542 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 1 June 1944, at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham MA.

Launched, 5 July 1944

Commissioned USS LST-928, 30 July 1944, LT. Clifford R. Stearns USNR in command

During World War II USS LST-928 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:

LST Flotilla Six, CAPT. Laidlaw USN (25);

LST Group Eighteen, CDR. P. Neikum USNR Ret. (26);

LST Division Thirty-Five and participated in the following campaign:

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign

Campaign and Dates

Iwo Jima operation

Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 19 February to 16 March 1945

Reclassified Self-propelled Barracks Ship, APB-50, named USS Cameron, 1 July 1945

Decommissioned, 13 December 1946

Laid up in the Reserve Fleet at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard

Struck from the Naval Register, 23 July 1959

USS LST-928 earned one battle star for World War II service

Final Disposition, sold in 1959 to Pacific Inland Navigation Co., Portland, OR. for $131,000.00, for for non-transportation use on the Columbia River

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