HM LST-8

HM LST-8 was a Landing Ship, Tank of the Royal Navy during World War II. Built as a LST-1-class tank landing ship in the US, she was transferred to the Royal Navy in March 1943,

HM LST-8 off-loading at Port Dickson, Malaya, 12 September 1945.
History
Name	LST-8
Builder	Dravo Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Laid down	26 July 1942
Launched	29 October 1942
Sponsored by	Mrs. Anne H. Johnson
Fate	Transferred to the Royal Navy, 22 March 1943
United Kingdom
Name	LST-8
Acquired	22 March 1943
Commissioned	23 March 1943
Decommissioned	4 May 1946
Fate	Returned to US Naval custody, 1 June 1946
United States
Acquired	1 June 1946
Stricken	3 July 1946
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 5 December 1947
General characteristics
Type	LST-1-class tank landing ship
Displacement	4,080 long tons (4,145 t) full load 2,160 long tons (2,190 t) landing
Length	328 ft (100 m) oa
Beam	50 ft (15 m)
Draft	Full load: 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m) forward; 14 ft 1 in (4.29 m) aft Landing at 2,160 t: 3 ft 11 in (1.19 m) forward; 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) aft
Installed power	2 × 900 hp (670 kW) Electro-Motive Diesel 12-567A diesel engines 1,700 shp (1,300 kW)
Propulsion	1 × Falk main reduction gears 2 × Propellers
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	2,100 tons oceangoing maximum 350 tons main deckload
Troops	163
Complement	117
Armament	Varied, ultimate armament 1 × QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun 6 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannon 4 × Fast Aerial Mine (FAM) mounts
Service record
Operations:	Invasion of Sicily Invasion of Reggio Salerno landings Anzio-Nettuno advanced landings Invasion of Normandy Invasion of Malaya

Post war she was returned to the United States Navy before disposal.

Construction

LST-8 was laid down on 26 July 1942, at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by the Dravo Corporation; launched on 29 October 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Anne H. Johnson; and transferred to the Royal Navy on 22 March 1943, and commissioned the following day.

Service history

LST-8 sailed from Hampton Roads, Virginia, for the Mediterranean on 14 May 1943, with convoy UGS 8A, arriving in Oran, Algeria, sometime before 8 June 1943.

She participated in the invasion of Sicily, landings at Reggio, the Salerno landings, and the Anzio landings, in the Mediterranean Theatre and the Normandy landings in the European Theatre. She was refitted at Liverpool in September 1944, and was transferred to the Eastern Fleet. LST-8 also participated in the Operation Zipper landings in Malaya. She was paid off on 4 May 1946, at Subic Bay.

Final disposition

The Royal Navy returned LST-8 to the US Navy on 1 June 1946, and it was struck from the Navy list on 3 July 1946. On 5 December 1947, she was sold to Bosey, Philippines, for scrapping.

Bibliography

• "LST-8". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 12 August 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• "LST-8". Navsource. Navsource.org. 23 June 2006. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
• "Convoy UGS.8A". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 12 August 2017.

External links

• Photo gallery of HM LST-8 at NavSource Naval History