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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-386


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Papa - Yankee - Oscar
 NPYO
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
American Campaign Medal - European-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (5) - World War II Victory Medal

USS LST-386 was transferred to the Royal Navy in 1944
LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 9 June 1942, at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, VA.
  • Launched, 28 September 1942
  • Commissioned USS LST-386, 10 November 1942, LT. H. R. Fleck, Harold R. USNR in command
  • During World War II USS LST-386 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
    North African operation
    Tunisian operation, 8 November 1942 to 9 July 1943     		West Coast of Italy operations
    Anzio-Nettuno advanced landings, 19 February to 1 March 1944
    Sicilian occupation 9 to 15 July 1943 Invasion of Normandy 6 to 25 June 1944
    Salerno landings, 9 to 15 September 1943  

  • Decommissioned and transferred to the United Kingdom, 9 December 1944, commissioned HM LST-386
  • Returned to US Naval custody, 15 October 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 10 December 1946
  • Final Disposition, sold to Frozen Foods, Inc. Scotland, for conversion to merchant service, 5 June 1947
  • USS LST-386 earned five battle stars for World War II service
    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-386 232k USS LST-386 underway towing a section of a Rhino barge. Further pontoon sections are carried on each side amidships, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo from "Allied Landing Craft and Ships of World War Two" by the US Division of Naval Intelligence.    		 Robert Hurst
    LST-386 249k USS LST-386 unloading troops onto a causeway at Licata, Sicily, date unknown. Note the improvised runway for light planes US Army L4 (Grasshopper) observation planes visible above the main deck.
    US Army Signal Corps photo.    		 Raymond Cvetovich, Ph.D.
    LST-386 218k USS LST-386 beached while unloading French troops and vehicles at Provence, France in August 1944 Note the steel pontoon (Rhino Ferry) secured to her starboard side. The second photo is a colorized cropped version of the photo made into a French postcard.
    US Navy photo.    		 (1016038604)-Raymond Cvetovich, Ph.D.Ed
    (1016038601)-Storey, Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret., and Tommy Trampp
    LST-386 351k
    USS LST-386
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Fleck, Harold R., USNR10 November 1942 - September 1943
    02LTjg. Pace, David A., USNRSeptember 1943 - September 1944
    03LT. Lundell, Wilbur H., USNRSeptember 1944 - 9 December 1944
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

    For more photos and information about USS LST-386 see;
  • The Brodie System - Runway On A Rope
  • Brodie System YouTube video
  • Brodie Landing System
  • The Saga of the Seasick US Army Piper Cubs on the Navy's Smallest Aircraft Carriers
  • "LST Large Slow Target" U.S. Naval Institute
  • 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 by David W. Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 17 March 2017