Summary
HMS LST-402/LSE-53 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.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | LST-402 |
| Ordered | as a Type S3-M-K2 hull, MCE hull 922[1] |
| Builder | Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland |
| Yard number | 2174[1] |
| Laid down | 21 August 1942 |
| Launched | 9 October 1942 |
| Commissioned | 9 December 1942 |
| Decommissioned | 24 September 1946 |
| Reclassified | LSE-53 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Returned to USN custody, 24 September 1946 |
 United States | |
| Name | LSE-53 |
| Acquired | 24 September 1946 |
| Stricken | 10 June 1947 |
| Fate | Sold for scrap |
| General characteristics [2] | |
| 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 |
|
| Service record | |
| Part of: | 1st flotilla Mediterranean |
| Operations: | |
Construction edit
LST-402 was laid down on 21 August 1942, under Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 922, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; launched 9 October 1942; then transferred to the United Kingdom and commissioned on 9 December 1942.[3]
Service history edit
LST-402 was active in the Mediterranean during the Invasion of Sicily, the Salerno landings, and the Anzio landing. She later took part in the Normandy landings in the English Channel.[2]
LST-402 was converted to LSE-53 for the 65th Maintenance Mobile Unit at the Wallsend-on-Tyne slipway.[2]
In the summer of 1945, she was assigned to service in the Far East.[2]
LST-402 saw no active service in the United States Navy. The tank landing ship was decommissioned and returned to United States Navy custody on 24 September 1946, and struck from the Navy list on 10 June 1947. She was subsequently sold for scrap, and dismantled in Gibraltar.[3][2]
See also edit
Notes edit
- Citations
Bibliography edit
Online resources
- "LST-402". 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-402". Navsource.org. 26 August 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
External links edit
- Photo gallery of LST-402 at NavSource Naval History
