Thomas Aubut's WWII Travel Log

Travel Log of Thomas Aubut
03/2/43 TO 03/02/46

(Please note: Some dates may not be entirely accurate as they were taken from memory after 55 years)

03/02/43 TO 06/15/43. Naval Training Center, Farragut, Idaho
06/20/43 TO 10/15/43. Amphibious Training, Solomon Island, MD
10/29/43. Reported for duty on the LST 282, at Ambridge Shipyard, Ambridge, PA
11/10/43 TO 11/24/43. Sailed down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, to New Orleans, LA
12/01/43 TO 01/25/44. Shakedown cruises in and around the Gulf Of Mexico. Making sure everything is sea ready to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
01/25/44 TO 02/05/44. Sailed up the Atlantic Coast to Maine. Loaded an LCT on our main deck, and other equipment.
02/06/44. Joined a ship convoy at Nova Scotia, Canada; for the trip across the Atlantic ocean.
02/21/44. Docked at Roseneath, Scotland; and unloaded equipment.
02/27/44. Docked at Plymouth, England, and unloaded the LCT. This was done by tipping the 282 by shifting water ballast, and the LCT was slipped over the side of the 282 on greased timbers.
02/27/44 TO 06/01/44. Practice Maneuvers around the Southern Coast of England. Practiced landings at Slapton Sands, England. During the night, German Torpedo Boats infiltrated our defense, and sunk two LST'S, damaging one, with great loss of dead and wounded.
06/06/44. D-DAY. Landed on the sands of Normandy France, at Utah Beach. Unloaded Equipment under heavy German Artillery.
06/07/44. Returned to England and unloaded casualties from the Normandy Beachhead.
06/08/44. Landed at Omaha Beach, and unloaded tanks of General Pattons group. German Artillery was still bombing the beachhead.
06/08/44. Returned to England with many casualties on board. 06/10/44. Unloaded British troops on Gold Beach, near Arrowmanches, France.
06/10/44. Returned to England with British casualties. Pulling off the beach, we tore a hole in the stern of the ship, and damaged one propeller.
06/14/44. Went into dry-dock at Portsmouth, England for repairs.
06/15/44. Rode a Bus into the interior of England, to a U. S. Infantry camp, and had a surprise reunion with my brother Freddy. .
07/15/44. Docked in Plymouth, England and loaded British "Churchill" tanks, and a LCC on our main deck.
07/16/44. Sailed through the Mediterranean sea, and The Straits Of Gibraltar to Bizerte, North Africa. Took on fuel and supplies.
08/03/44. Arrived in Naples, Italy and unloaded the tanks and the LCC.
08/12/44. In Naples we loaded up with artillery, jeeps, trucks, ammunition, and Infantry troops. The artillery consisted of four big 155MM (Long Toms) and 40MM antiaircraft guns.
Left Naples, Italy and sailed through the Straits of Bonifacio to Southern France.
08/15/44. At about 9PM, we headed in toward "Green Beach St. Raphael, France, to unload the troops and equipment. About 200 yards from the beach, a German bomber was heading toward us, and was about a mile away. He let loose a radio controlled rocket bomb, that was heading straight for us. All of our anti-aircraft guns was firing at it, as were other ships. The rocket bomb hit us amidships and then all hell broke loose. The ammunition that we were carrying began exploding, and the 282 was roaring inferno of fire. There were many men killed and wounded, and the 282 was totally destroyed.
08/18/44. Returned to Naples on another LST, and the survivors were put into a rest camp.
09/15/44. Boarded an LST at Naples, and disembarked at Oran, North Africa.
09/16/44. Boarded a transport ship in Oran, and set sail for the good old U. S. A.
10/05/44. Landed in New York City, NY; and transferred to the Naval Receiving Center. Received new uniforms and sea bag, since I lost everything but my shirt and pants on the 282.
10/22/44. Received two weeks leave, and went home to Duluth, MN
11/04/44. Waiting for new orders, at the U. S. Naval Receiving Station, NY
11/15/44. Reported to the Naval Amphibious Base at Camp Bradford, VA; for advanced amphibious training.

Tom Aubut and unidentified shipmate aboard LST 550 - South Pacific 1945

01/17/45. Reported for duty on the LST 550, at Brooklyn, NY.
02/01/45. Sailed down the East coast of the U. S. to the Panama Canal.
02/01/45. Went through the Panama Canal locks, to the Pacific Ocean.
02/12/45. Docked at the San Diego Naval Station, San Diego, CA. Took on fuel and supplies. Went to Tiajuana, Mexico on liberty.
02/20/45. Docked at Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii. Took on supplies and refueled.
03/08/45. Arrived at Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, in the South Pacific. Took on troops and supplies.
04/01/45. Invasion of Okinawa. Heavy bombings And Kamikaze suicide attacks from the Japanese. Many ships were sunk or damaged.
05/01/45. Took on U. S. Army Infantry at Okinawa, for landings in the Philippines.
05/05/45. Landed troops on the beach of Leyte, Philippines.
05/06/45 TO 08/14/45. Shuttled troops and equipment, to and from the Islands of Guam and Saipan in the Mariana Islands, Okinawa and the Philippines.
08/15/45. Japanese surrendered. Celebrated the end of the war at anchor in Buckner Bay, Okinawa. Skipper, ordered all the beer in stock, and some of his private booze, to the tank deck. The next day he declared a holiday, so we could recuperate from hangovers. What a good feeling it was, that we didn't have to invade Japan, and happy to be still alive.
09/05/45. Transported occupation troops to Nagoya, Japan from Islands throughout the South Pacific.
12/15/45. Transferred to the LST 1051 at Saipan, Mariana Island.
12/16/45. Transported troops and supplies from Saipan to Iwo Jima Island.
12/26/45. Docked at Pearl Harbor to take on fuel and supplies. Went on liberty to Oahu Beach, Honolulu. Never got to see the beach.
01/13/46. Arrived at Treasure Island Naval Base, San Francisco, CA
01/25/46. Transferred from the LST 1051 to the naval Base, and was assigned Shore Patrol duty.
02/28/46. Arrived at the Naval Air Station, Minneapolis, MN to be processed out of the U. S. Naval service.
03/02/46. Exactly three years from the day I enlisted, I was discharged from the U. S. Navy with an honorable discharge. Wow! what a cruise.
-- Thomas Aubut 1995

01/13/2005 - Tom passed away in California at 79 years of age from congestive heart failure.

MEDALS AWARDED
World War II Victory Medal
American Campaign Medal
European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two Bronze Stars
Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with one Bronze Star
Asian Navy Occupation Service Medal
Philippine Liberation Medal
Purple Heart
Cold War Certificate (image in 282 gallery)

LETTER OF COMMENDATION
Falmouth, England
July 15, 1944
FROM:
Commander LST Group Twelve TO: The officers and men of the USS LST's 48, 49, 50, 282, 283, 284, 285, 290, 291, 491, and 492.
SUBJECT: LETTER OF COMMENDATION
All personnel of LST Group Twelve are to be commended for their services and participation against enemy forces prior to, during, and following the invasion of Normandy, France, June 1944.
Your ships made the maximum number of trips in transporting vital war supplies, troops and equipment to beaches and enemy prisoners and casualties back to England, all this despite heavily mined waters, adverse weather conditions, strong cross currents and constant danger from enemy attack.
By your tireless to duty all of you contributed to our success in a vital war zone and upheld the highest traditions of the States Naval Service.
W. S. Blair, Commander
United States Naval Reserve
Commanding LST Group Twelve

Excerpt from Samuel Eliot Morison's The Invasion Of France And Germany 1944-I945 . page 170 . Invasion Of Southern France.
During D-Day Camel Beach Green, about 500 yards long, was the busiest place on the invasion coast and the noisiest, too. Enemy sniping revived every so often. Admiral Deyo's light cruisers and destroyers, at the Army's request, laid on a rapid-fire bombardment of spots around Saint-Raphael, and just after their retirement, the Luftwaffe made its only effective air raid of the entire operation, and every ship opened up on the JU-88s. LST 282, fully loaded and making for the Rade d'Agay, was hit by a glider bomb at 22:25 and sank in shoal water off Cape Dramont; there were forty casualties.

Note: My official Naval report of the sinking of the '82 shows 17 killed in action and 67 wounded of the crew. How many army personnel were killed or wounded is unknown to me.
-- Thomas Aubut

Riviera To The Rhine by Jeffrey J. Clarke and Robert Ross Smith. Southern France Invasion 8/151/44. page 118:
"The only serious loss occurred that night when the Luftwaffe launched its only effective air sortie against the beachhead, JU-88 twin-engined light bombers managed to hit and sink LST 282 off Agay Roadstead with radio-controlled bombs, resulting in forty casualties and the loss of several 36^th Division artillery pieces.

And Tom wasn't through being a hero. . .
Click here to see the article from the Duluth Herald in 1967

From Sheldon: If anyone has a diary, story, or remembrance of any of the shipmates of the 282 that they would like to share I would love to make a spot here for them. Please contact us.