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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-345


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Yankee - Xray - Papa
 NYXP
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
American Campaign Medal - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (3) - World War II Victory Medal
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 17 October 1942 at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA.
  • Launched, 15 December 1942
  • Commissioned USS LST 345, 21 January 1943, LT. David H. Adams, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-345 was assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and participated in the following campaigns;

    Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Sicilian occupation, 9 to 15 July 1943 Invasion of Normandy, 6 to 25 June 1944
    Salerno landings, 9 to 21 September 1943  

  • Decommissioned, 5 December 1945
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 3 January 1946
  • USS LST-345 earned three battle stars for World War II service
  • Sold, 23 March 1948, to Ships and Power Equipment Corp., Barber, N.J.
  • Resold in 1948 to Shell Oil Co.
  • Rebuilt as a shallow draft tanker suitable for Shell’s movement of crude oil from their Lake Maracaibo oil fields to the Shell refineries in Aruba and Curacao
  • Named MT Luisa, reflagged Venezuela
  • Final Disposition, scrapped in 1957
    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-345
    LST-345
    1016034503
    T/L 733839    		 306k USS LST-345 loading U.S. Army troops for Italy, at Bizerte, Tunisia, 1 October 1945.
    Note, the Life Magazine photographer, Margaret Bourke White, appears to be in photo 1016034506 standing on the LST ramp looking up, a strange contrast to the troops and sailors milling around her.
    Photo by Margaret Bourke-White, Life Magazine, TimeLife images 733839, 737970, 733810 and 733839. For personal non-commercial use only     		David Upton
    LST-345
    1016034504
    T/L 737970    		 276k
    LST-345
    1016034505
    T/L 733810    		 356k
    LST-345
    1016034506
    T/L 733839    		 308k
    LST-345
    1016034508    		 120k USS LST-345 approaching a jetty in an English port, 8 June 1944, with Canadian wounded from Normanany, France.
    Youtube single frame scenes from the CBC archives "The National". Special thanks to historians Dale Gervais, Benjamin Moogk and Brad C. Croix, with restoration work by Rick's Film Restoration.    		 Barry Miller
    LST-345
    1016034507    		 169k
    LST-345
    1016034501    		 20k USS LST-345 at anchor with bow doors open, date and location unknown LST-361 web site
    Merchant Service Shell Oil Co.
    LST-345 102k Ex-USS LST-345 in merchant service as the Shell Oil Co. Venezuela flagged tanker MT Luisa, moored pierside, date and locations unknown. Jim Swank
    USS LST-345
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Adams, David H., USNR21 January 1943 - January 1944
    02LT. DeLaplane, James J., USNRJanuary 1944 - August 1945
    03LT. Hoyer, David G., USNRAugust 1945 - 5 December 1945
    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 War History of USS LST-345", US National Archives-Operational Records and Histories, compiled ca. 01/01/1942 - ca. 06/01/1946, documenting the period ca. 09/01/1939 - ca. 05/30/1946
    The USS LST Ship Memorial
    LST Homeport
    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 8 August 2025