History
United States
Name	LST-578
Builder	Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co.,Evansville
Laid down	4 May 1944
Launched	19 June 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. A. B. Morris
Commissioned	15 July 1944
Decommissioned	22 March 1946
Renamed	Q099 T-LST-578
Stricken	1958
Identification	Callsign: NEXI[1]
Honors and awards	SeeAwards
Fate	Transferred to theRepublic of China, 1958
Taiwan
Name	Chung Pang (中邦)
Acquired	21 September 1958
Commissioned	21 September 1958
Decommissioned	23 August 2018
Home port	Kaohsiung
Identification	Pennant number: LST-230
Fate	Expended as target ship
Status	Decommissioned
General characteristics
Class & type	LST-542-classtank landing ship
Displacement	1,625 long tons (1,651 t) light 4,080 long tons (4,145 t) full
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 Loaded : 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m) forward 14 ft 1 in (4.29 m) aft
Propulsion	2 ×General Motors12-567diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders
Speed	12knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried	2 ×LCVPs
Troops	16 officers, 147 enlisted men
Complement	7 officers, 104 enlisted men
Armament	8 ×40 mm guns 12 ×20 mm guns

USSLST-578 was aLST-542-classtank landing ship in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. She was transferred to theRepublic of China Navy asROCSChung Pang (LST-230).^[2]

LST-578 waslaid down on 5 May 1945 atChicago Bridge and Iron Company,Seneca,Illinois.Launched on 8 June 1945 andcommissioned on 30 June 1945.

During World War II,LST-578 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater. She then participated in theLeyte landings from 5 to 18 November 1944. In 1945, she took part in theLingayen Gulf landing from 4 to 17 January, theMindanao Island landing from 10 to 18 March, 24 March to 14 April and 17 to 23 April 1945. She was assigned to occupation and China from 20 October 1945 to 29 June 1946.^[2]

She wasdecommissioned on 1 July 1946 and assigned toCommander Naval Forces Far East (COMNAVFE)Shipping Control Authority for Japan (SCAJAP), redesignatedQ099. She was later transferred to theMilitary Sea Transportation Service (MSTS), 31 March 1952, placed in service asUSNST-LST-578. She was struck from theNaval Register on 6 February 1956 after she was transferred to the Republic of China and renamedChung Pang (LST-230).^[3]

On 23 August 2018, she was decommissioned.

On 29 July 2019, her together with her sister shipChung Kuang served as a target ship for multipleF-16s firedHarpoon missiles and was hit.^[4]

In the exercise ofHan Kuang 36 on July 15, 2020, she served as a target ship forHarpoon missiles.^[5] She refused to sink during the exercise. After the exercise ended on July 17, she was towed back to the naval pier inQijin,Kaohsiung. The side of the hull has at least two holes visible from the missiles.^[6]

LST-578 have earned the following awards:

• American Campaign Medal
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3battle stars)
• World War II Victory Medal
• Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
• Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
• Philippine Liberation Medal (2 battle stars)

• 
  Bow view of ROCSChung Pang andROCS Chung Shun
• 
  ROCSChung Pang alongside ROCS Chung Shun
• 
  ROCSChung Pang'sLCVPs and bridge
• 
  ROCSChung Pang's aft

• United States. Dept. of the Treasury (1962).Treasury Decisions Under the Customs, Internal Revenue, Industrial Alcohol, Narcotic and Other Laws, Volume 97. U.S. Government Printing Office.
• Moore, Capt. John (1984).Jane's Fighting Ships 1984-85. Jane's Information Group.ISBN 978-0710607959.
• Saunders, Stephen (2009).Jane's Fighting Ships 2009-2010. Jane's Information Group.ISBN 978-0710628886.
• Fairplay International Shipping Journal Volume 222. United Kingdom: Fairplay Publishing Limited. 1967.

• LST-542-class tank landing ships
• Ships built in Evansville, Indiana
• World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States
• LST-542-class tank landing ships of the Republic of China Navy
• 1944 ships

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from August 2021
• Ship infoboxes without an image