Marinette County LST-953
Marinette County
A county in northeastern Wisconsin.
(LST-953: dp. 1,625(lt.) ; 1. 328'; b. 50'; d. 11'2"; cpl. 119; a. 8 40mm., 12 20mm.; cl. LST-411)
LST-953 was laid down 15 September 1944 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Hingham, Mass.; launched 15 October; commissioned 7 November, Lt. T. W. Sexton in command.
LST-953 commenced an east coast shakedown 12 November 1944 and hastened to join LST Flotilla 21 already at Pearl Harbor. Three months of intensive training exercises preceded her April 1945 voyage to Guam. After a series of supply missions in the southern Marianas, she reached Okinawa in the war zone 26 June. For 5 weeks Marine Corps troops and vehicles were shuttled around the island to facilitate mopup operations.
The day Japan announced acceptance of surrender terms LST-953 returned to the Marianas. She carried elements of the 2d Marine Division to Nagasaki 24 September for occupation duty and men of the Army's 24th Division to Matsuyama 27 October. A "Magic Carpet" voyage back to San Diego concluded her duty in the Pacific.
In July 1946 she transited the Panama Canal and steamed to Beaumont, Tex. Decommissioned 12 November the ship served the Naval Reserve Program until towed to Green Cove Springs, Fla., 17 June 1950 for berthing in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She was renamed Marinette County (LST-953) 1 July 1955. On 1 November 1958, her name was struck from the Navy list.
LST-953 received one battle star for World War II service.