HM LST-421

HMS LST-421 was a United States Navy LST-1-class tank landing ship that was transferred to the Royal Navy during World War II. As with many of her class, the ship was never named. Instead, she was referred to by her hull designation.

History
United Kingdom
Name: LST-421
Ordered: as a Type S3-M-K2 hull, MCE hull 941[1]
Builder: Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Yard number: 2193[1]
Laid down: 11 November 1942
Launched: 5 December 1942
Commissioned: 26 January 1943
Decommissioned: 29 November 1946
Identification: Hull symbol: LST-421
Fate: returned to USN custody, 29 November 1946
United States
Name: LST-421
Acquired: 29 November 1946
Stricken: 1 August 1947
Fate: sold for conversion to merchant service, 7 October 1947
Status: fate unknown
General characteristics [2]
Class and type: LST-1-class tank landing ship
Displacement:
  • 1,625 long tons (1,651 t) (light)
  • 4,080 long tons (4,145 t) (full (seagoing draft with 1,675 short tons (1,520 t) load)
  • 2,366 long tons (2,404 t) (beaching)
Length: 328 ft (100 m) oa
Beam: 50 ft (15 m)
Draft:
  • Unloaded: 2 ft 4 in (0.71 m) forward; 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) aft
  • Full load: 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m) forward; 14 ft 1 in (4.29 m) aft
  • Landing with 500 short tons (450 t) load: 3 ft 11 in (1.19 m) forward; 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) aft
Installed power:
Propulsion:
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 x LCVPs
Capacity: 1,600–1,900 short tons (3,200,000–3,800,000 lb; 1,500,000–1,700,000 kg) cargo depending on mission
Troops: 16 officers, 147 enlisted men
Complement: 13 officers, 104 enlisted men
Armament:

Construction

LST-421 was laid down on 11 November 1942, under Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 941, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; launched 5 December 1942; then transferred to the United Kingdom and commissioned on 26 January 1943.[3]

Service history

LST-421, in company with sister ships LST-324 and LST-412, left New York, 13 March 1943, with refinery equipment bound for Curaçao, she then sailed to Freetown, Sierra Leone. LST-412 participated with the Royal Navy during the invasion of Sicily, the Salerno landings, the Anzio landings, and the invasion of Normandy, June 1944. [2]

LST-421 saw no active service in the United States Navy. She was decommissioned and returned to United States Navy custody on 29 November 1946, and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 August 1947. The tank landing ship was sold to the Tung Hwa Trading Co., Singapore, on 7 October 1947 and converted for merchant service.[3]

gollark: I have never interacted with a ”can opener”.
gollark: I'm right-handed but can do basically everything but writing with either hand, so meh.
gollark: Plus, you can amaze people by demonstrating that you have 10% more fingers than usual.
gollark: Well, 11 gets you up to 2048.
gollark: And with 12, 4096, which is obviously superior.

See also

Notes
    Citations
    1. Bethlehem-Fairfield 2008.
    2. Navsource 2006.
    3. DANFS.

    Bibliography

    Online resources

    • "LST-421". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 12 May 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
    • "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
    • "USS LST-421". Navsource.org. 3 November 2006. Retrieved 12 May 2017.


    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.