USS LST-552

History
United States
Name	USS LST-552
Builder	Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company, Evansville, Indiana
Laid down	19 January 1944
Launched	14 March 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. Robert A. Burns
Commissioned	19 April 1944
Decommissioned	19 April 1946
Stricken	1 May 1946
Honors and; awards	Four battle stars for World War II
Fate	Sold for scrapping 3 November 1947
General characteristics
Class and type	LST-542-class tank landing ship
Displacement	1,625 long tons (1,651 t) light; 4,080 long tons (4,145 t) full (seagoing draft with 1,675-ton load;
Length	328 ft (100 m)
Beam	50 ft (15 m)
Draft	Unloaded 2 ft 4 in (0.71 m) forward; 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) aft; Full load: 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m) forward; 14 ft 1 in (4.29 m) aft; Landing with 500-ton load: 3 ft 11 in (1.19 m) forward; 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) aft;
Installed power	1,800 horsepower (1.34 megawatts)
Propulsion	Two 900-horsepower (0.67-megawatt) General Motors 12-567 diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders
Speed	12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Range	24,000 nautical miles (44,448 kilometerss) at 9 knots while displacing 3,960 tons
Boats & landing ; craft carried	2 x LCVPs
Capacity	1,600–1,900 tons cargo depending on mission
Troops	16 officers, 147 enlisted men
Complement	7 officers, 104 enlisted men
Armament	2 × twin 40 mm gun mounts; 4 × single 40-millimeter gun mounts; 12 × 20 mm guns;

USS LST-552 was a United States Navy LST-542-class tank landing ship in commission from 1944 to 1946.

Construction and commissioning

LST-552 was laid down on 19 January 1944 at Evansville, Indiana, by the Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company. She was launched on 14 March 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Robert A. Burns, and commissioned on 19 April 1944.

Service history

During World War II, LST-552 was assigned to the Pacific Theater of Operations. She participated in the capture and occupation of the southern Palau Islands in September and October 1944. She then took part in the Philippines campaign, participating in the Leyte landings in October and November 1944 and the landings at Zambales and Subic Bay in January 1945.

LST-552 was damaged in a Japanese air attack on Leyte Gulf on 24 October 1944. A Wildcat fighter pilot, Lt. Ralph Elliott off USS Savo Island, shot down a twin-engine bomber that he thought crashed into an LST. Other information indicates that 552 sustained bomb damage.

She then participated in the assault on and occupation of Okinawa Gunto in April 1945.

Following the war, LST-552 performed occupation duty in the Far East – during which Lieutenant Robert J. McKenna succeeded Lieutenant Sandvigen as commanding officer on 23 September 1945 – until mid-October 1945, when she departed to return to the United States.

Decommissioning and disposal

LST-552 was decommissioned on 19 April 1946 and stricken from the Navy List on 1 May 1946. On 3 November 1947, she was sold to Dulien Steel Products, Inc. of Seattle, Washington, for scrapping.

Honors and awards

LST-552 received four battle stars for her World War II service.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive LST-552
[1]