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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive
Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Saline County (LST-1101)
ex
 USS LST-1101 (1945 - 1955)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Alpha - Uniform - Papa
 NAUP
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 (1)
Second Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal - National Defense Service Medal
Third Row - Korean Service Medal (5) - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Korean War Service Medal

USS Saline County (LST-1101) was loaned to Germany, renamed FGS Bottrop (A-1405) and later sold to Turkey, renamed TCG Bayraktar (NL-120)
LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship:
  • Laid down, 22 November 1944, at Mission Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN.
  • Launched, 3 January 1945
  • Commissioned USS LST-1101, 26 January 1945, at New Orleans, LA., LT. James M. Trotman, Jr. USNR, in command
  • During World War II USS LST-1101 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
    LST Flotilla Thirty-Two, CAPT. D. J. Sweeny;
     LST Group Ninety-Five, CDR. J. Capponi USNR;
     LST Division One Hundred Eighty-Nine and participated in the following campaign:

    Asiatic Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Okinawa operation
    Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 26 to 30 June 1945

  • Following World War II USS LST-1101 was assigned to Occupation Service in the Far East from 29 September to 9 November 1945
  • Decommissioned, 6 June 1946, at Seattle, WA.
  • Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group
  • Recommissioned, 3 November 1950 at Bremerton Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA.
  • During the Korean War USS LST-1101 participated in the following campaigns;

    Korean War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    First UN Counter Offensive
    7 to 8 April 1951     		Third Korean Winter
    12 March to 2 April 1953
    21 to 30 April 1953
    Communist China Spring Offensive
    17 to 29 May 1951     		Korean Summer-Fall 1953
    30 May to 11 June 1953
    17 to 18 June 1953
    11 and 18 to 20 July 1953
    UN Summer-Fall Offensive
    11 to 29 September 1951     		 

  • Named USS Saline County (LST-1101), 1 July 1955
  • Decommissioned, 9 March 1960
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 November 1960
  • USS Saline County earned one battle star during World War II and five battle stars for Korean War service
  • Transferred to Germany, renamed FGS Bottrop (A-1405)
  • Converted to a mine layer, redesignated N-121, date unknown
  • Returned to US Naval Custody in September 1971
  • Sold to Turkey in December 1972, renamed TCG Bayraktar (NL-120)
  • Redesignated (A581) date unknown
    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
    USS LST-1101
    Saline County 147k USS LST-1101 prepares to evacuate the residents of Bikini Atoll in 1946, in order to use the atoll as the test site for America's newly developed atomic bomb. Tommy Trampp
    Saline County 188k USS LST-1101 underway, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo    		 David Buell
    Saline County
    1016110122    		 472k USS LST-1101 underway, circa 1950-1952.
    US National Archives photo # USN 1045660 a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives    		 Mike Smolinski
    Saline County 337k USS LST-1101 beached, probably at Inchon, South Korea, circa 1951. Probable photographer: LT. Francis X. Levy, USNR. USS LST-1101 Daniel Levy for his father, LT. Francis X. Levy, USNR LST-1101
    FGS Bottrop (A-1405) (N-121)
    Saline County 737k Ex-USS Saline County (LST-1101) in the Federal Republic of Germany naval service as FGS Bottrop (A-1405) moored pierside, date and location unknown. Wolfgang Hechler
    Saline County 574k FGS Bottrop (N-121) underway, date and location unknown. Wolfgang Hechler
    Saline County 890k FGS Bottrop (N-121) at anchor, date and location unknown. Wolfgang Hechler
    Saline County 362k FGS Bottrop (N-121) underway, date and location unknown. Wolfgang Hechler
    Saline County 113k FGS Bottrop (N-121) underway, circa 1962, location unknown. Robert Hurst
    Saline County 69k FGS Bottrop (N-121) underway, circa 1967, location unknown.
    Photo courtesy Col. Breyor.    		 Robert Hurst
    Saline County 39k FGS Bottrop (N-121) moored pierside, circa 1968, location unknown. Robert Hurst
    TCG Bayraktar (NL-120)
    Saline County 1113k Ex-USS Saline County (LST-1089) underway while in Turkish Naval service as TCG Bayraktar (NL-120). while enroute from Germany to Turkey, circa 1972. Cüneyt Demir
    Saline County 72k TCG Bayraktar (NL-120) crew photo, date and location unknown. Yucel M.Umar GMC Turkish Navy Ret.
    Saline County 70k TCG Bayraktar (NL-120) gunnery exercises, date and location unknown. Yucel M.Umar GMC Turkish Navy Ret.
    Saline County 73k TCG Bayraktar (NL-120) crew receiving an award, date and location unknown. Yucel M.Umar GMC Turkish Navy Ret.
    Saline County 70k TCG Bayraktar (NL-120) bridge crew, date and location unknown. Yucel M.Umar GMC Turkish Navy Ret.
    Saline County 103k TCG Bayraktar (NL-120) underway, date and location unknown. Cüneyt Demir
    Saline County 78k TCG Bayraktar (NL-120) underway, date and location unknown. Cüneyt Demir
    Saline County 51k TCG Bayraktar (NL-120) underway, date and location unknown. Yucel M.Umar GMC Turkish Navy Ret.
    Saline County 29k Line drawing of TCG Bayraktar (NL-120) by Cüneyt Demir Cüneyt Demir
    Saline County 474k Ex-TCG Bayraktar (NL-120) decommissioned and awaiting scrapping Cüneyt Demir
    USS Saline County (LST-1101)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers USS Saline County (LST-1101)
    01LT. Trotman Jr., James Morris, USNR26 January 1945 - 28 October 1945
    02LT. St. Clair Jr., Walter G., USNR28 October 1945 - March 1946
    03LT. Wester, Robert C., USNRMarch 1946 - 6 June 1946
     Decommissioned6 June 1946 - 3 November 1950
    04LT. Bialoek, S. G., USNR3 November 1950 - ?
    05LT. Hargrave, Seth Elbert, USN1954
    06LT. Work, David Diltz, USN1955 - 17 January 1956
    07LT. Curtin, Lawrence Joseph, USN (USNA 1947)17 January 1956 - 8 November 1957
    08LT. Collins, Jr., Frank Charles, USN 8 November 1957 - 12 December 1959
    09LT. Walling, Eugene Kirtley, USN12 December 1959 - 9 March 1960
    Commanding Officers FGS Bottrop (A-1405) (N-121)
    01LT. Ribbat, Georg-Wilhelm6 February 1964 - August 1965
    02LT. Klopp, Karl-LudwigAugust 1965 - 31 March 1968
    03LCDR. Letz, Otto1 April 1968 - 28 September 1971
    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 and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 1 March 2024