- USS Bernalillo County (LST-306)
The USS "Bernalillo County" (LST-306) was an sclass|LST-1|tank landing ship built for the
United States Navy duringWorld War II . Named forBernalillo County, New Mexico , she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.LST-306 was laid down on
24 July 1942 at theBoston Navy Yard by the Todd Shipyard Company; launched on10 October 1942 ; sponsored by Mrs. Caroline De Simone; and commissioned on11 December 1942 with Lieutenant Joseph B. Bartram, USNR, in command. After fitting out atBoston , LST-306 loaded supplies and ammunition before proceeding to theChesapeake Bay for shakedown training. While there, her crew conducted beach maneuvers, practiced lowering small boats, and held communications and gunnery drills. She then took on supplies and cargo inNorfolk before proceeding independently toBermuda in March 1943. Underway in convoy forEurope later that month, she arrived atArzeu ,Algeria on13 April . After joining a convoy carrying supplies toBone, Algeria in support of theTunisia n campaign, the LST spent the next six weeks ferrying troops and equipment betweenOran ,Mers-El-Kebir , andBizerte . In June, the tank landing ship lay inTunis Bay , preparing for "Operation Husky ," the planned landings onSicily .As part of Task Group (TG) 86.1 in the "Joss" Attack Force, LST-306 got underway on
7 July and arrived offLicata ,Sicily early in the morning of11 July . Assigned to reserve transport duty, she helped relieve port congestion by transferring supplies ashore atGela and its environs until17 August when she sailed to Bizerte. There she began preparations for "Operation Avalanche ," the landings atSalerno . After loading British troops and equipment, LST-306 departedTunis on7 September and joined TG 85.1, the Northern Attack Force, for the voyage toItaly . After passing into theGulf of Salerno , and avoiding several drifting mines therein, the tank landing ship anchored south of Salerno at 1215 on9 September to await a clear beach lane. After LCI-323 pulled off the beach, LST-306 dropped her bow ramp at 1655 that afternoon. Under intermittent enemy shell fire, the tank landing ship disembarked 279 British soldiers and 57 vehicles before retracting to the anchorage at 1831. During the evening, enemybomber s attacked the beachhead twice, but no bombs fell near the LST.The next morning, LST-306 took on British casualties for evacuation and departed the area. Joining a Bizerte-bound convoy, the tank landing ship moored in that port on the 12th. She then spent two months operating in the central
Mediterranean area, ferrying supplies betweenNorth Africa and ports in Sicily and southern Italy. Ordered north at the end of November, the LST passed through theStrait of Gibraltar and sailed to England, arriving atMilford Haven on 17 December. After unloading tank deck cargo, the LST moved to Falmouth for drydocking and a complete overhaul. After those repairs were completed on10 January 1944 the tank landing ship began nearly five months of work in preparation for the cross-channel invasion of Europe. First, she engaged in three weeks of "Rhino ferry" (pontoonbarge ) practice landings in the Falmouth area. LST-306 continued this type of operation for the next four months, conducting various training maneuvers (such as troop landings, small boat exercises, antiaircraft gunnery practice, and communication drills) off the southwestern coast of England betweenPlymouth and Falmouth.Assigned to convoy B-3 in Task Force (TF) 126.4, the LST embarked troops and equipment at Falmouth on
1 June . After a false start on the 4th, LST-306 got underway in convoy the next day with a pontoon causeway and a small tug in tow. While en route to France, the LST collided with abuoy , snapping off a blade from her port propeller. As the convoy's speed was already slow (5 knots), the damage did not prevent the tank landing ship from continuing her mission. Just after noon on7 June , the tank landing ship cast off her tow atUtah Beach before proceeding toOmaha Beach where she anchored for the night. During this time, the ship's twoLCVP s delivered medical supplies ashore. The next afternoon, the LST disembarked 218 Army engineers and unloaded mine-clearing equipment to LCTs for transfer to the beach. At 1917, the LST beached and, over the next eight hours, unloaded the remaining 115 troops and the rest of her cargo of 52 trucks. Pulling off the beach on the morning of9 June , LST-306 proceeded toSouthampton , England for repairs. She remained there, waiting for an availability, until17 June when she moved to Plymouth for repairs. With a new propeller in place on the 22d, the LST moved toPortland Harbour on26 June , loaded Army trucks and personnel, and carried them to Utah Beach the next day. After dropping them off, she returned to Southampton with 900 German prisoners. Over the next ten months, LST-306 made dozens of shuttle trips across the Channel, carrying troops, ammunition, and supplies from England to the French ports ofRouen ,Le Havre , andCherbourg .On
11 May 1945 the LST joined one of the first convoys to head home after hostilities ended inEurope and arrived inNorfolk, Virginia on31 May . After unloading her cargo, the tank landing ship proceeded toNew York for major alterations in preparation for further combat duty in thePacific . Entering a berth at Sullivan's Shipyard,Brooklyn on11 June , LST-306 was in the yard when the crew heard the news of the end of the war on15 August . Upon completion of the repair work on the 29th, the LST conducted a short shakedown cruise to Norfolk before returning to New York to load an LCT. Departing New York on2 October , she sailed to Green Cove Springs on theSt. Johns River inFlorida , where she joined the Atlantic Reserve Fleet on6 October 1945 . LST-306 was decommissioned there on13 June 1946 . Although named USS "Bernalillo County" (LST-306) on1 July 1955 she never returned to active Navy service; her name was struck from theNaval Vessel Register on1 February 1959 . On22 October 1959 the tank landing ship was sold to Ships, Inc., ofMiami, Florida . Her final fate is unknown.LST-306 earned three
battle star s for World War II service.References
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* cite web|title=LST-306 "Bernalillo County"|work=Amphibious Photo Archive
url=http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/16/160306.htm|accessdate=April 5|accessyear=2007ee also
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List of United States Navy LSTs
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