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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-861


International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - Uniform - Alpha
 NIUA
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal
Second Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 18 September 1944, at Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN.
  • Launched, 4 November 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-861, 30 November 1944, LT. George W. Jensen USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-861 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Twenty-Five, CAPT. H.E. Richter USN (24);
     LST Group Seventy-Five, CDR. G. W. Stringer USN (28);
     LST Division One Hundred Forty-Nine and participated in the following campaign:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 16 May to 30 June 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-861 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods;

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    2 to 12 September 1945
    2 January to 15 March 1946

  • USS LST-861 was assigned to Joint Task Force 1, Task Unit 1.8.1 Service Group - Repair and Service Unit for Operation Crossroads the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in July 1946 and was responsible for base facilities and services including repair, fuel, water, mail service
  • Decommissioned, 10 March 1947
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 4 April 1947
  • USS LST-861 earned one battle star for World War II service
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 10 June 1948, to Kaiser Co., Inc., Seattle, WA.
    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
    LST-861 171k USS LST-861 under way in San Francisco Bay, circa 1945.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 51442. Courtesy of D.M. McPherson, 1967.    		 US Naval History and Heritage Command
    LST-861 291k Operation Cross Roads Atomic Bomb Test On Vessels Participation Card issued to Donald L. Kees USS LST-861. Tommy Trampp
    USS LST-861
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Jensen, George W., USNR30 November 1944 - January 1946
    02LTjg. Coons, Harold Francis, USNJanuary 1946 - March 1946
    03LTjg. Danford, Masil B., USNRMarch 1946 - July 1946
    04LT. Gordon, John T., USNJuly 1946 - 2 January 1947
    05LTjg. Wallace, Robert G., USN2 January 1947 - 10 March 1947
    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
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To the Amphibious Ship Type Index Back To The Tank Landing Ship (LST) Photo Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 19 August 2016