| United States Army Engineers haul a roll of wire mesh into position to make a beach roadway at Salerno. USS LST-1 is in the center background. A DUKW amphibious 2-and-a-half ton truck and 2 General Motors Corporation CCKW 2-and-a-half ton trucks are visible in the right background. USS LST-1, the lead ship in her class, was laid down on June 10, 1942, at Dravo Corporation, Neville Island, Pennsylvania, and launched into the Ohio River on September 7, 1942. Placed into reduced commission on December 5, 1942, she transited to her fitting out yard in New Orleans, Louisiana, under the command of United States Coast Guard Commander Oscar C. B. Wev (May 8, 1907 – September 19, 2001). Setting a speed record to New Orleans, USS LST-1 was placed in commission on December 14, 1942, with United States Navy Lieutenant Walter L. Chesman Senior (April 2, 1893 – March 8, 1968) in command. After stops in Norfolk, Virginia, New York City and Bermuda, the ship docked in Arzue, Algeria; there the crew experienced their 1st air raid on April 19, 1943. USS LST-1 entered the Mediterranean Sea on May 5. At the end of May 1943 USS LST-1 was based in Bizerte, Tunisia, where she would stage through 2 invasions. USS LST-1 landed troops in 6 Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel (LCVP)s on Sicily on July 10, 1943. The board davit broke for the 1st returning LCVP, but the other 5 boats were hoisted aboard. A bent shaft and a new screw meant USS LST-1 was delayed participating in the Salerno invasion. But the ship joined supplying the beaches by September 14, 1943. The ship was badly damaged by grounding in a storm on September 28; the ramp was carried away, and the bow doors were sprung. USS LST-1 returned to Bizerte without a ramp in calm waters. Full repairs were made at Palermo, Italy when the ship docked on December 17, 1943. This prepared LST-1 for the Anzio-Nettuno Landings. After participating in the initial invasion on January 22, 1944, USS LST-1 was bombed on January 29, causing a crewman to lose his life when shrapnel hit him in the neck. The ship was also glide bombed. For 6 weeks, USS LST-1 operated from Naples to Anzio, landing men and materiel under Nazi German artillery fire. A near miss killed a soldier and wounded 3 others. On April 30, 1944, USS LST-1 left for the United Kingdom, arriving in Swansea, Wales, on May 11. On June 1, the ship loaded troops and vehicles for the Normandy invasion. The ship unloaded directly on the beach on June 7. After a month of ferrying supplies from Plymouth, England, to Normandy, France, the ship entered drydock for a new screw and overhaul before returning to the Normandy supply run. After a run to Scotland to deliver boats, USS LST-1 left for the United States for the 1st time in 22 months on January 26, 1945. The ship returned to New Orleans and was decommissioned on May 21, 1946. Struck from the Naval Register on June 19, 1946, USS LST-1 earned 4 Battle Stars for World War II service. The ship was sold for scrapping on January 6, 1948, to Ships Power and Equipment Company, of Barber, New Jersey. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1954.jpg |
| Image Size | 150.30 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 1110 x 731 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | September 9, 1943 |
| Location | |
| City | Salerno |
| State or Province | Campania |
| Country | Italy |
| Archive | Naval History and Heritage Command |
| Record Number | USA C-276 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
Author of the World War II Multimedia Database