Left to Right;LST-122,LST-38,LST-221 andLST-456 beached atFinschhaven, New Guinea, April 1944.
History
United States
Name	LST-38
Builder	Dravo Corporation,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Laid down	12 May 1943
Launched	27 July 1943
Commissioned	3 September 1943
Decommissioned	26 March 1946
Reclassified	Tank Landing Ship (Hospital), 15 September 1945
Stricken	1 May 1946
Identification	Hull symbol: LST-38 Hull symbol: LST(H)-38 Code letters: NGTC
Honors and awards	4 ×battle stars
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 5 December 1947
General characteristics[1]
Type	LST-1-classtank landing ship
Displacement	4,080 long tons (4,145 t) full load 2,160 long tons (2,190 t) landing
Length	328 ft (100 m)oa
Beam	50 ft (15 m)
Draft	Full load: 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m) forward; 14 ft 1 in (4.29 m) aft Landing at 2,160 t: 3 ft 11 in (1.19 m) forward; 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) aft
Installed power	2 × 900 hp (670 kW)Electro-Motive Diesel12-567Adiesel engines 1,700 shp (1,300 kW)
Propulsion	1 × Falk mainreduction gears 2 ×Propellers
Speed	12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Range	24,000 nmi (44,000 km; 28,000 mi) at 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph) while displacing 3,960 long tons (4,024 t)
Boats & landing craft carried	2 or 6 xLCVPs
Capacity	2,100 tons oceangoing maximum 350 tons main deckload
Troops	16officers, 147enlisted men
Complement	13 officers, 104 enlisted men
Armament	Varied, ultimate armament 2 × twin40 mm (1.57 in) Bofors guns 4 × single 40 mm Bofors guns 12 ×20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannons
Service record
Part of:	LST Flotilla 13
Operations:	Marshall Islands operations Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls (31 January–6 February 1944) Bismarck Archipelago operations Admiralty Islands landings (28 March–1 April 1944) Hollandia operation (21–27 April 1944) Assault and occupation of Guam (21–25 July 1944)
Awards:	American Campaign Medal Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal Navy Occupation Service Medal w/Asia Clasp

USSLST-38 was aUnited States NavyLST-1-classtank landing ship used exclusively in theAsiatic-Pacific Theater duringWorld War II. Like many of her class, she was not named and is properly referred to by her hull designation.

LST-38 was laid down on 14 April 1943, atPittsburgh, Pennsylvania by theDravo Corporation; launched on 27 July 1943; sponsored by Bertha Karpinski; and commissioned on 3 September 1943.^[2]

During World War II,LST-38 was assigned to theAsiatic-Pacific theater. She took part in theOccupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls in January and February 1944; theAdmiralty Islands landings in March and April 1944, theBattle of Hollandia in April 1944; and theBattle of Guam in July 1944.^[2]

Following the war,LST-38 was redesignatedLST(H)-38 on 15 September 1945. She performed occupation duty in theFar East until mid-November 1945.^[2]

Upon her return to the United States, the ship was decommissioned on 26 March 1946 and struck from theNavy list on 1 May 1946. On 5 December 1947, she was sold to theShips and Power Equipment Co., ofBarber, New Jersey, and subsequently scrapped.^[2]

LST-38 earned fourbattle stars for World War II service.^[2]

• Landing craft
• List of United States Navy LSTs

Wikimedia Commons has media related toUSS LST-38.

• Photo gallery of USSLST-38 at NavSource Naval History

• World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States
• Ships built in Pittsburgh
• 1943 ships
• LST-1-class tank landing ships of the United States Navy
• Ships built by Dravo Corporation

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from August 2018
• Source attribution
• Commons category link from Wikidata