| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSLST-84 |
| Builder | Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co.,Jeffersonville, Indiana |
| Laid down | 13 April 1943 |
| Launched | 26 June 1943 |
| Commissioned | 14 August 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 2 March 1946 |
| Reclassified | LST(H)-84 (Landing Ship, Tank (Hospital)) 15 September 1945 |
| Stricken | 31 October 1948 |
| Honours & awards | 5battle stars (WWII) |
| Fate | Scrapped, 20 April 1948 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | LST-1-classtank landing ship |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 328 ft (100 m) |
| Beam | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Draft |
|
| Propulsion | 2General Motors12-567diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders |
| Speed | 12knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | Two to sixLCVPs |
| Troops | approx. 140 officers and enlisted |
| Complement | 8-10 officers, 100-115 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
USSLST-84 was one of the hundreds ofTank landing ships built duringWorld War II to support amphibious military operations. Her role was to carry significant quantities of vehicles, cargo, and troops directly onto an unimproved shore. The ship was sponsored by Mrs. W. Raymond Brendel. The ship was constructed inland atJeffersonville, Indiana, by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co. as coastal ship yards were used to build larger naval vessels. The ship traversed the Ohio and Mississippi River to reach open water.
During World War II,LST-84 was assigned to thePacific theater, earning fivebattle stars for participation in the following operations:
10 November 1943 - During the Gilbert Island operations,Clamp (ARS-33) conductedsalvage operations onLST-84.
17 June 1944 - During the Marianas operation,LST-84 was damaged by another US Navy ship as a result of afriendly fire incident.
21 February 1945 - During the Iwo Jima operation, machine guns of theUS Army 506thAnti-Aircraft GunBattalion, mounted on the deck ofLST-84 cooperated with the 40 mm guns of the ship to shoot down a Japanese aircraft during a raid.
17 June 1945 - Following the invasion of Saipan, AdmiralSpruance ordered that transports not required for immediate unloading be withdrawn from the Saipan area. In the early evening, shortly after aconvoy, includingLST-84, got underway it was attacked by a formation of Japanese aircraft.LST-84 was struck by a bomb and set afire. The fire raged furiously for some time but the blaze was brought under control by the crew with assistance from theCinchona (AN-12). The damage was not vital andLST-84 was able to continue with the convoy.
Just prior to the end of World War II,LST-84 was refitted as ahospital ship and recommissionedLanding Ship Tank (Hospital) LST(H)-84. She continued in this role during the post-war occupation until early March 1946.
Upon her return to theUnited States, the ship was decommissioned on 2 March 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 31 October 1947. On 20 April 1948, she was sold to theBethlehem Steel Co. who scrapped the ship inSeattle, Washington.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
