USS LST-70
Encyclopedia
USS LST-70 was an in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. Like many of her class, she was not named and is properly referred to by her hull designation. LST-70 was manned by a United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
crew throughout the war.
LST-70 was laid down on 13 November 1942 at Jeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville is a city in Clark County, Indiana, along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It is directly across the Ohio River to the north of Louisville, Kentucky along I-65. The population was 44,953 at the 2010 census...
, by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co.; launched on 8 February 1943; sponsored by Mrs. George R. Bickel; and commissioned on 28 May 1943.
Service history
During World War II LST-70 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the occupation and defense of Cape TorokinaLandings at Cape Torokina
The Landings at Cape Torokina were the beginning of the Bougainville campaign in World War II, between the military forces of the Empire of Japan and the Allied powers...
in November 1943, the Green Islands landing
Battle of the Green Islands
The Battle of the Green Islands was fought from 29 January-27 February 1944, between Japan and Allied forces from the New Zealand 3rd Division and the United States. The Green Islands—located between Bougainville and New Ireland—were part of the Australian Territory of New Guinea...
in February 1944, the capture and occupation of Guam in July 1944.
LST-70 participated in the assault and occupation of Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
in February 1945. In the documentary film To the Shores of Iwo Jima
To the Shores of Iwo Jima
To the Shores of Iwo Jima is a 1945 Kodachrome color short war film produced by the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. It documents the Battle of Iwo Jima, and was the first time that American audiences saw in color the footage of the famous flag raising on Iwo Jima.-Overview:The...
, one of the LCVP
LCVP
The Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively in amphibious landings in World War II. The craft was designed by Andrew Higgins of Louisiana, United States, based on boats made for operating in swamps and marshes...
s belonging to LST-70 can be seen going ashore at the Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
. The boat has PRESS painted on the side of it, and was presumably bringing photographers and reporters ashore.
LST-70 also participated in the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
in April and May 1945.
Following the war, LST-70 performed occupation duty in the Far East in October and November 1945. She returned to the United States and was decommissioned on 1 April 1946, and struck from the Naval Register on 1 May 1946. She was sold for scrapping on 1 July 1946 to Arctic Circle Exploration, Inc., of Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
.
LST-70 earned five battle stars for World War II service.