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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-986


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Victor - Romeo - Juliet
 NVRJ
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 (3) - World War II Victory Medal
Bottom Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 15 January 1944, at Boston Navy Yard, Boston, MA.
  • Launched, 5 March 1944
  • Commissioned USS LST-986, 14 April 1944, LT. Harold G. Waite, USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-986 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    For Okinawa only
    LST Flotilla Sixteen, CAPT. N. W. Sears;
    LST Group Forty-Seven, CDR. L. A. Drexler USN (23);
    LST Division Ninety-Three and participated in the following campaigns:

    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Marianas operation
    Capture and occupation of Guam, 22 July to 4 August 1944     		Okinawa Gunto operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 April to 7 May 1945
    Luzon operation
    Lingayen Gulf landings, 4 to 18 January 1945     		 

  • Following World War II USS LST-986 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

    Navy Occupation Service Medal
    28 October to 3 December 1945
    14 December 1945 to 4 March 1946

  • Decommissioned, 18 July 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 28 August 1946
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 4 November 1948, to Moore Drydock Co., Oakland, CA.
  • USS LST-986 earned three battle stars for World War II service
    Specifications: (as reported by Office of Naval Intelligence-1945)
    Displacement 1,625 t.(lt), 2,366 (beaching), 4,080 t.(fl) (sea-going draft w/1675 ton load)
    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"
    (max. nav.) 14' 1"
    Speed 11.6 kts. (trial)
    Endurance 24,000 miles @ 9kts. while displacing 3960 tons
    Complement
    13 officers
    106 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
    two twin 40mm gun mounts
    four single 40mm gun mounts
    six single 20mm gun mounts
    Fuel Capacity 4,320 Bbls
    Propulsion
    two General Motors 12-567A, 900hp Diesel engines
    Falk single Main reduction gears
    one Diesel-drive 100Kw, 240V. 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-986 470k USS LST-986 underway off the coast of California with LCT-1016 cradled on her main deck, 2 July 1944. David Buell
    LST-986
    1016098602    		 209k USS LST-986 at Pearl Harbor with LCT(6)-1016 cradled on her main deck, date unknown.
    Photo by by Dayton Brown    		 John Chiquoine
    USS LST-986
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LT. Waite, Harold G., USNR14 April 1944 - September 1944
    02LT. Rayner, Metthew F., USNRSeptember 1944 - December 1944
    03LT. Lozica, Anthony, USNRDecember 1944 - December 1945
    04LT. Ender, Ray A., USNRDecember 1945 - March 1946
    05LTjg. Spohn, William G., USNRMarch 1946 - 29 April 1946
    06LTjg. Bargeon, Joseph R.., USNR29 April 1946 - 18 July 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
    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 3 November 2023