LST 119
LST 119
This site is dedicated to the officers and crew, living and
deceased,
who manned LST 119 during her 33 months of Naval Service.
Site construction compliments of Owen J. Hynes
Pontoon Causeway
experiments-Grizzly Bay, San Francisco, CA 3/45
Filming of movie-Gallant Bess-SantaBarbara, CA 10/45
Launched on 28 July, 1943 at the Jefferson Indiana Boat and Machine Company and commissioned on 1 September, the 119 sailed down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans, LA, where shakedown and training took place. In mid October she set sail for the Panama Canal and thence to San Diego, CA.
In January 1944 she was loaded with marines of First Platoon, Company C, First Armored Battalion, Fourth Marine Division and their equipment and proceeded to Kauai, HI. After more training she sailed from there on January 20th for the invasion of the Marshall Islands. On the 31st she anchored in 20 fathoms of water off Roi Island and began discharging the LVT's, LVTA's and LVT2's off the bow ramp. Later the 119 was assigned duty as the Fleet Post Office in the Majuro Atoll. On the 21st of April she set sail for Pearl Harbor and tied up in West Loch. A few hours before the disastrous explosions and the loss of many lives and Lsts moored there. The 119 moved to the K docks for loading for the upcoming invasion of the Mariana Islands. When loading was completed the 119 returned to West Loch where she assisted in recovering bodies from the water.
On 28 May 1944, after loading the personnel and gear of the 894th Engineer Aviation Battalion, she got underway for Saipan as flagship for the Northern Defense Group. The Engineers were bound for the construction of an airfield on Saipan. On the 20th of June she unloaded her deck cargo of self propelled barges and then beached and unloaded the Engineers and all their equipment. During the night of the 22nd the ship was hit by artillery fire from Tinian Island. The shell entered the fantail. at the water line, into the steering engine room and the stern void tank which was filled with fresh water. Extensive damage was done to the steering equipment but the fresh water absorbed the blast preventing the explosion from reaching the magazine which was immediately forward of the void tank. After temporary repairs were made the 119 left Saipan on the 3rd of July for Pearl Harbor and thence to San Pedro, CA.
After dry dock repairs were made, the 119 left for San Diego where she was assigned to the Amphibious Training Command. The 119 spent the remainder of the war training troops in amphibious landings and operations. She was also assigned to various experimental operations with pontoons, small boat radar, small amphibious tracked vehicles, etc.
In October 1945 the 119 sailed for Santa Barbara, CA, where she participated in the filming by MGM Studios of the movie to be ultimately titled "Gallant Bess". The movie can still be seen on TV from time to time. Eleven days of filming the ship in various situations and operations have resulted in, at best, 5 minutes of screen time.
In March 1946 the ship left San Diego for the last time and sailed for Panama and thence to Charleston, SC, where she was decommissioned on the 13th of May and struck from the Navy Register on 19 June, 1946. On 17 May, 1948 she was sold to the Beattie Oil Transport Company of New Orleans, LA, for conversion to a non self-propelled operation.
LST 119 earned two battle stars for her WWll service.
Crew Lists
Those we've found
Taps
Those unaccounted for
LINKS:
http://www.hullnumber.com
http://www.abiz4me.com/lst.html
http://home.jinko.com/ww2LST/definiti.htm
http://www.wilmon.com/milwelcome1.html
http://www.lstmemorial.org
http://www.usswhiteriver.com
http://www.sungenweb.net/lst_links.htm
http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/160119.htm
Those we've found
Aubertin, William
Bishop,Howard
Braziel, Billy
Brixius, Merton
Brown, Louis
Burkes, Ardith
Butze, Richard
Campo, Nicholas
Castle, John
Cicerella, Paul
Conley, Doyal
Cote, Justin
Cotter, Walter
DePasquale, Dominick
Dycus,Charles
Fenger,Christian
Gatto, Steve
Gonzales, Louis
Gracy, John
Grannatino, Henry
Hynes, William
Isaacs, Wayne
Jones, Edward
Kissinger, Kermit
Lewis, Howard
Linfante, Hugo
Livingston, William
McHenry, Bertie
Meador, Henry
Mitchell, Millard K.
Moe, Lester
Moriarty, John
Niel, Vincent
O'Brien, Thomas
Ovre, Gifford
Perhay, Louis
Ramos, Lionel
Raumschuh, Donald
Remy, John
Richards, Clyde
Seay, Young
Skinnes, Albert
Skipper, Marvin
Stillion, Robert
Stubits, Louis
Taylor, Leon
Taylor, William
Terranova, Michael
Thoma, Albert
Tomlin, John
Towe, Maxwell
Tyler, Hubert
Vallance, Howard
Vigen, Robert
Wagoner,Charles
Watson, R.B.
Woods, Nute
Woods, Thomas
Taps
Ames, Roy
Andrae, Walter
Bair, James
Ballinger,Everett
Barkley, Thomas
Barlow, Alga
Basting, Alvin
Blair, Irvin
Bober, Joseph
Borman, Henry
Bosher,Reginald
Bowman, Earl
Boyle, Daniel
Bradley,Clarence
Bramlett,Thomas
Breaux,Clayton
Brockmoller,William
Brooks, Jack
Brown, Richard
Byrd, Delmer
Carothers, William
Carr, John
Cassel, Walter
Cassella,Anthony
Christenson,Eugene
Clegg, Kenneth
Coady, Norman
Collins, Linville
Conyer, James
Cosentino,Antonio
Cox, Roy
Crawford, Walter
Cunningham, Thomas
Curry, Thomas
Daharsh, Dale
Dalbec, Loren
Delorme, Walter
Derr, John
Despard, John
Dewar, Robert
Doran, Benjamin
Edelman, Arthur
Farrington,Harold
Feller, James
Ferranti, John
Fiorentino, Donald
Fox, Harry
Frechette,Herbert
Garvin, Kenneth
Gatto, Charles
Genzardi, John
Gore, Luther
Greb, Harry
Harden, Thomas
Hauser, Thomas
Hawkins, Bishop
Hewitt, Gladstone
Hillman, James
Hinderliter, John
Hughes, Malcolm
Hutchins, Fred
Hyder, Donald
Ippedico, Vito
Irwin, Paul
Islip, Edwin
Ivery, William
Jewett, Jack
Johnston,Richard
Keough, Thomas
Latini, Louis
Lewis, Harold
Lewis, William
Littlefield,Donald
LLoyd, Grant
Lynn, Perry
Malloy, Charles
McAlister, David
Marren, John
Martin, Benjamin
Mazarine, Nicholas
Munson,Vaughan
Murtha, Thomas
Neary, James
Nimtz, Herbert
Nivens, Rol
Parich, John
Patterson,Kenneth
Post, William
Psenica, Frank
Riggle, William
Scruggs, John
Sharp, Eugene
Sharp, Everett
Simcox, William
Spatz, Joseph
Sperry, Arthur
Steinbeck, Dickson
Tate, George
Taylor, Earl
Taylor, Logan
Thiman, Joel
Thomas, Sidney
Thornton,George
Tombesi, Ophallo
Toothman,Franklin
Tootle, Joseph
Tutor, Winford
Vance, Henry
West, Russell
Whitaker, John
Williams, Robert
Woessner, John
Wyda, George
Yerges, Harry
Yilek, William
York, Norman
Those unaccounted for
Allen, James
Aston, John
Boston, James
Buxton, Edgar
Campbell, Johnny
Casey, Frank
Colby, Robert
Cotter, William
Cozby, Robert
Eklund, William
Fedor, Walter
Findley, Rufus
Finnerty, James
Flewellern,Charlie
Gibson, Noel
Guines, David
Halloway, Henry
Harrison,Bernard
Hickman,Robert
Jones, David
Kelly, James
Kelly, Joseph
Koeger, Jack
Lauer, Bertrand
Lee, Albert
Likely, J.C.
McCormick,Roland
Moore,Marshall
Montgomery,Junior
Moore, Eddie
Moreno, Ezekiel
Mundy, L.M.
Murphy, Joseph
Nash, Adam
Newton, William
Nix, James
Noblitt, Harold
Norton, Edgar
Olson, Elmer
Page, George
Parsons, Oliver
Patlan, Gerardo
Perry, Allan
Perry, William
Potter, Jerry
Ranello, Jack
Richardson,Willard
Robinson, Henry
Rock, Wency
Ryan, William
Sawyer, Merton
Shivers, James
Shoberg, Gilford
Taylor, Robert
Tomczak, Emanuel
Trovatten,Johnnie
Ward, Luther
Williams, John
Wilson, Hugh
Woerner, David