NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-502

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Delta - Xray - Delta
NDXD

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 (2)
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)

LST-491 Class Tank Landing Ship:

· Laid down, 18 June 1943, at Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN.

· Launched, 25 September 1943

· Commissioned USS LST-502, 8 December 1943

· During World War II USS LST-502 was assigned to both the Europe-Africa-Middle East and Asiatic-Pacific Theaters and participated in the following campaigns:

Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign

Invasion of Normandy, June 1944

Okinawa Gunto operation
Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, May and June 1945

Invasion of southern France, August and September 1944

.

· Following WWII USS LST-502 performed occupation duty in the Far East until January 1946

· Decommissioned, 4 February 1946

· Struck from the Naval Register, 23 December 1947

· Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 20 May 1948, to Consolidated Builders, Inc., Seattle, WA.

· USS LST-502 earned three battle stars for World War II service

Specifications: (as reported by Office of Naval Intelligence-1945)
Displacement 1,625 t.(lt), 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)
Speed 12 kts. (maximum)
Endurance 24,000 miles @ 9kts. while displacing 3960 tons
Complement

7 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
Propulsion two General Motors 12-567, 900hp diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders

Raymond Pannek