USS DeKalb County (LST-715)
History

WWII Action

Following shakedown training and a yard availability, the LST was sent to the Pacific Ocean via the Panama Canal and on 1 January 1945 she was attached to LST Group 61, LST flotilla 21 and anchored in Pearl Harbor. Undergoing intensive amphibious training excercises in the Hawaiian Islands immediately upon her arrival, she was combat loaded and sailed on 22 January with Tractor Group Able, Unit two, for the invasion of Iwo Jima. Stopping at Eniwetok and Tinian for provisions and fuel, the landing ship, tank, arrived off Iwo Jima on 19 February 1945. Taken to the beach the following morning, the LST remained there for the next six days unloading cargo and then retracted and anchored in the LST anchorage. Enemy alerts kept the crew constantly at their gun mounts, but only on 23 February did she fire at an enemy plane which was downed. Since all the ships were firing at the attacker, no one ship was credited with the kill.

Photo from the National Archives
Iwo Jima, 25 February 1945
Green Beach 1, Volcano Island
To see a larger picture (77kb), click on the small one.

With the USS LST 42 in tow, she departed from Iwo Jima on 3 March 1945 and arrived at Saipan five days later where she remained until 8 April conducting training operations and making ship-board repairs. On the latter date she once again was underway for Iwo Jima carrying some 280 tons of vehicles as well as 440 tons of ammunition and 199 Army troops. All the personnel and cargo were off-loaded between 11-14 April and the LST once again headed for Saipan, but this time towing the USS LCT 866.

Immediately upon her arrival she commenced taking aboard various types of ammunition and was underway for the invasion of Okinawa on 24 April. Upon her arrival at Kerama Rhetto on 1 May, she was assigned duty near the S.S. Maline Victory at act as an anti-aircraft fire support ship.

Three days later the area in which the LST 715 was anchored came under an intense Japanese air attack. One 500 pound bomb was dropped a few hundred yards from the ship's stern, and one Japanese "Oscar" came in low and just missed the LST and crashed into the USS Birmingham (CL-62). Underway on 11 May, she returned to Saipan seven days later and commenced loading ammunition destined for the fighting in and around Okinawa. Departing from Saipan on 24 May 1945 with 290 Army troops and miscellaneous cargo, she reached Okinawa on 30 May. Between 3-5 June she participated in the invasion of Iheya Shima in the Nansei Shoto chain. Leaving Okinawa on 7 June, she was back in Saipan six days later.

Back at sea on 8 July, she carried 250 personnel of the 13th US Naval Construction Battalion and landed them on Okinawa on 14 July. Returning to Saipan on 7 August, she departed two days later for Pearl Harbor and entered the anchorage there on 16 August.

Post WWII and Decommissioning

With a load of cargo and some personnel for the occupation forces in Japan, the LST 715 departed from Pearl Harbor on 2 September 1945 and arrived at Sasebo, Japan, 22 days later.

Making three round trips between various ports in the Philippine Islands and Japan transporting occupational personnel and equipment, the LST 715 arrived at Manicaci Island, Philippine Islands, early in December and commenced making preparations for decommissioning which was accomplished on 17 April 1946. The LST was transferred to the U.S. Army to be used as a cargo carrier on 28 June 1946 and she was stricken from the Naval Registry on 29 September 1947.

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