USS LST-1031

Before the 1930s, amphibious assaults typically relied on ships' boats to ferry troops and equipment ashore, often with little enemy resistance. However, the introduction of mechanized armies required specialized vessels that could cross oceans to deliver large, heavy, vehicles–such as tanks–directly onto a beachhead. The British developed the first Landing Ship Tanks (LSTs) in 1941. These vessels featured a shallow draft and a bow-mounted ramp that allowed vehicles to drive directly onto land. An anchor at the stern enabled the ship to pull herself free after intentionally beaching on shore. By early 1942, the United States began constructing LSTs based on the same principles. In late 1943, the LST-542 class was a refined version of the second generation LST(2) design, which incorporated war-time experience including a weather deck capable of carrying heavy cargo, more anti-air defenses, and a greater displacement.^[1]: 4–7

The LST-542 class featured a length of 327 feet 9 inches (99.90 m) and beam of 50 feet 1.5 inches (15.278 m). While at sea, the fully loaded draft ranged from 7 feet 1 inch (2.16 m) in the bow and 13 feet 6 inches (4.11 m) in the aft to 3 feet 1 inch (0.94 m) and 9 feet 6 inches (2.90 m) when beached. The vessels featured a light displacement of 1,623 short tons (1,472 t), loaded displacement of 3,800 short tons (3,400 t), and a deadweight (cargo) capacity of 1,900 short tons (1,700 t), which was capable of carrying up to 20 M4 Sherman tanks or 70 trucks across the tank and weather decks. They were propelled by two V12 900 horsepower (670 kW) General Motors 12-567 diesel engines that provided an economic cruising speed of 8.75 knots (16.21 km/h; 10.07 mph) for a range of 23,000 nautical miles (43,000 km; 26,000 mi) through two propellers. Armament on LSTs varied widely between ships due to differences in shipyards, wartime modifications, supply shortages, and weapons provided by embarked troops. The ideal anti-air suite consisted of two twin 40-millimeter (1.6 in), four single 40 mm (1.6 in), and twelve single 20 mm (0.79 in) guns.^{[1]: 9–16} Crew requirements also differed, with LSTs that retained davits to carry two Higgins boats were operated by seven officers and 104 enlisted sailors.^{[1]: 18–19}