21°21′25.83″N 157°59′49.98″W / 21.3571750°N 157.9972167°W / 21.3571750; -157.9972167
LST-353 unloading in the Solomons, June 1943
History United States Name USS LST-353 Builder Charleston Navy Yard Laid down 15 July 1942 Launched 12 October 1942 Commissioned 27 November 1942 Stricken 18 July 1944 Honours and 3 battle stars and Navy Unit Commendation (WWII) Fate Sunk, 21 May 1944 General characteristics Class and type LST-1 -classtank landing ship Displacement
1,780 long tons (1,809 t) light
3,880 long tons (3,942 t) full
Length 328 ft (100 m) Beam 50 ft (15 m) Draft
Unloaded :Bow: 2 ft 4 in (0.71 m)
Stern: 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
Loaded :Bow: 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m)
Stern: 14 ft 1 in (4.29 m)
Depth
8 ft (2.4 m) forward
14 ft 4 in (4.37 m) aft (full load)
Propulsion 2 General Motors 12-567 diesel engines , two shafts, twin rudders Speed 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) Boats & landing Two or six LCVPs Troops approx. 140 officers and enlisted Complement 8-10 officers, 100-115 enlisted Armament
USS LST-353 was an LST-1 -classtank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II . It was destroyed on 21 May 1944 when an explosion on its deck sparked the West Loch Disaster in Pearl Harbor naval base.
Construction and service
LST-353 was laid down on 15 July 1942 at the Charleston Navy Yard ; launched on 12 October 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Estelle Lynette Cushman; and commissioned on 27 November 1942. During World War II, LST-353 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the following operations: the consolidation of the southern Solomons (June, 1943); the New Georgia -Rendova -Vangunu occupation (July, 1943); the Vella Lavella occupation (August, 1943); and the occupation and defense of Cape Torokina (November, 1943).
Loss
On 21 May 1944 she was sunk by internal explosion while moored in West Loch at Pearl Harbor , Hawaii and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 18 July 1944.
Five other LSTs were so damaged from the fire caused by the explosion that they too sank, including LST-43 LST-69 LST-179 LST-480 [1]
LST-353 earned three battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation for World War II service.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .
"LST-353 " . Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships . Retrieved 25 June 2007 ."LST-353" . Amphibious Photo Archive . Retrieved 25 June 2007 .
LST-100 — LST-199
LST-100 — LST-116 cancelledLST-117 / LST(H)-117 / T-LST-117 LST-118 / LST(H)-118 LST-119 LST-120 LST-121 / LST(H)-121 LST-122 LST-123 / LST(H)-123 LST-124 LST-125 LST-126 LST-127 LST-128 LST-129 / Cohasset LST-130 LST-131 LST-132 Zeus LST-133 LST-134 LST-135 Orestes LST-136 Egeria LST-137 LST-138 LST-139 LST-140 LST-141 LST-142 — LST-156 cancelledLST-157 LST-158 LST-159 LST-160 LST-161 LST-162 LST-163 LST-164 LST-165 LST-166 LST-167 LST-168 LST-169 LST-170 LST-171 LST-172 LST-173 LST-174 LST-175 LST-176 / T-LST-176 LST-177 LST-178 LST-179 LST-180 LST-181 LST-182 — LST-196 cancelledLST-197 LST-198 LST-199
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in May 1944
Shipwrecks
1 May: U-277 2 May: U-674 U-959 3 May: USS Donnell , U-852 4 May: U-371 U-846 5 May: USS Fechteler 6 May: U-66 U-473 U-765 7 May: HMCS Valleyfield 9 May: USS PC-558 10 May: Karukaya Totila 11 May: USS YF-415 13 May: Ro-501 14 May: America Maru Inazuma U-1234 15 May: U-731 16 May: I-176 17 May: U-616 19 May: I-16 U-960 U-1015 21 May: USS LST-353 , USS LST-480 , U-453 22 May: Asanagi Hashidate Ro-106 23 May: Ro-104 24 May: Ro-116 U-675 25 May: U-476 U-990 26 May: Ro-108 27 May: U-292 28 May: UJ 2210 29 May: USS Block Island , U-549 31 May: Ishigaki Kotaka Ro-105 U-289 Unknown date: U-240 Other incidents
United States
