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in vo in (A Pi •1-1 CO Ol cn • iH PL) > rd S5 e re w •iH >-l OJ s ?. p> rd S" O The British evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940 demonstrated to the Admiralty that the Allies needed relatively large, ocean-going ships capable of shore-to-shore delivery of tanks and other vehicles in amphibious assaults upon the continent of Europe. As an interim measure, three medium-sized tankers, built to pass over the restrictive bars of Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, were selected for conversion because of their shallow draft. Bow doors and ramps were added to these ships which became the first tank landing ships (LSTs). They later proved their worth during the invasion of Algeria in 1942, but their bluff bows made for inadequate speed and pointed up the need for an all-new design incorporating a sleeker hull. At their first meeting at the Argen- tia Conference in August 1941, President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill confirmed the Admiralty's views. In November 1941, a small delegation from the Admiralty arrived in the United States to pool ideas with the Navy's Bureau of Ships with regard to development of the required ship. During this meeting, it was decided that the Bureau of Ships would design these vessels. Within a few days, John Niedermair of the Bureau of Ships sketched out an awkward-looking ship that proved to be the basic design for the more than 1,000 LSTs which would be built during World War II. To meet the conflicting requirements of deep draft for ocean travel and shallow draft for beaching, the ship was designed with a large ballast system that could be filled for ocean passage and pumped out for beaching operations. The rough sketch was sent to Britain on 5 November 1941 and accepted immediately. The Admiralty then requested the United States to build 200 LSTs for the Royal Navy under the terms of lend-lease. The preliminary plans initially called for an LST 280 feet in length; but, in January 1942, the Bureau of Ships discarded these drawings in favor of specifications for a ship 290 feet long. Within a month, final working plans were developed which further stretched the overall length to 328 feet and called for a 50-foot beam and minimum draft of three feet 9 1/2 inches. This scheme distributed the ship's weight over a greater area enabling her to ride higher in the water when in landing trim. The LST could carry a 2,100-ton load of tanks, and vehicles. The larger dimension also permitted the designers to increase the width of the bow door opening and ramp from 12 to 14 feet and thus accommodate most Allied vehicles. Provisions were made for the satisfactory ventilation of the tank space while the tank motors were running, and an elevator was provided to lower vehicles from the main deck to the tank deck for disembarking. By January 1942, the first scale model of the LST had been built and was undergoing tests at the David Taylor Model Basin in Washington. DC. In three separate acts dated 6 February 1942, 26 May 1943, and 17 December 1943, Congress provided the authority for the construction of LSTs along with a host of other auxiliaries, destroyer escorts, and assorted landing craft. The enormous building program quickly gathered momentum. Such a high priority was assigned to the construction of LSTs that the keel of an aircraft carrier, previously laid in the dock, was hastily removed to make place for several LSTs to be built in her stead. The keel of the first LST was laid down on 10 June 1942 at Newport News, VA; and the first standardized LSTs were floated out of their building dock in October. Twenty-three were in commission by the end of 1942. The LST building program was unique in several respects. As soon as the basic design had been developed, contracts were let and construction was commenced in quantity before the completion of a test vessel. Preliminary orders were rushed out verbally or by telegrams, telephone, and air mail letters. The ordering of certain materials actually preceded the completion of design work. While many heavy equipment items such as main propulsion machinery were furnished directly by the Navy, the balance of the procurement was handled centrally by the Material Coordinating Agency—an adjunct of the Bureau of Ships—so that the numerous builders in the program would not have to bid against one another. Thorough vigorous follow-up action on materials ordered, the agency made possible the completion of construction schedules in record time. The need for LSTs was urgent, and the program enjoyed a high priority throughout the war. Since most ship- 41
Object Description
Rating | |
Title | Odyssey of the LST 325 December 2000-2001 V 1 |
Rights | http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-NC/1.0/?language=en |
Provenance | Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library |
Type | Text |
Language | English |
Relation-Is Part Of | USS LST 325 Memorial Museum Collection |
Identifier | 003 Odyssey of the LST vol 1 |
Date-Created | 2017-03-17 |
Subject |
Shipbuilding -- Indiana -- Evansville. World War, 1939-1945 -- Indiana -- Evansville. |
Creator | Robert B. LaBelle |
AudienceMediator | Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library |
Contributors | Funding provided by an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant, administered by the Indiana State Library |
Format | Full view: 400 ppi jpg 2000 ; Archived: 400 ppi tif; |
Local Item ID | 2008-006-0033 |
Coverage | 1940-1949 |
Description
Title | evpl-lst325bk-003-0042 |
Transcript | in vo in (A Pi •1-1 CO Ol cn • iH PL) > rd S5 e re w •iH >-l OJ s ?. p> rd S" O The British evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940 demonstrated to the Admiralty that the Allies needed relatively large, ocean-going ships capable of shore-to-shore delivery of tanks and other vehicles in amphibious assaults upon the continent of Europe. As an interim measure, three medium-sized tankers, built to pass over the restrictive bars of Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, were selected for conversion because of their shallow draft. Bow doors and ramps were added to these ships which became the first tank landing ships (LSTs). They later proved their worth during the invasion of Algeria in 1942, but their bluff bows made for inadequate speed and pointed up the need for an all-new design incorporating a sleeker hull. At their first meeting at the Argen- tia Conference in August 1941, President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill confirmed the Admiralty's views. In November 1941, a small delegation from the Admiralty arrived in the United States to pool ideas with the Navy's Bureau of Ships with regard to development of the required ship. During this meeting, it was decided that the Bureau of Ships would design these vessels. Within a few days, John Niedermair of the Bureau of Ships sketched out an awkward-looking ship that proved to be the basic design for the more than 1,000 LSTs which would be built during World War II. To meet the conflicting requirements of deep draft for ocean travel and shallow draft for beaching, the ship was designed with a large ballast system that could be filled for ocean passage and pumped out for beaching operations. The rough sketch was sent to Britain on 5 November 1941 and accepted immediately. The Admiralty then requested the United States to build 200 LSTs for the Royal Navy under the terms of lend-lease. The preliminary plans initially called for an LST 280 feet in length; but, in January 1942, the Bureau of Ships discarded these drawings in favor of specifications for a ship 290 feet long. Within a month, final working plans were developed which further stretched the overall length to 328 feet and called for a 50-foot beam and minimum draft of three feet 9 1/2 inches. This scheme distributed the ship's weight over a greater area enabling her to ride higher in the water when in landing trim. The LST could carry a 2,100-ton load of tanks, and vehicles. The larger dimension also permitted the designers to increase the width of the bow door opening and ramp from 12 to 14 feet and thus accommodate most Allied vehicles. Provisions were made for the satisfactory ventilation of the tank space while the tank motors were running, and an elevator was provided to lower vehicles from the main deck to the tank deck for disembarking. By January 1942, the first scale model of the LST had been built and was undergoing tests at the David Taylor Model Basin in Washington. DC. In three separate acts dated 6 February 1942, 26 May 1943, and 17 December 1943, Congress provided the authority for the construction of LSTs along with a host of other auxiliaries, destroyer escorts, and assorted landing craft. The enormous building program quickly gathered momentum. Such a high priority was assigned to the construction of LSTs that the keel of an aircraft carrier, previously laid in the dock, was hastily removed to make place for several LSTs to be built in her stead. The keel of the first LST was laid down on 10 June 1942 at Newport News, VA; and the first standardized LSTs were floated out of their building dock in October. Twenty-three were in commission by the end of 1942. The LST building program was unique in several respects. As soon as the basic design had been developed, contracts were let and construction was commenced in quantity before the completion of a test vessel. Preliminary orders were rushed out verbally or by telegrams, telephone, and air mail letters. The ordering of certain materials actually preceded the completion of design work. While many heavy equipment items such as main propulsion machinery were furnished directly by the Navy, the balance of the procurement was handled centrally by the Material Coordinating Agency—an adjunct of the Bureau of Ships—so that the numerous builders in the program would not have to bid against one another. Thorough vigorous follow-up action on materials ordered, the agency made possible the completion of construction schedules in record time. The need for LSTs was urgent, and the program enjoyed a high priority throughout the war. Since most ship- 41 |
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