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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-663

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Kilo - Whiskey - Sierra
NKWS

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 (3) - World War II Victory Medal
Bottom Row - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippine Liberation Medal (1)

LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 22 January 1944, at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA.

Launched, 8 April 1944

Commissioned USS LST-663, 5 May 1944, LT. Richard P. Lambert Jr. USNR in command

During World War II, USS LST-663 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Western Caroline Islands operation Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 6 September to 14 October 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 April to 24 June 1945
Leyte operation Leyte landings, 18 October to 6 November 1944

For the Okinawa Gunto operation USS LST-663 came under the command of:
LST Flotilla Fourteen, CAPT. E. A. Seay USN (24);
LST Group Forty, CDR. G. Reith USN (24);
LST Division Seventy-Nine

Decommissioned, 29 May 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, 19 July 1946

Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 11 December 1947, for disposal

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 11 December 1947, to Southern Shipwrecking Co., New Orleans, LA.

USS LST-663 earned three 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

9 officers

120 enlisted

Troop Accommodations

14 officers

131 enlisted

Boats 6 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
	171k	USS LST-663 at anchor, date and location unknown.		Brian Miller
	381k	Ex-USS LST-663 lying at the Gulfport Boiler and Iron Works, Port Arthur TX., in 1946. Gulfport probably carried out the demilitarization of the ship prior to her sale for scrap. Also moored pierside is and unidentified tug and the fishing vessel *G I Joe*. Photo from the files of Gulfport Boiler and Iron Works, Port Arthur, TX.		Jim Swank

USS LST-663
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Lambert Jr., Richard P., USNR	5 May 1944 - December 1945
02	LT. Yacevich, John, USN	December 1945 - 29 May 1946


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 by David W. Almond and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 5 May 2018