USS LST-559

History
United States
Name	USS LST-559
Builder	Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company, Evansville, Indiana
Laid down	14 February 1944
Launched	18 April 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. Carl J. Futter
Commissioned	9 May 1944
Decommissioned	1 June 1946
Stricken	19 June 1946
Honors and awards	Four battle stars for World War II
Fate	Sold 5 December 1947 Sunk as breakwater
General characteristics
Class and type	LST-542-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-ton load
Length	328 ft (100 m)
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-ton load: 3 ft 11 in (1.19 m) forward; 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) aft
Installed power	1,800 horsepower (1.34 megawatts)
Propulsion	Two 900-horsepower (0.67-megawatt) General Motors 12-567 diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders
Speed	12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Range	24,000 nautical miles (44,448 kilometerss) at 9 knots while displacing 3,960 tons
Boats & landing craft carried	2 x LCVPs
Capacity	1,600-1,900 tons cargo depending on mission
Troops	16 officers, 147 enlisted men
Complement	7 officers, 104 enlisted men
Armament	2 × twin 40 mm gun mounts 4 × single 40-millimeter gun mounts 12 × 20 mm guns

USS LST-559 was a United States Navy LST-542-class tank landing ship in commission from 1944 to 1946.

Construction and commissioning

LST-559 was laid down on 14 February 1944 at Evansville, Indiana, by the Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company. She was launched on 18 April 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Carl J. Futter, and commissioned on 9 May 1944.

Service history

During World War II, LST-559 was assigned to the Pacific Theater of Operations. She participated in the capture and occupation of the southern Palau Islands in September and October 1944. She then took part in the Philippines campaign, participating in the Leyte landings in October and November 1944 and invasion of at Lingayen Gulf in January 1945. She then participated in the assault on and occupation of Okinawa Gunto in April 1945.

Following the war, LST-559 performed occupation duty in the Far East and service in China until mid-May 1946.

Decommissioning and disposal

LST-559 was decommissioned on 1 June 1946 at Naval Station Subic Bay on Luzon in the Philippines. She stricken from the Navy List on 19 June 1946. On 5 December 1947, she was sold to Bosey in the Philippines, where her hulk was sunk to extend the breakwater in Subic Bay.^[1]

Honors and awards

LST-559 earned four battle stars for her World War II service.

References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive LST-559

This page was last edited on 14 June 2022, at 06:01