USS LST-993 Tarakan Island 1945

USS LST-993 was an LST-542-class tank landing ship in the United States Navy. Like many of her class, she was not named and is properly referred to by her hull designation.

LST-993 was laid down on 7 March 1944 at the Boston Navy Yard; launched on 7 April 1944; sponsored by sponsored by Mrs. Gladys L. Morey; and commissioned on 12 May 1944, Lt. A. W. Bates, USNR, in command.

During World War II, LST-993 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the following operations:

Leyte landings — November 1944
Lingayen Gulf landings — January 1945
Tarakan Island operation — April and May 1945

Following the war, LST-993 performed occupation duty in the Far East and saw service in China until early June 1946. She was decommissioned on 1 June 1946. On 7 February 1948, the ship was transferred to the Republic of China. She was struck from the Navy list on 12 March 1948.

LST-993 earned three battle stars for World War II service - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_LST-993

Landing Ship, Tank (LST) was the military designation for naval vessels created during World War II to support amphibious operations by carrying significant quantities of vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto an unimproved shore.
The first tank landing ships were built to British requirements by conversion of existing ships. This was followed by a purpose built ship. Thereafter, the British and US collaborated upon a joint design which was adopted for the use of both with majority of the construction carried out by the US and supplied under lend-lease. The majority, a thousand, were laid down in the United States during World War II for use by the Allies. Eighty more were built in the United Kingdom and Canada. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_Ship,_Tank

Th? GMC CCKW is a 2.5 ton 6X6 U.S. Army cargo truck that saw service in World War II and the Korean War, often referred to as a "Deuce and a Half" or "Jimmy". The CCKW came in many variants, based on the open or closed cab, and Long Wheel Base (LWB 353) or Short Wheel Base (SWB 352). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMC_CCKW

The Battle of Tarakan was the first stage in the Borneo campaign of 1945. It began with an amphibious landing by Australian forces on 1 May, code-named Operation Oboe One. While the battle ended with success for the Allied forces over the Japanese defenders, this victory is generally regarded as having not justified its costs. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tarakan_(1945)

Format: B&W Photograph
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Repository: Blue Mountains City Library www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/library/
Part of: Local Studies Collection img609
Provenance: Jack Proctor
Links: www.navsource.org/archives/10/16/160993.htm