USS LST-393

Type: Landing Ship Tank

Launched: November 11, 1942

At: Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company, Newport News, Virginia

Commissioned: December 11, 1942

Length: 328 feet

Beam: 50 feet

Draft: 10 feet aft, 3.5 feet forward

Bow door ramp: 14 feet

Displacement: 3,310 tons

Armament: twin 40 mm guns

Address:

USS LST-393

560 Mart Street

Muskegon, MI 49440-1044

(231) 730-1477

Fax: (231) 722-0016

Email: 82airbn@comcast.net

http://www.lst393.org/

Latitude: 43.2346356538, Longitude: -86.2590752037

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USS LST-393 participated in three major invasions in the European Theater in World War II. She was awarded battle stars for the Sicilian occupation, the Salerno landings and the Normandy campaign. Her actions off the coast of France included participation in the bombardment of Cherbourg on 25 June 1944. In addition to transporting thousands of vehicles and troops during these landings, she also ferried casualties to safety and prisoners of war to detention locations. In carrying out these missions, she touched anchor in more than 30 ports in the European-African Theater.

After completing her duty in the European theater, LST-393 was sent back to Norfolk, Virginia where she was painted in a camouflage scheme, as was typical for ships landing on the beaches in the Pacific Theater. The war in the Pacific ended, however, before she landed on a hostile beach in that theater.

LST-393 was decommissioned in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1946, painted black, and sold to the Wisconsin and Michigan Steamship Company of Milwaukee. She operated as a transport ferry for automobiles on Lake Michigan under the name of Highway 16 until 1973. Since then LST-393 sat unused and un-attended.

Starting in 2005, under the care of the USS LST 393 Preservation Association, a serious and very vigorous program of restoration and preservation has been ongoing.

LST-393 is open seven days a week, May through September.