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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-691


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Foxtrot - November - Tango
 NFNT
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - European-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (1)
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia Clasp)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 25 January 1944, at Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN.
  • Launched, 23 March 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-691, 12 May 1944, LT. John H. Monroe USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-691 was first assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater later reassigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaign:

    Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Invasion of Southern France, 15 to 26 August 1944

  • While assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater USS LST-691 came under the command of:
    LST Flotilla Thirty-Six, CAPT. D. F. J. Shea USN (23);
     LST Group One Hundred Eight, LCDR. W. R. Peeler USN (34);
     LST Division Two Hundred-Sixteen
  • Following World War II USS LST-691 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    23 September to 10 October 1945
    10 to 20 December 1945

  • Decommissioned, 14 May 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 19 June 1946
  • Final Disposition, sold, 4 November 1946, to Hughes Brothers, Inc., New York, N.Y., fate unknown
  • USS LST-691 earned one battle star 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
    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-691
    1016069101    		 58k USS LST-691 bound for Sicily in September 1944.
    Photo Courtesy Grant Averill USCG USS Vance (DE387).    		 George Blust Historian USS Vance (DE387) Association
    LST-691
    1016069102    		 58k USS LST-691 beached with LCT-850 loaded on her main deck, date and location unknown Jeffery Davis for his grandfather Everett Ranney Langford SM3/c USS LST-691
    LST-691
    1016069129
    RG-G-80-255864a    		 147k USS LST-691 beached in Southen France, August-September 1944.
    US Army photos RG-80-G-255864a and RG-80-G-255864b    		 Thierry de Villeneuve, Historian in France
    LST-691
    1016069130
    RG=80-G-255864b    		 189k
    USS LST-691
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Monroe, John H., USNR12 May 1944 - March 1946
    02LTjg. Whitman, Paul M., USNRMarch 1946 - 14 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
    Everett Ranney Langford SM3/c - USS LST-691 World War II Photo Collection<
    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
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 10 October 2025