 HM LST-404 off the invasion beaches at Salerno, 12 September 1943, LST-404 and two unidentified PT boats are seen with Ancon in the background.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | LST-404 |
| Ordered | as a Type S3-M-K2 hull, MCE hull 924 |
| Builder | Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland |
| Yard number | 2176 |
| Laid down | 27 August 1942 |
| Launched | 28 October 1942 |
| Commissioned | 16 December 1942 |
| Identification | Hull symbol: LST-404 |
| Fate | Returned to USN custody, 14 October 1944 |
 United States | |
| Name | LST-404 |
| Acquired | 14 October 1944 |
| Stricken | 21 October 1945 |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping, November 1946 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | LST-1-class tank landing ship |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 328 ft (100 m) oa |
| Beam | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Draft |
|
| 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 or 6 x LCVPs |
| Capacity |
|
| Troops | 163 |
| Complement | 117 |
| Armament |
|
HM LST-404 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.
Construction
LST-404 was laid down on 27 August 1942, under Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 924, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; launched 28 October 1942; then transferred to the United Kingdom and commissioned on 16 December 1942.
Service history
LST-404 was used to transport elements of the 179th Regimental Combat Team to "Beach Blue" during the Salerno landings in Italy, 10 September 1943.
On the afternoon of 15 August 1944, LST-404 was returning to England from the Normandy beachhead, as part of convoy FTM 69, with wounded personnel, casualties, and prisoners of war, when she was torpedoed by U-741 about 35 miles (56 km) southeast of St. Catherine's Point. (50°02′N 0°38′W / 50.033°N 0.633°W / 50.033; -0.633) LST-413 was able to get alongside LST-404 and take off the passengers and crew, however, eight crewmen and several POWs were killed in the torpedo explosion. ATR-4 took LST-404 in tow and took her to St. Helen's Roads, Isle of Wight, and then on to Lee-on-Solent, on 16 August.
LST-404 saw no active service in the United States Navy. The tank landing ship was struck from the Navy list on 14 October 1944. She was decommissioned, returned to United States Navy custody on 21 October 1945, sold through the auspices of the State Department in November 1946, and was broken up in June 1948, at Zeebrugge.
See also
Notes
- Citations
- ^ Bethlehem-Fairfield 2008.
- ^ Navsource 2016.
- ^ DANFS.
- ^ Helgason.
Bibliography
Online resources
- "LST-404". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 28 April 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 28 April 2017.
- "USS LST-404". Navsource.org. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "HMS LST-404". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
External links
- Photo gallery of LST-404 at NavSource Naval History
| MARCOM ships built by Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland, during World War II | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Mariner-class missile range instrumentation ships Type EC2-S-C1 ships | |||||||||||
| LST-1 Landing ship, tank Type S3-M-K2 ships | |||||||||||
| Type EC2-S-22a minesweepers |
| ||||||||||
| Luzon-class internal combustion engine repair ships Type EC2-S-C1 ships | |||||||||||
| Indus-class net cargo ships Type EC2-S-C1 ships | |||||||||||
| Crater-class cargo ships Type EC2-S-C1 ships | |||||||||||
| Chourre-class aircraft repair ships Type EC2-S-C1 ships | |||||||||||
| Xanthus-class repair ships Type EC2-S-C1 ships | |||||||||||
| VC2-S-AP2 ships | |||||||||||
| Boulder Victory-class cargo ships VC2-S-AP2 ships | |||||||||||
| Merchant Liberty ships EC2-S-C1 ships |
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| Merchant Victory ships VC2-S-AP2 ships |
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| Merchant Victory ships VC2-M-AP4 ships | |||||||||||