General Information Submitted by Fred T. Larsen

General Information
by Fred T. Larsen - Lieutenant (jg)
Submitted February 5, 1999

I served on the LST 173 from April 27th, 1944 until July 4th, 1944. I was a Lt. (jg) at the time and was an assault boat officer. Prior to serving on the LST 173 I had been on several LST's as an assault boat officer. I was on the LST 352 from June 1943 until December 1st, 1943 for the landings in Sicily and Salerno, Italy. From LST 352 I went to the LST 357 on December 1st, 1943 to January 15, 1944. Then to the LST 359 for the landing assault at Anzio. Then in April of 1944, I was assigned to the LST 173. For some reason the Navy rotated the assault boat officers quite frequently. At the time I was on the ship (LST 173) we were shuttling between Pozzouli, Italy and Palermo, Sicily. I remember particularly on June 6, 1944 (D Day) we were in rout to Palermo. Pozzouli is near Naples and is the port were the LST's worked out of, particularly at the time of Anzio.