USS LST-38

Left to Right; LST-122, LST-38, LST-221 and LST-456 beached at Finschhaven, 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 & awards	4 × battle stars
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 5 December 1947
General characteristics [1]
Type	LST-1-class tank 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 Diesel 12-567A diesel engines 1,700  shp (1,300  kW)
Propulsion	1 × Falk main reduction 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 x LCVPs
Capacity	2,100 tons oceangoing maximum 350 tons main deckload
Troops	16 officers, 147 enlisted men
Complement	13 officers, 104 enlisted men
Armament	Varied, ultimate armament 2 × twin 40 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

USS LST-38 was a United States Navy LST-1-class tank landing ship used exclusively in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II. Like many of her class, she was not named and is properly referred to by her hull designation.

Construction

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

Service history

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

Post-war decommissioning

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

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

Awards

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

See also

• Landing craft
• List of United States Navy LSTs

References

1. Navsource 2017.
2. DANFS 2015.

Bibliography

• "LST-38". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships . Naval History and Heritage Command. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2018. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• "USS LST-38". NavSource. 13 October 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2018.