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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-48

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Yankee - Quebec - Yankee
NYQY

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon - (Normandy 1944) - American Campaign Medal - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (2)
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)

LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 8 August 1943, at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, PA.

Launched, 2 October 1943

Placed in reduced commission, 30 October 1943, for transit to her fitting out yard at New Orleans, LA.

Placed in full Commission as USS LST-48, 16 November 1943, LT. John E. Chadwick, USNR, in command

During World War II USS LST-48 was assigned to both the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign	Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
Invasion of Normandy, 6 to 25 June 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 30 May to 10 June 1945
Invasion of southern France, 15 August to 25 September 1944

While assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater USS LST-48 came under the command of:
LST Flotilla Thirty-Five, CAPT. D. H. Johnston USN (22);
LST Group One Hundred Three, CDR. A L. Warburton USN (24);
LST Division Two Hundred Six

Following World War II USS LST-48 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 16 November 1945 to 25 April 1946

Decommissioned, 8 February 1946, and turned over to Commander Naval Forces Far East (COMNAVFE) Shipping Control Authority for Japan (SCAJAP), redesignated Q049

Struck from the Naval Register, 5 December 1947

USS LST-48 earned three battle stars for World War II service

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 27 May 1948, to Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, PA.

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
	268k	*LST-48* ready for launching, 2 October 1943, at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, PA.	Yu Chu
1016004803	82k	The ship's sponsor. Mrs. A. E. Stacey, christens *LST-48* as the ship is launched, 2 October 1943, at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, PA. Photo from picryl.com by National Museum of the U.S. Navy	John Spivey
	233k	*LST-48* launching, 2 October 1943, at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, PA. US National Archives photo # 80-G-207975:, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.	Michael Mohl

USS LST-48
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LT. Chadwick, John E., USNR	16 November 1943 - August 1945
02	LTjg. Torrance, Robert Z., USNR	August 1945 - 8 February 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 14 March 2025