 ROKSSuyeong in 2000. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSKane County (LST-853) |
| Laid down | 30 August 1944 |
| Launched | 17 November 1944 |
| Commissioned | 11 December 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 24 July 1946 |
| Fate |
|
| Honours & awards | Onebattle star |
 South Korea | |
| Name |
|
| Acquired | 22 December 1958 |
| Out of service | 2005 |
| Status | Museum ship until 2017; returned to the Navy in 2020 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | LST-542-classLST |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 328 ft (100 m) |
| Beam | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Draft |
|
| Propulsion | Twodiesel engines, two shafts |
| Speed |
|
| Complement | 7 officers, 204 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
USSLST-853 was anLST-542-classtank landing ship in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. Later in her U.S. Navy career she was renamedKane County (LST-853)—after counties inIllinois andUtah—but never saw active service under that name.
LST-853 was laid down on 30 August 1944 atSeneca, Illinois, by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.;launched on 17 November 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Ellen Scott De-Coursey; andcommissioned on 11 December 1944.
After shakedown offFlorida,LST-853 departedNew Orleans for thePacific 19 January 1945. She loaded troops and equipment on thewest coast before steaming fromSeattle 10 March. Sailing viaPearl Harbor,Eniwetok, andGuam, she arrived atSaipan 25 April. The landing ship embarked units of the 1878th Engineer Aviation Battalion, then sailed on the 27th forOkinawa. Arriving 6 days later in the midst of enemy air raids,LST-853 discharged men and equipment on this strategic base which lay at the gateway toJapan.
She returned to Saipan 24 May and, during the remaining months of the war, shuttled troops and equipment among theMarianas,Philippines and Okinawa staging areas for the plannedinvasion of Japan. The enemy's acceptance of Allied peace terms obviated an invasion, soLST-853 then operated in the Far East, transporting occupation forces until early December.
Arriving Saipan 13 December 1945, she embarked veterans of the Pacific fighting in the Marianas and sailed for the United States in January 1946. After arrival on the West Coast,LST-853 then sailed toAstoria, Oregon; and decommissioned atVancouver, Washington, 24 July 1946. While berthed in theColumbia River with thePacific Reserve Fleet, she was namedKane County 1 July 1955.
Under provisions of the Military Assistance Program, she was transferred to theRepublic of Korea 22 December 1958, and served the ROK navy asSuyeong (LST-813).
LST-853 earned onebattle star for World War II service.[1][2]
The ship was transferred to theRepublic of Korea on 22 December 1958, and renamedROKSSuyeong (LST-813).[3] She was later redesignatedLST-677 and retired on 29 Dec 2005. Following her retirement, she was put on display as a museum ship and tourist attraction in Danghangpo Tourism Zone,Goseong County, South Gyeongsang.[4]
Suyeong's condition deteriorated during her time on display, and in 2017 she was declared unsafe for exhibition. In 2020, she was returned to the Naval Logistics Command and towed from the Danghangpo Tourism Zone to Mokpo.[5]
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entries can be foundhere andhere.
 United States NavyLST-1-classtank landing ships |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Navy LST-491-classtank landing ships | |||||
| United States Navy LST-542-classtank landing ships |
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| United States Navy Portunus-class motor torpedo boat tenders | |||||
| United States Navy Aristaeus-class battle damage repair ships | |||||
| United States Navy Achelous-class landing craft repair ships |
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