USS LST-906
![]() Undated photo of LST-906 underway in the Mediterranean. She is fitted with a 220 ft × 16 ft (67.1 m × 4.9 m) temporary flight deck for launching USAAF Piper L-4 Grasshopper observation aircraft, one of which is shown, ready for launching.
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History | |
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Name | LST-906 |
Builder | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Hingham, Massachusetts |
Yard number | 3376[1] |
Laid down | 24 January 1944 |
Launched | 11 March 1944 |
Sponsored by | Mrs. Henry Levine |
Commissioned | 27 April 1944 |
Decommissioned | 20 May 1945 |
Stricken | 22 June 1945 |
Identification |
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Honors and awards | ![]() |
Fate | Sold for scrap, 22 June 1945 |
General characteristics [2] | |
Class and type | LST-542-class tank landing ship |
Displacement |
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Length | 328 ft (100 m) oa |
Beam | 50 ft (15 m) |
Draft |
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Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed | 11.6 kn (21.5 km/h; 13.3 mph) |
Range | 24,000 nmi (44,000 km; 28,000 mi) at 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph) while displacing 3,960 long tons (4,024 t) |
Boats & landing craft carried | 2 x LCVPs |
Capacity | 1,600–1,900 short tons (3,200,000–3,800,000 lb; 1,500,000–1,700,000 kg) cargo depending on mission |
Troops | 16 officers, 147 enlisted men |
Complement | 13 officers, 104 enlisted men |
Armament |
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Aircraft carried | 6 × L-4B “Grasshopper”[3] |
Aviation facilities | Custom-built mesh airstrip[3] |
USS LST-906 was an LST-542-class tank landing ship in the United States Navy. Like many of her class, she was not named and is properly referred to by her hull designation.
Construction
[edit]LST-906 was laid down on 24 January 1944, at Hingham, Massachusetts, by the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard; launched on 11 March 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Henry Levine; and commissioned on 27 April 1944.[4][2]
Service history
[edit]![](http://178.128.105.246/content-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/80-G-362841-_Invasion_of_Southern_France%2C_Toulon%2C_August_1944.png/220px-80-G-362841-_Invasion_of_Southern_France%2C_Toulon%2C_August_1944.png)
During World War II, LST-906 was assigned to the European Theatre.[4]
![](http://178.128.105.246/content-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/LST_Aircraft_Carrier.jpg/220px-LST_Aircraft_Carrier.jpg)
While in the Mediterranean, Seabees converted LST-906 into a makeshift aircraft carrier sporting a custom-built mesh airstrip above deck. She was the base for six USAAF L-4B "Grasshoppers" flown as artillery spotters for the US 3rd Infantry Division during the invasion of southern France in September 1944.[2] LST-906 was one of six LSTs to be converted. The others being LST-16, LST-158, LST-337, LST-386, and LST-525.[3]
While at anchor at Leghorn, Italy, heavy seas on 18 October 1944 caused LST-906 to drag anchor and run aground. On 6 December a storm caused further damage to the still-grounded ship.[5]
The ship was decommissioned on 20 May 1945, struck from the Navy list on 22 June 1945, and sold for scrap soon thereafter.[4]
Awards
[edit]LST-906 earned one battle star for World War II service.[4]
Notes
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ Bethlehem-Hingham 2011.
- ^ a b c Rottman & Bryan 2005, p. 47.
- ^ a b c d DANFS.
- ^ Cressman 2000.
Bibliography
[edit]Online resources
- "LST-906". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- "Bethlehem-Hingham, Hingham MA". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
- "USS LST-906". Navsource.org. 20 January 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
Printed resources
- Cressman, Robert (2000). "Chapter VI: 1944". The official chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-149-3. Retrieved 6 December 2007.
- Rottman, Gordon L.; Bryan, Tony (2005). Landing ship, tank (LST) 1942-2002. Oxford: Osprey. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-84176-923-3.
External links
[edit]- Photo gallery of LST-906 at NavSource Naval History