Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
Naval History Division Washington
USS LST-197
LST-197 was laid down on 15 June 1942 at Seneca, Ill., by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.;
launched on 13 December 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Harriet Williamson;
and commissioned on 5 February 1943, Lt. T.S. Medford, USNR, in command.
During World War II, LST-197 was assigned to the European theater and participated
in the following operations:
-
Sicilian occupation--July 1943
-
Salerno landings--September 1943
- West coast of Italy operations:
-
Anzio-Nettuno advanced landings--January through march 1944
Invasion of Normandy--June 1944
Following the war, LST-197 performed occupation duty in the Far East until early
November 1945. She returned to the United States and was decommissioned on 5 April 1946.
She was struck from the Navy list on 5 June 1946 and sold to the Luria Steel &
Trading Co., of New York, N.Y., on 31 October 1947 for scrapping.
LST-197 earned four battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation for World War II service.
Transcribed and formatted for HTML by Patrick Clancey, HyperWar Foundation