USS LST-84
Encyclopedia
USS LST-84 was one of the hundreds of Tank landing ship
Tank landing ship
Landing Ship, Tank was the military designation for naval vessels created during World War II to support amphibious operations by carrying significant quantities of vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto an unimproved shore....
s built during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to support amphibious military operations. Her role was to carry significant quantities of vehicles, cargo, and troops directly onto an unimproved shore. The ship was sponsored by Mrs. W. Raymond Brendel. The ship was constructed inland at Jeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville is a city in Clark County, Indiana, along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It is directly across the Ohio River to the north of Louisville, Kentucky along I-65. The population was 44,953 at the 2010 census...
, by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co. as coastal ship yards were used to build larger naval vessels. The ship traversed the Ohio and Mississippi River to reach open water.
World War II operations
During World War II, LST-84 was assigned to the Pacific theaterPacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
, earing five battle stars
Service star
A service star, also referred to as a battle star, campaign star, or engagement star, is an attachment to a United States military decoration which denotes participation in military campaigns or multiple bestowals of the same award. Service stars are typically issued for campaign medals, service...
for participation in the following operations:
- Gilbert IslandsGilbert IslandsThe Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
operation, - Marshall IslandsMarshall IslandsThe Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
operation, occupation of KwajaleinKwajaleinKwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
and MajuroMajuroMajuro , is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll itself has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of...
Atolls - February 1944, - MarianasMariana IslandsThe Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
operation, capture and occupation of SaipanSaipanSaipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
- June and July 1944, capture and occupation TinianTinianTinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
- July 1944, - Iwo JimaIwo JimaIwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
operation, assault and occupation of Iwo Jima - February and March 1945.
Ship history highlights
10 November 1943 - During the Gilbert Island operations, conducted salvageMarine salvage
Marine salvage is the process of rescuing a ship, its cargo, or other property from peril. Salvage encompasses rescue towing, refloating a sunken or grounded vessel, or patching or repairing a ship...
operations on LST-84.
17 June 1944 - During the Marianas operation, LST-84 was damaged by another US Navy ship as a result of a friendly fire
Friendly fire
Friendly fire is inadvertent firing towards one's own or otherwise friendly forces while attempting to engage enemy forces, particularly where this results in injury or death. A death resulting from a negligent discharge is not considered friendly fire...
incident.
21 February 1945 - During the Iwo Jima operation, machine guns of the US Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
506th Anti-Aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
Gun Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
, mounted on the deck of LST-84 cooperated with the 40 mm guns of the ship to shoot down a Japanese aircraft during a raid.
17 June 1945 - Following the invasion of Saipan, Admiral Spruance
Raymond A. Spruance
Raymond Ames Spruance was a United States Navy admiral in World War II.Spruance commanded US naval forces during two of the most significant naval battles in the Pacific theater, the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine Sea...
ordered that transports not required for immediate unloading be withdrawn from the Saipan area. In the early evening, shortly after a convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
, including LST-84, got underway it was attacked by a formation of Japanese aircraft. LST-84 was struck by a bomb and set afire. The fire raged furiously for some time but the blaze was brought under control by the crew with assistance from the . The damage was not vital and LST-84 was able to continue with the convoy.
Refit as hospital ship
Just prior to the end of World War II, LST-84 was refitted as a hospital shipHospital ship
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....
and recommissioned Landing Ship Tank (Hospital)
LSTH
An LSTH was designed to act as a hospital ship, but because they retained armament were not officially designated as such. The Tank Landing Ship was a vessel designed to beach itself and unload equipment, vehicles, tanks, and troops onto an enemy beach...
LST(H)-84. She continued in this role during the post-war occupation until early March 1946.
Fate
Upon her return to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the ship was decommissioned on 2 March 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 31 October 1947. On 20 April 1948, she was sold to the Bethlehem Steel Co. who scrapped the ship in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
.