HM LST-409

HM LST-409, with two unidentified LSTs, moored at Palermo, Sicily, Italy, 4 September 1943, probably preparing to load troops and equipment for the Salerno landings, scheduled for 9 September 1943.
History
United Kingdom
Name	LST-409
Ordered	as a Type S3-M-K2 hull, MCE hull 929[1]
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Yard number	2181[1]
Laid down	9 September 1942
Launched	15 November 1942
Commissioned	6 January 1943
Decommissioned	2 July 1946
Identification	Hull symbol: LST-409
Fate	Returned to US Navy, 2 July 1946
United States
Name	LST-409
Acquired	2 July 1946
Stricken	29 October 1946
Fate	Sold, 21 November 1946
General characteristics [2]
Class and type	LST-1-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 short tons (1,520 t) load) 2,366 long tons (2,404 t) (beaching)
Length	328 ft (100 m) oa
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 short tons (450 t) load: 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 x LCVPs
Capacity	1,600–1,900 short tons (3,200,000–3,800,000 lb; 1,500,000–1,700,000 kg) cargo depending on mission
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

HMS LST-409 was a Landing Ship, Tank Mk.2 of the Royal Navy during World War II.

Built by the US as a LST-1-class tank landing ship and transferred from the US Navy. The ship was never named, but referred to by her hull designation.

LST-409 was laid down on 9 September 1942, under Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 929, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; launched 15 November 1942; then transferred to the United Kingdom and commissioned on 6 January 1943.^[3]

LST-409 saw no active service in the United States Navy. The tank landing ship was decommissioned and returned to United States Navy custody on 2 July 1946, and struck from the Navy list on 29 October, that same year. Sometime between 21 November 1946 and 6 January 1947, LST-409 was sold to Greece.^[3]

• List of United States Navy LSTs

Citations

• Photo gallery of LST-409 at NavSource Naval History