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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-609


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Foxtrot - Charlie - Tango
 NFCT
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 (4) - World War II Victory Medal - Philippine Liberation Medal (2)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 10 December 1943 at Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., Seneca, IL.
  • Launched, 15 April 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-609, 15 May 1944
  • During World War II USS LST-609 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:
    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Leyte operation,
    Leyte landings, October 1944     		Manila Bay-Bicol operations
    Zambales-Subic Bay in January 1945
    Luzon operations
    Lingayen Gulf landing in December 1944     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto in April 1945

  • Decommissioned, 4 January 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 21 January 1946
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 26 September 1947, to Boston Metals Co., Baltimore, MD.
  • USS LST-609 earned three battle stars for World War II service
    Specifications: (as reported by Office of Naval Intelligence-1945)
    Displacement 1,625 t.(lt), 4,080 t.(fl) (sea-going draft w/1675 ton load)
    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)
    Speed 12 kts. (maximum)
    Endurance 24,000 miles @ 9kts. while displacing 3960 tons
    Complement
    7 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
    Propulsion two General Motors 12-567, 900hp diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    LST-242,219,608,609 99k LSTs unloading supplies at Leyte Gulf in October 1944.
    USS LST-242, and USS LST-608 at the bottom of the photo. In the middle of the photo and in the background can be seen numerous small craft along with six additional LSTs. Recognizable are USS LST-609 and USS LST-219.
    US Army Signal Corps. photo    		 Dave Kerr and Vicki Purl Ferrier-Taylor for Purl Allan Ferrier, Seaman 1st class, SV-6 USNR.
    LST-660 150k USS LST-609 and USS LST-660 beached in the Philippines, date and location unknown. Photo by Richard R. Humpert USS LST-660
    submitted by Matt Schneider by his grandfather Richard R. Humpert
    View the USS LST-609
    DANFS history entry located at the US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Fleet Reserve Association
    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 28 August 2009