 USSLST-640 on 10 June 1945 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | LST-640 |
| Builder | Chicago Bridge and Iron Co.,Seneca |
| Laid down | 27 May 1944 |
| Launched | 31 August 1944 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Mary Frances Fox |
| Commissioned | 18 September 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 30 April 1946 |
| Stricken | 19 July 1946 |
| Identification | |
| Honors & awards | SeeAwards |
| Fate | Sold for commercial use |
 Taiwan | |
| Name |
|
| Acquired | September 1954 |
| Commissioned | September 1954 |
| Renamed | fromWan You |
| Identification | Hull number: LST-202 |
| Fate | Destroyed, 10 January 1955 |
| 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 | 16 officers, 147 enlisted men |
| Complement | 7 officers, 104 enlisted men |
| Armament |
|
USSLST-640 was aLST-542-classtank landing ship in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. She was transferred to theRepublic of China Navy asROCSChung Chuan (LST-202).
LST-640 waslaid down on 27 May 1944 atAmerican Bridge Company,Ambridge,Pennsylvania.Launched on 31 August 1944 andcommissioned on 18 September 1944.[2]
During World War II,LST-640 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater. She then participated in thePalawan Island landings from 1 to 2 March 1945 andVisayan Island landings from 25 to 28 March and 2 to 4 and 7 April 1945. After the war, she was transferred to China for occupation service in April 1946 until her decommissioning.[1]
She wasdecommissioned on 30 April 1946 and struck from theNaval Register, 19 July 1946. She was sold for commercial use namedWan You.[2]
She was acquired and commissioned into the Republic of China Navy in September 1954 and renamedChung Chuan(LST-202). The ship used the number LST-202 to deceive the enemy by swapping name and pennant number with another LST,Heng Shan (ARL-335), thus makingHeng Shan the original ship to be namedChung Chuan.[3]
At the beginning of 1955, theCommunist Army strengthened its threats againstDachen, except for the capture ofYijiangshan Island, and a large-scale air raid on Dachen. At that time,Chung Chuan, which was carrying oil to the front line, was bombed on the beach by aircraft and burned after an explosion.[4] As for the old ROCSChung Chuan, which has been renamedHeng Shan, she was hit three times, but did not sink.[3] The secondChung Chuan sank after four months of service, and the two ships alongsideChung Chuan were also attacked together at the time, causing confusion among many people.
However, due to the loss ofChung Chuan (LST-202),Tai Ping (DE-22), andLing Jiang (PC-103) in the battle of Dachen, the sum of the ship numbers is four, and the navy has since been unwritten. The rule is that the hull numbers cannot add up to 4. Therefore, whenHeng Shan was changed back to her original name and pennant number, the ship number LST-202 was no longer used, and LST-221 was used instead.
LST-640 have earned the following awards:
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