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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Orange County (LST-1068)
ex
 USS LST-1068 (1945 - 1955)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Alpha - India - Juliet
 NAIJ
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
Second Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal
Third Row - Korean Service Medal (4) - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 31 January 1945 at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, MA.
  • Launched, 3 March 1945
  • Commissioned USS LST-1068, 27 March 1945, LT. Clinton E. Voyles USNR in command
  • During World War II USS LST-1068 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Thirty-Three, CAPT. C. A. Legg USN (24);
     LST Group Ninety-Eight, LCDR. R. H. Menges USNR;
     LST Division One Hundred Ninety-Eight
  • Following World War II USS LST-1068 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods;

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    11 September to 25 October 1945
    10 to 25 November 1945
  • Decommissioned, 9 August 1946
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet
  • Recommissioned, 8 September 1950
  • During the Korean War USS LST-1068 participated in the following campaigns:

    Korean War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    First UN Counter Offensive
    9 to 15 April 1951     		Second Korean Winter
    9 to 30 March 1952
    Communist China Spring Offensive
    28 April to 20 May 1951     		Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952
    16 May to 11 June 1952
    22 to 27 June 1952
    1 July 1952
    27 August to 11 October 1952

  • Named USS Orange County (LST-1068), 1 July 1955
  • Decommissioned, 15 October 1957 ("Navy Times" 28 August 1957)
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 27 September 1957
  • USS LST-1068 earned four battle stars for Korean War service
  • Final Disposition, sunk as a target vessel, 18 June 1958
    Specifications:
    Displacement
    1,625 t.(lt)
    4,080 t.(fl) (sea-going draft w/1675 ton load)
    2,366 t.
    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/
    Contributed By
    Orange County 97k USS LST-1068 off the coast of San Diego, returning from a tour of duty in Korea during the Korean war Richard Baker
    Orange County 17k USS LST-1068 underway, date and location unknown. LST Home Port web site
    Orange County
    1016106804    		 357k USS LST-1068 underway with a deck load of vehicles, date and location unknown.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command catalog # L45-219.03.01    		 Mike Smolinski
    USS LST-1068 / USS Orange County (LST-1068)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Voyles, Clinton E. USNR27 March 1945 - December 1945
    02LTjg. Meilinger, Rex F., USNRDecember 1945 - 6 May 1946
    03LTjg. Bock, Ernst T., USNR6 May 1946 - 9 August 1946
     Decommissioned9 August 1946 - 8 September 1950
    04LT. Cobb, Loren Hatch8 September 1950 - ?
    05LT. Gardner, Marshall C., 1952 - 1953
    06LCDR. Brown, Keith Floyd, USN1953 - 1954
    08LCDR. Thompson, Lewayne, USNMarch 1955 - February 1957
    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
    Mobile Riverine Force Association
    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 7 February 2020