 USSMontgomery County (LST-1041) moored at Little Creek Amphibious Base,Virginia, 1951 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSLST-1041 |
| Builder | Dravo Corporation, Pittsburgh |
| Laid down | 12 November 1944 |
| Launched | 20 January 1945 |
| Commissioned | 19 February 1945 |
| Decommissioned | 31 January 1956 |
| Renamed | USSMontgomery County (LST-1041), 1 July 1955 |
| Stricken | 1 June 1960 |
| Fate |
|
| 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 or 6 ×LCVPs |
| Troops | Approximately 130 officers and enlisted men |
| Complement | 8–10 officers, 89–100 enlisted men |
| Armament |
|
USSMontgomery County (LST-1041) was anLST-542-classtank landing ship built for theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. Named aftercounties in 18 U.S. states, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
Originally laid down asLST-1041 by theDravo Corporation ofNeville Island, Pennsylvania, on 12 November 1944; launched on 20 January 1945, sponsored by Mrs. N. L. Gibson; ferried down theOhio andMississippi Rivers toNew Orleans; and commissioned on 19 February 1945.
Following a shakedown along the Gulf coast,LST-1041 loaded cargo and sailed for duty in the Pacific in early April. Steaming via thePanama Canal to Seattle, Washington where she was loaded with army trucks before sailing toPearl Harbor. From Pearl Harbor she sailed toEniwetok,Marshalls on 12 June and began cargo shuttle missions to American bases in the mid- and western Pacific. Operating with LST Group 97, she sailed later in the month viaGuam andSaipan toOkinawa where she unloaded military supplies in mid-July. Later that month she returned to the Marshalls and was anchored at Eniwetok when theJapanese agreed to cease hostilities.
LST-1041 thence returned to the western Pacific and from 2 to 24 September she supported occupation operations in Japan. After occupation duty, she sailed for the United States and arrivedNorfolk, Virginia, on 6 December. During the next decade this LST maintained a busy pattern of logistics, support, and amphibious training operations. She took part in numerous Atlantic Fleet and type training exercises. Training and readiness operations sent her from the east coast to theCaribbean and theGulf of Mexico.
In addition,LST-1041 took part in providing valuable support for operations offGreenland and inBaffin Bay. She carried out three logistics runs; and, during her third mission from September to November 1953 she assisted in salvaging the SSAtlantic Waters after the merchant ship grounded in the approaches toGoose Bay,Labrador.
In September 1955 she was deployed to theMediterranean for duty with the6th Fleet. During the next few months she ranged the Mediterranean from Greece to southern France. Thence, she resumed training duty out of Norfolk in February 1956. NamedUSSMontgomery County (LST-1041) on 1 July 1955, the LST continued duty with the Atlantic Fleet Amphibious Force until 31 January 1956 when she was decommissioned atGreen Cove Springs, Florida.
Assigned to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, she remained in her Florida berthing area until mid-1960. Her name was struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 1 June 1960. In August 1961 she was sold under the terms of the Military Assistance Program to the West Germany. Scheduled for conversion tobattle damage repair ship, the conversion was never undertaken and she was scrapped in 1968 without having seen any commissioned service in theGerman Navy.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
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