| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSLST-904 |
| Builder | Dravo Corporation,Pittsburgh |
| Laid down | 12 November 1944 |
| Launched | 23 December 1944 |
| Commissioned | 25 January 1945 |
| Decommissioned | 15 November 1946 |
| Renamed | USSLyon County (LST-904), 1 July 1955 |
| Stricken | 31 December 1958 |
| Honors and awards | 1battle star (World War II) |
| Fate | Sunk as a target, 13 May 1959 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | LST-542-classtank landing ship |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 328 ft (100 m) |
| Beam | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Draft |
|
| Propulsion | 2 ×General Motors12-567diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders |
| Speed | 12knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 2 ×LCVPs |
| Troops | Approximately 130 officers and enlisted men |
| Complement | 8-10 officers, 89-100 enlisted men |
| Armament |
|
USSLyon County (LST-904) was anLST-542-classtank landing ship built for theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. Named after counties inIowa,Kansas,Kentucky,Minnesota, andNevada, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
Originally laid down as USSLST-904 by theDravo Corporation ofPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on 12 November 1944; launched on 23 December 1944; sponsored by Miss Betty McCallen; and commissioned atNew Orleans, Louisiana, on 25 January 1945.
Following shakedown in theGulf of Mexico,LST-904 loaded cargo at New Orleans and departed on 1 March for thePacific. She reachedPearl Harbor on 2 April, thence sailed in convoy on 16 April viaEniwetok andGuam toSaipan where she arrived on 12 May. There she embarkedArmy Signal Corps troops and equipment, and on 12 June steamed to theRyukyu Islands. ReachingOkinawa the 18th, from 23 to 28 June she beached atIe Shima before returning toHagushi to complete cargo operations. In addition she embarked marines for transfer to theMarianas. Departing on 10 July, she touched Guam the 16th and arrived Saipan two days later for availability. Between 30 July and 2 August,LST-904 steamed toIwo Jima where she loaded a cargo of steel pilings.
After returning to Saipan the 23rd, she headed for Okinawa on 29 August and began discharging cargo on 4 September. Unloading completed, she embarked men of theFifth Air Force and carried them toYokohama, Japan, between 29 September and 4 October. Between 12 October and 8 November she sailed to thePhilippine Islands and transported additional occupation troops to Japan. She operated along the Japanese coast fromAomori to Yokohama until departing for the Marianas on 7 December. She reached Saipan on 13 December, thence steamed via Guam to Pearl Harbor where she arrived on 21 January 1946.
After loadingLCT-1458 on her main deck,LST-904 departed forSan Francisco on 29 January. She arrived in early February and operated along the west coast until 10 July when she was placed in commission, in reserve with the 19th Fleet.
LST-904 decommissioned on 15 November 1946 and joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet in theColumbia River. She was namedUSSLyon County (LST-904) on 1 July 1955. On 20 October 1958 theSecretary of the Navy recommended that she be used as a target to destruction. Her name was struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 1 November. Towed toBremerton, Washington, on 31 December, her hulk was sunk in 1,280fathoms of water off the coast ofWashington on 13 May 1959 bytorpedoes fired from theCapitaine (SS-336).
LST-904 received onebattle star for World War II service.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1959 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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