USS La Moure County (LST-883)

LST-883 beached, at Taeyanpyong, Korea c. 1953.
History
Name:	USS LST-883
Builder:	Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Company, Evansville, Indiana
Laid down:	16 November 1944
Launched:	30 December 1944
Commissioned:	23 January 1945
Decommissioned:	20 April 1946
Recommissioned:	26 August 1950
Decommissioned:	7 December 1959
Renamed:	USS La Moure County (LST-883), 1 July 1955
Struck:	1 January 1960
Honors and awards:	1 battle star (World War II) 7 battle stars (Korea)
Fate:	Sold for scrapping, 30 November 1960
General characteristics
Class and type:	LST-542-class tank landing ship
Displacement:	1,625 long tons (1,651 t) light 4,080 long tons (4,145 t) full
Length:	328 ft (100 m)
Beam:	50 ft (15 m)
Draft:	Unloaded : 2 ft 4 in (0.71 m) forward 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) aft Loaded : 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m) forward 14 ft 1 in (4.29 m) aft
Propulsion:	2 × General Motors 12-567 diesel engines, two shafts, twin rudders
Speed:	12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried:	2 × LCVPs
Troops:	Approximately 130 officers and enlisted men
Complement:	8-10 officers, 89-100 enlisted men
Armament:	8 × 40 mm guns 12 × 20 mm guns

USS La Moure County (LST-883) was an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named after La Moure County, North Dakota, she was the first of two U.S. Naval vessels to bear the name.

Originally laid down as LST-883 by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Company of Evansville, Indiana on 16 November 1944; launched on 30 December 1944, sponsored by Mrs. L. D. McBride; and commissioned at New Orleans, Louisiana on 23 January 1945 with Lieutenant Winfield H. Cook in command.

After shakedown off the Florida coast, LST-883 departed New Orleans for the west coast on 28 February and arrived San Pedro, California on 26 March. Steaming via Seattle, Washington the landing ship reached the Hawaiian Islands on 1 May and trained there until sailing for the western Pacific on the 24th.

She carried Seabees via the Marshalls and the Marianas to battle-torn Okinawa where she arrived on 26 June. After discharging men and equipment, she embarked veterans of the 6th Marine Division and sailed on 10 July. Steaming via Guam, she reached Pearl Harbor on 5 August. During the rest of August she joined in amphibious training operations in the Hawaiian Islands.