USS Lee County (LST-888)

The USS "Lee County" (LST-888) was an sclass|LST-542|tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after counties in twelve Southern and Midwestern states, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.

Originally laid down as LST-888 by the Dravo Corpation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 11 August 1944; launched 14 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Richard Connell; and commissioned at New Orleans, Louisiana 13 November 1944 with Lieutenant Walter V. Harlin in command. After shakedown and training off Panama City, Florida LST-888 departed New Orleans 14 December for duty in the western Pacific. Steaming via the Panama Canal and San Diego, she arrived Pearl Harbor 16 January 1945 and there embarked Army troops and vehicles before sailing for the Philippines the 27th. She arrived Leyte Gulf via Eniwetok 25 February and joined in intensive preparations for the decisive amphibious operations in the Ryukyu Islands. LST-888 departed in convoy from Leyte Gulf 19 March, and a week later she reached the Kerama Retto to debark troops at Geruma Shima and Tokashiki Jima. Following the invasion of Okinawa 1 April, she sailed for Ulithi the 29th after completing supply operations out of Ie Shima. She reached Ulithi 5 May, and during the remainder of the War she made supply runs which carried her to Okinawa, Iwo Jima, Saipan, and Guam. Departing Saipan 14 September, LST-888 steamed to Sasebo, Japan where she arrived 22 September to support occupation operations on Kyūshū. She operated out of Sasebo and Nagasaki during the next 6 months; and, after steaming to Yokohama, she sailed for the United States 11 April 1946. Touching at Guam and Pearl Harbor, she reached San Francisco 27 May; in July she sailed for the east coast and began limited coastal operations out of Little Creek, Virginia. LST-888 decommissioned at Charleston, South Carolina 2 September 1946 and was towed to Green Cove Springs, Florida where she entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Named USS "Lee County" (LST-888) 1 July 1955, she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register and approved for disposal 21 September 1960 and was sold to Gulf Tampa Drydock, Inc. of Tampa, Florida on 18 April 1961. She was towed away for scrapping on 11 May 1961. LST-888 received one battle star for World War II service.

References

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* cite web|title=LST-888 "Lee County"|work=Amphibious Photo Archive
url= http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/16/160888.htm|accessdate=August 1|accessyear=2007

ee also

* List of United States Navy LSTs