 LST-357 loading vehicles before the Normandy invasion | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSLST-357 |
| Builder | Charleston Navy Yard |
| Laid down | 24 October 1942 |
| Launched | 16 November 1942 |
| Commissioned | 8 February 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 8 June 1946 |
| Stricken | 31 July 1946 |
| Honours & awards | 3battle stars |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 1 April 1948 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | LST-1-classtank landing ship |
| Displacement | 4,080 long tons (4,145 t) full |
| Length | 328 ft (100 m) |
| Beam | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Draft |
|
| Propulsion | 2 ×General Motors 900 hp (671 kW)12-567diesel engines, 2 shafts, twin rudders |
| Speed | 12knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Range | 24,000 nmi (44,000 km) at 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph) while displacing 3960 tons |
| Complement | 9 officers, 120 enlisted |
| Armament | |
USSLST-357 was anLST-1-classtank landing ship of theUnited States Navy active during theSecond World War. Whilst never formally named, she was nicknamedPalermo Pete by her crew.
She was laid down in October 1942 at theCharleston Navy Yard, and commissioned in February 1943.
LST-357 first saw action at theinvasion of Sicily in July 1943. During theSalerno landings on 9 September, a crew of just under 150 of all ranks took some 90 casualties. One crew member,Warren C. Gill, was awarded theNavy Cross for his actions, making him one of just sixCoast Guardsmen to be awarded the Navy Cross during World War II.[1]
In 1944 she moved to England for theNormandy landings, landing onOmaha Beach on D-Day.
Following the end of the war, she served on occupation duties in the Far East, before being decommissioned in June 1946 and sold for scrapping in April 1948.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
