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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive
Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Sumner County (LST-1148)
ex
 USS LST-1148 (1945 - 1955)

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons





Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (25 June 1968)
Second Row - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2)
Fourth Row - Korean Service Medal (4) - Vietnam Service Medal (6) - United Nations Service Medal
Fifth Row - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (5)- Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

USS LST-1148 manned by a US Coast Guard crew during World War II
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 15 February 1945, at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca. IL.
  • Launched, 22 May 1945
  • Commissioned USS LST-1148, 9 June 1945, LT. Richard Goodhart USCGR in command
  • During World War II USS LST-1148 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Thirty-Four;
    LST Group One Hundred Two;
    LST Division Two Hundred Three
  • Following World War II USS LST-1148 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 17 October to 12 December 1945
  • Decommissioned, 11 May 1946
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group
  • Recommissioned, 3 October 1950, at Astoria, OR.
  • During Korean War USS LST-1148 participated in the following campaigns:

    Korean War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Communist China Spring Offensive
    27 April 1951     		Second Korean Winter
    23 to 24 December 1951
    8 February and 21 to 27 February 1952
    UN Summer-Fall Offensive
    27 to 29 July 1951
    6 to 7 October 1951     		Korea, Summer-Fall 1953
    21 May 1952
    5, 10, 13, 15, 17 to 19, 22, 24, 27, 29, and 31 August 1952
    3 to 4, 7 to 8 and 10 to 11 September 1952

  • Named USS Sumner County (LST-1148), 1 July 1955
  • During the Vietnam War USS Sumner County (LST-1148) served continuously in country and in contiguous waters, with the exception of overhaul periods, from late 1965 to late 1968 participating in the following campaigns. (Dates listed do not include underway transit times within the contiguous waters along the Vietnam coast as defined by the US Navy and so specified by the Vietnam Service Medal.)

    Vietnam War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Vietnam Defense
    4 July to 24 December 1965     		Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase II
    27 September to 26 October 1966
    Vietnam Counteroffensive
    24 December 1965 to 28 January 1966     		Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase IV
    2 to 16 April 1968
    28 April to 18 May 1968
    3 to 7 and 25 to 30 June 1968
    Tet Counteroffensive
    12 March to 1 April 1968     		Vietnam Counteroffensive - Phase V
    1 July to 3 August 1968
    24 August to 9 September 1968
    25 September to 1 November 1968

  • Decommissioned, 9 October 1969, at Orange, TX.
  • Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Texas Group, Orange
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 15 September 1974
  • USS Sumner County earned four battle stars for Korean War service and six campaign stars for Vietnam War service
  • Final Disposition, sold for non-commercial use, 1 August 1975, by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) to Frank Ganter, Newport, R.I., used as a barge until February 2004 when the ship had become derelict and was scrapped
    Specifications:
    Displacement
    1,625 t.(lt)
    4,080 t.(fl) (sea-going draft w/1675 ton load)
    2,366 t.
    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

    US National Archives photo # USN 11932514, a US Navy photo by PH3 R. Ferrraro now in the collections of the US National Archives.
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    USS LST-1148
    LSM-125 88k USS LST-1148 moored at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. In the foreground USS LSM-125 is being decommissioned and handed over to her French crew, 21 January 1954.
    US Naval Shipyard Mare Island photo # NY9 19927-1-54.    		 Darryl Baker
    LST-1148 71k USS LST-1148 drydocked at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. January 1954. Note the cloud of dust as her bottom is being sandblasted.
    US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, May 1962    		 Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
    LST-1148 494k USS LST-1148 underway, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo.    		 Jim Kurrasch
    Battleship Iowa Pacific Battleship Center
    USS Sumner County (LST-1148)
    Sumner County 158k USS Sumner County (LST-1148) high and dry on the LST ramp at Naha, Okinawa, 16 February 1957. The ship was able to leave in the evening on the rising tide. David W. Carlson, USS Sumner County, 26 May 1956 to 26 Sep 1957
    Sumner County 94k USS Sumner County (LST-1148) at Da Nang RVN, 1965
    Photo by LTJG Dan W. Jeff, USNR    		 Reg Truman, YN3, USNR, USS Sumner County, 8-65 to 6-67 Courtesy LST-1148 web site.
    Sumner County 74k USS Sumner County (LST-1148) at Phan Rang, RVN, January 1966. Reg Truman, YN3, USNR, USS Sumner County, 8-65 to 6-67
    Sumner County 40k USS Sumner County (LST-1148) at Cua Viet, Vietnam, 2 July 1968. Photo by Walter F. Loetell Jr. ETR-2, USS Sumner County, 1966-68
    Sumner County 1137k USS Sumner County (LST-1148) at Tan Me, Vietnam in July 1968. Photo by Walter F. Loetell Jr. ETR-2, USS Sumner County, 1966-68
    Sumner County 897k
    Sumner County 1312k
    Sumner County
    1016114809    		 252k USS Sumner County (LST-1148) underway off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii, 17 May 1968. Note ship's crew manning the rails, and destroyer in distant background. Robert Hurst and
    Mike Smolinski
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Goodhart, Richard USCGR9 June 1945 - 7 July 1945
    02LT. Payne, Ernest W. USCG7 July 1945 - 19 April 1946
     Decommissioned11 May 1946 - 3 October 1950
    03LT. Schwartz, Otto E.10 March 1950 - July 1951
    04LT. Dushane, Ralph H., USNRJuly 1951 - July 1952
    05LT. Martin, William John, USNJuly 1952 - September 1953
    06LCDR. Lyons, William Clarence, USNSeptember 1953 - August 1955
    07LCDR. Smith, Byers Granbille, USNAugust 1955 - 9 July 1957
    08LCDR. Sayre, George Ashford, USN9 July 1957 - 20 May 1958
    09LTjg. McCauley, William Frederick, USN (USNA 1955) :VADM20 May 1958 - 3 June 1958
    10LCDR. Ellis, Donald Lee, USNR3 June 19581958 - 28 June 1958
    11LT. Jackson, Dempster McKee, USN (USNA 1952) :RADM28 June 1958 - 1 July 1960 1960
    12LT. Avrit, Richard Calvin, USN (USNA 1953) :RADM1 July 1960 - 8 December 1962
    13LT. Leaver Jr., John Murray, USN8 December 1962 - 20 April 1964
    14LT. Moore, Leonard Moody, USN20 April 1964 - 20 June 1966
    15LCDR. Pemberton, Robert Bliss, USN20 June 1966 - 19 April 1968
    16LT. Rybarczyk, Anthony Mark, USN19 April 1968 - 9 October 1969
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

    For more photos and information about USS Sumner County see;
  • Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
  • USS Sumner County LST-1148
  • Mobile Riverine Force Association USS Sumner County History
  • The USS LST Ship Memorial
  • Mobile Riverine Force Association
  • 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 1 March 2024