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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-390

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Charlie - Juliet - Uniform
NCJU

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Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, Iwo Jima) - Navy Unit Commendation - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)

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During World War II USS LST-390 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
LST Flotilla Five, CAPT. J.R. Clark, USN
LST Group Fourteen, CDR. R.W. Lejeunesse, USN
LST Division Twenty-Seven and participated in following campaigns:

Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Treasury-Bougainville operation Occupation and defense of Cape Torokina, 11 November and 3 to 4 December 1943	Iwo Jima operation Capture and occupation of Iwo Jima, 19 to 26 February 1945
Marianas operation Capture and occupation of Saipan, 15 to 22 June 1944

Following World War II USS LST-390 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal
22 October to 14 December 1945
2 January to 12 March 1946

USS LST-390 earned three battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation for World War II service

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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

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Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description		Source
	41k	USS LST-334 (foreground) and USS LST-390 (background) between Piers 4 and 5 at Newport News VA, loading 3/4 ton 4X4 command reconnaissance cars, 1 January 1943		The Library of Virginia US Army Signal Corps Photograph Collection
1016039004	912k	Kukum Beach at Lunga Point, Guadalcanal, November 1942. Among the ships of invasion force are USS LST-390, USS LST-343. This might be the 182nd Infantry landing In the background, the terrain of Guadalcanal can be seen clearly. Hugging the coastline are neat rows of coconut groves from pre-World War II plantations. Inland, flat coastal plains give way to steep hills and soaring mountain peaks. Henderson Field, the key objective of the campaign (captured early on by the Marines) can be seen at right.		Brian Baird
	426k	USS LST-390 (foreground) and USS LST-343 (background) beached, at Kukum Beach Guadalcanal, November 1942. US Marine Corps HQ photo # HQ. Photo No. 68,688		David Leoncavallo for his grandfather Charles Lovett. USS LST-343 and USS LST-620
	457k	A bulldozer assists in the unloading of USS LST-390 while she is beached at the Green Islands, 16 February 1944, during the invasion of the islands by Allied troops. US Army Signal Corps photo # 220037		Ed Zajkowski
	73k	USS LST-588, USS LST-399, USS LST-390, LCT-1326 and other amphibious ships and landing craft on the beach at Iwo Jima, February 1945. Note: Mount Suribachi in the background.		USS LSM / LSMR Association

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USS LST-390
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

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Commanding Officers
01	LT. Baker, William J. C. USNR	29 November 1942 - 1 June 1943
02	LT. Mayer, Robert Jesse, USNR	1 June 1943 - 9 August 1943
03	LT. Stormes, F. H., USNR	9 August 1943 - 24 August 1943
04	LT. O'Brien Jr., John Joseph Patrick, USNR	24 August 1943 - 21 March 1944
05	LTjg. Edinburg, Joseph Mayer, USNR	21 march 1944 - September 1944
06	LT. Wessinger, Hall Bradley, USN	September 1944 - 1 January 1945
07	LT. Maury, James B., USNR	1 January 1945 - June 1945
08	LTjg. Colaizy, Ralph J., USNR	June 1945 - August 1945
09	LT. Van Deusen, Alden J., USNR	August 1945 - December 1945
10	LTjg. Himovitz, Nathan, USNR	December 1945 - 12 March 1946

Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

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Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
LST Flotilla Five War Diary May 1944
LST Flotilla Five War Diary July 1944
The USS LST Ship Memorial
LST Home Port
State LST Chapters
United States LST Association

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 18 July 2025