USS Lyman County (LST-903)

The USS "Lyman County" (LST-903) was an sclass|LST-542|tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after Lyman County, South Dakota, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.

Originally laid down as LST-903 by the Dravo Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on 15 October 1944; launched 23 December 1944; sponsored by Mrs. E. W. Wilson; and commissioned at New Orleans, Louisiana 20 January 1945 with Lieutenant John B. Darrow in command. After shakedown out of St. Andrews Bay, Florida LST-903 departed New Orleans 21 February for the Pacific. Steaming via the Panama Canal and San Diego, she reached Pearl Harbor 27 March. During the next 7 weeks she participated in intensive amphibious training in Hawaiian waters; and, after embarking Army troops and loading LVTs, she sailed in convoy for the Marianas 20 May. LST-903 steamed via Eniwetok, arrived Saipan 10 June, and on 11 July departed on a supply run to Okinawa and Guam. At the conclusion of hostilities she was operating out of Saipan; thence from 23 to 29 August she steamed to Leyte Gulf for supply runs among the Philippine Islands. Between 20 September and 4 November she made two runs carrying occupation troops from Manila Bay, Luzon to Yokohama, Japan. Departing Japan 11 November, she sailed via the Marianas and Pearl Harbor and reached San Diego 31 December. LST-903 operated along the west coast during the next 5 months before reaching Puget Sound 1 June 1946 for deactivation. She decommissioned at Vancouver, Washington 10 September and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Named USS "Lyman County" (LST-903) 1 July 1955, she was designated a target ship 20 October 1958. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register 1 November. On 28 March 1959 she was torpedoed by the USS "Menhaden" (SS-377) off the coast of Baja California and sank in 720 fathoms of water.

References

*
* cite web|title=LST-903 "Lyman County"|work=Amphibious Photo Archive
url=http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/16/160903.htm|accessdate=August 10|accessyear=2007

ee also

* List of United States Navy LSTs