USS LST-562

History
United States
Name	USS LST-562
Builder	Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company, Evansville, Indiana
Laid down	28 February 1944
Launched	28 April 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. D. A. Nordeen
Commissioned	18 May 1944
Decommissioned	21 May 1946
Stricken	3 July 1946
Honors and; awards	Two battle stars for World War II
Fate	Sold for scrapping 19 April 1948
General characteristics
Class and type	LST-542-class tank landing ship
Displacement	1,625 long tons (1,651 t) light; 4,080 long tons (4,145 t) full (seagoing draft with 1,675-ton load;
Length	328 ft (100 m)
Beam	50 ft (15 m)
Draft	Unloaded 2 ft 4 in (0.71 m) forward; 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) aft; Full load: 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m) forward; 14 ft 1 in (4.29 m) aft; Landing with 500-ton load: 3 ft 11 in (1.19 m) forward; 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) aft;
Installed power	1,800 horsepower (1.34 megawatts)
Propulsion	Two 900-horsepower (0.67-megawatt) General Motors 12-567 diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders
Speed	12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Range	24,000 nautical miles (44,448 kilometerss) at 9 knots while displacing 3,960 tons
Boats & landing ; craft carried	2 x LCVPs
Capacity	1,600-1,900 tons cargo depending on mission
Troops	16 officers, 147 enlisted men
Complement	7 officers, 104 enlisted men
Armament	2 × twin 40 mm gun mounts; 4 × single 40-millimeter gun mounts; 12 × 20 mm guns;

USS LST-562 was a United States Navy LST-542-class tank landing ship in commission from 1944 to 1946.

Construction and commissioning

LST-562 was laid down on 28 February 1944 at Evansville, Indiana, by the Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company. She was launched on 28 April 1944, sponsored by Mrs. D. A. Nordeen, and commissioned on 18 May 1944.

Service history

During World War II, LST-562 was assigned to the Pacific Theater of Operations, where was a unit of LST Division 43 under LST Group 22 (commanded by Commander E. H. Pope, USN), which was a component of LST Flotilla Eight (commanded by Captain E. Watts, USN). She took part in the landings on Morotai in September 1944 and in the Tarakan Island operation in April and May 1945. During the ship's time in commission, the first Captain was succeeded as her commanding officer by Lieutenant F. P. Lawrence, USNR. Note: Lt. Richard N. Shaw, USNR, was the first Captain of LST 652; not LST 562.

Following the war, "LST 562" performed occupation duty in the Far East until mid-December 1945, when she departed for the United States.

Decommissioning and disposal

After returning to the United States, LST-562 was decommissioned on 21 May 1946 and stricken from the Navy List on 3 July 1946. On 19 April 1948, she was sold to the Bethlehem Steel Company of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for scrapping.

Honors and awards

LST-562 earned two battle stars for her World War II service.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive LST-562