1102 and USS Repose (AH-16) moored pierside at either Shanghai or Tsingtao, China in 1946 Paul Webb for his father ENS. Ronald H. Webb, USNR USS LST-1102
    USS Chimon (AG-150)
    Chimon 48k USS Chimon (AG-150) at anchor, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo from the collections of the US Navy Memorial    		 Stan Svec
    USS Chimon (AKS-31)
    Chimon 263k USS Chimon (AKS-31) change of command ceremony while at anchor at Yokosuka, Japan, 27 September 1952. (LCDR Baker for LT. Hessemer). Photos by Franklin Donald "Don" Allen, SK1, USN USS Chimon (SK3)
    Chimon 244k
    Chimon 261k
    Chimon 62k USS Chimon (AKS-31) at anchor at Sasebo, Japan, circa March 1955 Photo by Don Denison
    USS LST-1102 / USS Chimon (AG-150 / USS Chimon (AKS-31)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Patterson, Lloyd. James, USNR29 January 1945 - January 1946USS LST-1102
    02LT. Crawford, Arden B., USNRJanuary 1946 - March 1946USS LST-1102
    03LT. Stout Jr., Fred Elmer, USN (44)March 1946 - July 1946USS LST-1102
    04LT. Machanlinski, Alois Ralph, USNJuly 1946 - September 1946USS LST-1102
    05LCDR. Maury, Robert Henry, USN (1914)September 1946 - October 1946USS LST-1102
    06LT. Yongue, William Wallace, USNOctober 1946 - 21 July 1947USS LST-1102
     Decommissioned21 November 1947 - 27 December 1950 
    07LT. Hessemer, George Wayne, USNR27 December 1950 - 27 September 1952USS Chimon (AG-150)
    08LCDR. Baker, Walter Edmund27 September 1952 - ?USS Chimon (AKS-31)
    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 Back To The Miscellaneous Auxiliary (AG) Photo Index Back To The General Store Issues Ship (AKS) Photo Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 20 January 2017