.png) Jefferson County under way | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSLST-845 |
| Builder | American Bridge Company,Ambridge, Pennsylvania |
| Laid down | 23 October 1944 |
| Launched | 7 December 1944 |
| Commissioned | 1 January 1945 |
| Decommissioned | 28 November 1960 |
| Renamed | USSJefferson County (LST-845), 1 July 1955 |
| Stricken | 1 February 1961 |
| Honours & awards | 5battle stars (Korea) |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping, 22 August 1961 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & 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 |
|
USSJefferson County (LST-845) was anLST-542-classtank landing ship built for theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. Named aftercounties in 25 states, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
USSLST-845 was laid down by theAmerican Bridge Company,Ambridge, Pennsylvania, on 23 October 1944; launched on 7 December 1944; sponsored by Mrs. B. F. Fairless; and commissioned atNew Orleans, Louisiana, on 1 January 1945.
After shakedown off the Florida coast,LST-845 departed New Orleans for the West Coast on 7 February. Steaming via thePanama Canal, she loaded cargo at San Diego and San Francisco, then sailed on 15 March for theHawaiian Islands. She touched atMaui on 24 March to unload cargo; reachedPearl Harbor the 26th; and returned to Maui on 4 April for amphibious training operations. While beached on 6 April, she broached in heavy surf and sustained heavy damage to her hull. Towed out to sea on 9 April, she underwent repairs at Pearl Harbor from 10 April to 27 Julybefore resuming amphibious training.
Carrying troops and cargo,LST-845 departed Pearl Harbor in convoy for Japan on 29 August. She arrivedSasebo on 22 September and supported occupation landings before sailing for thePhilippines three days later. Steaming viaSubic Bay, she reachedLingayen Gulf on 7 October to embark more occupation troops for transportation to Japan. Between 12 and 19 October she sailed to Sasebo; and, during the next month, she supported occupation operations along the western coast ofKyushu Island. Departing Sasebo late in November, she steamed via theMarianas to Pearl Harbor where she arrived 20 January 1946.
LST-845 operated out of Pearl Harbor until 29 April when she sailed for theFar East. Sailing viaOkinawa, she arrived offShanghai, China, on 30 May. During the next two months, she operated fromNanjing toHankou in theYangtze River, carrying men and military cargo and supportingChiang Kai-shek'sChinese Nationalist troops during thecivil war between them and theChinese Communist Party. She departed Shanghai on 24 July; and, after steaming on cargo runs to the Philippines and Okinawa, she returned toQingdao, China, on 3 September, loaded with military cargo. Then, from 9 to 28 September, she sailed to Pearl Harbor. Departing 4 December for the West Coast, she touched at San Francisco the 15th and reached San Diego on 20 December.
During the next two years she took part in amphibious training operations out ofSan Diego. Between 10 January and 4 March 1949 she transported cargo toJuneau andKodiak, Alaska. Departing San Diego on 16 May,LST-845 made a cargo run to the mid-Pacific, carrying military supplies to bases in theMarshall Islands and theMariana Islands. After returning to San Diego on 17 July, she operated offSouthern California during the next 12 months.
In response to the invasion ofSouth Korea byNorth Korean troops on 25 June 1950,LST-845 departed San Diego on 10 August and sailed to the Far East to bolster the American effort to repel this Communist aggression. ArrivingKobe, Japan, on 6 September, she embarked combat troops and departed on 10 September for amphibiouslandings at Inchon, Korea, which were designed to thwart the Communist advance through South Korea and spearhead an Allied offensive northward. Standing off Inchon, she boated troops for the assault; and, following the successful landings, she remained off Inchon during the next mouth to unload military cargo. She departed Inchon on 15 October and steamed to the eastern coast of Korea to carry cargo fromPusan toWonsan andHŭngnam. Following the entrance of Communist China into the Korean War,LST-845 supported theevacuation of Hŭngnam and made three runs south to Pusan. On 24 December she helped evacuate the remaining military forces before sailing via Pusan to Japan where she arrivedYokosuka on 31 December. During the next few monthsLST-845 continued to carry cargo between Japan and ports in South Korea. She departed Yokosuka on 25 April 1951, sailed via Pearl Harbor, and reached San Diego on 23 May.
LST-845 took part in amphibious training operations for the better part of a year; and, after overhaul, she departed San Diego on 26 May 1952 to again support U.N. forces in Korea. ArrivingSasebo, Japan, on 10 July, she spent more than six months in Japanese and Korean waters bolstering the naval supply line to South Korea. She departed theFar East on 4 February 1953, arrived San Diego on 5 March, and operated off Southern California during the remainder of 1953.
Departing San Diego on 25 January 1954,LST-845 steamed on her third deployment with the 7th Fleet in the Far East. She reachedYokosuka on 25 February; and during the next five months cargo runs and amphibious exercises sent her from Japan to Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Inchon. On 14 August she departed Yokosuka forHaiphong,North Vietnam, to provide support for "Operation Passage to Freedom." She reached Haiphong on 27 August and made four runs toTourane,South Vietnam, during the several weeks. In addition to transporting military cargo, she carried civilian refugees seeking to escape from Communist domination in North Vietnam. After returning to Yokosuka on 20 October,LST-845 sailed for the United States on 7 November and arrived San Diego on 12 December.
While operating out of San Diego,LST-845 was renamedUSSJefferson County (LST-845) on 1 July 1955. She trained along the California coast until 13 August 1957 when she again departed for the western Pacific. She arrived Yokosuka on 13 September and resumed cargo runs and amphibious exercises which carried her along the Japanese coast to Okinawa,Hong Kong, and thePhilippines. DepartingDingalan Bay, Luzon on 1 March, she arrived San Diego on 1 April.Jefferson County sailed for theMarshall Islands on 9 October; and, after arriving atKwajalein on 2 November, she operated during the next three months supporting the establishment of Air Force stations in the Marshalls. She returned to San Diego on 4 March 1959.
Following amphibious training out of San Diego, she departed for the Far East on 1 October 1959. She reached Yokosuka on 3 November and resumed training and readiness exercises along the coast of Japan. Sailing for the United States on 12 April 1960, she arrived San Diego on 5 May.
Jefferson County was decommissioned at San Diego on 28 November 1960 and entered thePacific Reserve Fleet. Her name was struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 1 February 1961. She was sold for scrapping toZidell Explorations, Inc. ofPortland, Oregon, on 22 August 1961.
LST-845 received fivebattle stars for Korean War service.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entries can be foundhere andhere.
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