USS LST-179 and USS LST-78 on 4 October 1943
History
United States
Name	LST-179
Builder	Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville
Laid down	7 February 1943
Launched	30 May 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. Milford M. Miller
Commissioned	3 July 1943
Stricken	18 July 1944
Identification	Callsign: NDPJ
Honors and awards	See Awards
Fate	Sunk as target, 1945
General characteristics
Class and type	LST-1-class tank landing ship
Displacement	4,080 long tons (4,145 t) full load 2,160 long tons (2,190 t) landing
Length	328 ft (100 m) oa
Beam	50 ft (15 m)
Draft	Full load: 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m) forward; 14 ft 1 in (4.29 m) aft Landing at 2,160 t: 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 or 6 x LCVPs
Capacity	2,100 tons oceangoing maximum 350 tons main deckload
Troops	16 officers, 147 enlisted men
Complement	13 officers, 104 enlisted men
Armament	Varied, ultimate armament 2 × twin 40 mm (1.57 in) Bofors guns 4 × single 40 mm Bofors guns 12 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannons

USS LST-179 was a LST-1-class tank landing ship in the United States Navy during World War II.^[1]

Construction and career

LST-179 was laid down on 7 February 1943 at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, Indiana. Launched on 30 May 1943 and commissioned on 3 July 1943.^[2]

During World War II, LST-179 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater. She took part in the Gilbert Islands operations from 13 November to 8 December 1943.

She was destroyed and sunk during the West Loch disaster alongside 5 other LSTs at Pearl Harbor on 21 May 1944. On that day, she was moored with LST-205, LST-225, LST-274, LST-43, LST-69, LST-353, and LST-39. No crew members were lost aboard the ship during that disaster.^[3]

LST-179 was struck from the Navy Register on 18 July 1944.^[1]

In 1945, she was raised but deemed too expensive to be repaired thus she was towed out to sea and sunk again as a target ship for torpedoes.^[4]

Awards

LST-179 have earned the following awards:

• American Campaign Medal
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1 battle star)
• World War II Victory Medal

Citations

Sources

• United States. Dept. of the Treasury (1962). Treasury Decisions Under the Customs, Internal Revenue, Industrial Alcohol, Narcotic and Other Laws, Volume 97. U.S. Government Printing Office.
• Moore, Capt. John (1984). Jane's Fighting Ships 1984-85. Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0710607959.
• Saunders, Stephen (2009). Jane's Fighting Ships 2009-2010. Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0710628886.
• Fairplay International Shipping Journal Volume 222. United Kingdom: Fairplay Publishing Limited. 1967.