History
United States
Name	USSLST-553
Builder	Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company,Evansville,Indiana
Laid down	24 January 1944
Launched	16 March 1944
Sponsored by	Miss Agnes L. Maulding
Commissioned	22 April 1944
Decommissioned	13 February 1947
Stricken	25 April 1947
Honors & awards	Fivebattle stars forWorld War II
Fate	Transferred toUnited States Army 13 February 1947
General characteristics
Class & type	LST-542-classtank landing ship
Displacement	1,780 long tons (1,809 t) light 3,640 long tons (3,698 t) full 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
Installed power	1,800horsepower (1.34megawatts)
Propulsion	Two 900-horsepower (0.67-megawatt)General Motors 12-567diesel engines, two shafts, twinrudders
Speed	12knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried	2 xLCVPs
Troops	140officers andenlisted men
Complement	8-10 officers, 100-115 enlisted men
Armament	2 × twin40 mmgun mounts 6 × single 40-millimeter gun mounts 12 ×20 mm guns

USSLST-553 was aUnited States NavyLST-542-classtank landing ship in commission from 1944 to 1947.

LST-553 was laid down on 24 January 1944 atEvansville,Indiana, by theMissouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company. She waslaunched on 16 March 1944, sponsored by Miss Agnes L. Maulding, andcommissioned on 22 April 1944.

DuringWorld War II,LST-553 was assigned to thePacific Theater of Operations. She participated in thecapture and occupation of the southernPalau Islands in September and October 1944. She then took part in thePhilippines campaign, participating in theLeyte landings in October and November 1944, theLingayen Gulf landings in January 1945, and the landings atZambales andSubic Bay in January 1945. She then participated in theassault on and occupation ofOkinawa Gunto from April through June 1945.

Following the war,LST-553, commanded byLieutenant William George Keat, conductedminesweeping operations in the waters surrounding theHome Islands ofJapanin the Port of Yokohoma and performedoccupation duty in theFar East (South China Sea) until late January 1947. Minesweeping Operations were conducted with mattresses padding the wheel house to buffer personnel from detonating mines, and occupation duties included survey visits by ships officers to both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On 22 September 1945, she struck amine and sank, but she was refloated and returned to service.^[1]

LST-553 wasdecommissioned on 13 February 1947 and transferred to theUnited States Army atYokohama, Japan, the same day. She was stricken from theNavy List on 25 April 1947.

LST-553 received fivebattle stars for her World War II service.

•  This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
• NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive LST-553

• LST-542-class tank landing ships
• World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States
• Ships built in Evansville, Indiana
• 1944 ships
• Maritime incidents in September 1945

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