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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Steuben County (LST-1138)
ex
 USS LST-1138 (1945 - 1955)

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 - World War II Victory Medal
Second Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal - Philippines Liberation Medal
Third Row - Korean Service Medal (5) - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 6 January 1945, at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL.
  • Launched, 5 April 1945
  • Commissioned USS LST-1138, 24 April 1945, LT. D. C. Smith, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-1138 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Thirty-Four, CAPT. H. H. Tiemroth;
     LST Group One Hundred One;
     LST Division Two Hundred Three
  • Following World War II USS LST-1138 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    20 September to 3 October 1945
    15 October to 19 November 1945
    25 November 1945 to 4 January 1946

  • During the Korean War USS LST-1138 participated in the following campaigns:

    Korean War Campaigns
    Campaigns and Dates Campaign and Dates
    North Korean Aggression
    10 to 12 September 1950
    28 September to 2 November 1950     		Second Korean Winter
    17 December 1951 to 12 January 1952
    20 March to 2 April 1952
    Communist China Aggression
    3 November 1950 to 10 January 1951    		 Korea, Summer-Fall 1953
    18 to 19 June 1953
    12 to 18 July 1953
    22 to 23 July 1953
    Inchon Landing
    13 to 17 September 1950    		  

  • Named USS Steuben County (LST-1138), 1 July 1955
  • Decommissioned, 1 November 1960
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 February 1961
  • USS LST-1138 earned five battle stars for her Korean War service
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 11 August 1961, to Zidell Explorations, Inc., Portland, OR.
    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
    LST-550, 1090,1024,1138 70k From left to right USS LST-550, USS LST-1090, USS LST-1024 and USS LST-1138 beached in the Philippines during the re-occupation period following the liberation of the Philippines. Mike Blades
    LST-1138 69k USS LST-1138 anchored at Wakayama, Japan, circa 20 September 1945. In the background is a group of LSMs which includes USS LSM-249.
    Photo was taken from USS LST-649.    		 Steve Mair for his father LTjg. Alexander C. Mair, USNR USS LST-649 Engineering Officer.
    LST-1138 42k USS LST-1138 at Chigasaki Beach, Chigasaki, Japan, 22 February 1952. Photo by Don Garner
    LST-1138
    1016113802    		 578k USS LST-1138 underway in 1959. Her anti aircraft battery of 20mm Oerlikon and director-controlled 40mm Bofors twin mounts, is representative of the defensive armament of LST's at the end of World War II.
    US National Archives photo # USN 1045598 a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Mike Smolinski
    LST-1138 22k USS LST-1138 loading North Korean prisoners of war at Pung Nam Do, Korea, 1953. LST Home Port web site
    LST-1138 5k USS LST-1138 beached, circa 1960s, date unknown.. Tommy Trampp
    LST-1138 16k USS LST-1138 underway off San Diego, 1954. LST Home Port web site
    LST-1138 54k USS LST-1138 beached, date and location unknown. Tommy Trampp
    USS Steuben County (LST-1138)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Smith, D. C., USNR24 April 1945 - September 1945
    02LT. Briscoe, Corwin P. B., USNRSeptember 1945 - March 1946
    03LTjg. Fick, Theodore Robert, USN (USNA 1945)March 1946 - ?
    04LT. Krantzman, Harry Morris, USN (USNA 1950)no dates
    05LT. DeCamp, Edgar Allen, USN1955 - 11 May 1956 (Hospital)
    06LTjg. Considine, Lawrence F., USNR11 May 1956 - 11 August 1956
    07LT/LCDR. Simmons Jr., John Alexander, USN11 August 1956 - 19 July 1958
    08LT. Fenno, Eric Neil, USN (USNA 1949)19 July 1958 - 1 February 1960
    09LT. Miale, Robert Eugene, USN1 February 1960 - 1 November 1960
    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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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 22 March 2024