USS ''LST-1033'' was a in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. She was transferred to the

Republic of China Navy The Republic of China Navy (ROCN, Chinese, 中華民國海軍) , colloquially known as the Taiwanese Navy ( Chinese, 台湾海军) by Western or mainland Chinese media, or commonly referred as the National Military Navy ( Chinese, 國軍海軍) ...

as ROCS ''Chung Sheng'' (LST-211).

Construction and commissioning

''LST-1033'' was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...

on 9 June 1944 at

Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. Launched on 9 July 1944 and commissioned on 12 August 1944.

Service in United States Navy

During World War II, ''LST-1033'' was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater. On 15 September 1945, she was redesignated Landing Ship, Tank (Hospital) with pennant numbers ''LST(H)-1033''. She then participated in the Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima at Green Beach from 19 to 28 February 1945 and Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto from 1 April to 30 June 1945. She was assigned to occupation and China from 29 October 1945 to 15 July 1946. She was decommissioned on 28 August 1946 and struck from the

Naval Register A Navy Directory, Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a co ...

on 3 July 1946 after she was sold to Philippine for commercial service on 5 December 1947. She was then sold to the Republic of China and renamed ''Chung Sheng'' (LST-211).

Service in Republic of China Navy

In February 1950, she participated in the

Battle of Hainan Island The Battle of Hainan Island () occurred in 1950, during the final phase of the Chinese Civil War. The People's Republic of China (PRC) conducted an amphibious assault on Hainan Island on 16 April, assisted by the Hainan communist movement whic ...

. She intercepted the signal of a merchant ship who wanted to join the Communist Party near

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

waters, and prevented a British gunboat from sailing near Nanshanwei. On 1 November 1952, four 25mm guns were dismantled, and four 40mm single-barrel guns and twelve 20mm guns were installed. In March 1954, when the Communist army invaded Yangyu, the ship was responsible for transporting and replenishing military supplies to support the friendly forces to the island and mountain. Within 1 week, there was a level 8 wind from

Keelung Keelung ( ; zh, p=Jīlóng, c=基隆, poj=Ke-lâng), Chilung or Jilong ( ; ), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city in northeastern Taiwan. The city is part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area with neighboring New Ta ...

, the islands of Luyangyu were secured. On 1 April 1954, she was ordered to remove one 40-mm single-barreled gun at the bow and stern of the ship, and replace them with 40-mm twin-barreled guns. In addition, the Type 51 Type 2 fire control commander 2 was installed. In February 1955, during the

Battle of Dachen Archipelago The Battle of Dachen Archipelago () was a struggle between the Nationalists and the Communists for the control of several archipelagos just off the coast of Zhejiang, China, during the Chinese Civil War in the post-World War II era, and it was ...

, the ship ventured to carry friendly personnel and supplies 2 times in the dark under bad weather, all of which were able to successfully complete the mission. In October 1955, the ship collided with the Taisheng ship of the Minsheng Company. On 1 October 1957, her pennant number was changed to LST-222. In September 1958, the ship delivered supplies and equipment to

Kinmen Kinmen, alternatively known as Quemoy, is a group of islands governed as a county by the Republic of China (Taiwan), only east from the city of Xiamen in Fujian, located at the southeastern coast of the People's Republic of China, from wh ...

many times, and successfully completed the mission. However, her seventh voyage was carried out on September 16. When the ship's bow springboard was slightly damaged and deformed, it lost an amphibious landing combat vehicle (LVT) that was being unloaded. In April 50th, the Republic of China was changed to land in the Second Fleet, and the serial number remained unchanged. In November 1967, four more 20mm guns were removed. On 1 January 1976, she was ordered to change her number to LST-686. Then in June, four 50 cal machine guns were added. On 1 October 1979, she was ordered to change back her number to the original LST-222. In January 1980, another No. 62 fire control system was installed. On 5 October 1995, the ship ran aground on the shore of

Yehliu Yehliu () is a cape in Wanli District, New Taipei, Taiwan. The cape, known by geologists as the Yehliu Promontory, forms part of the Daliao Miocene Formation. It stretches approximately into the ocean and was formed as geological forces p ...

and sat on a reef and was scrapped. When returning from Matsu to

, the main engine malfunctioned and drifted to Yehliu hit the reef. It was during the strong winter monsoon and rescue operations were difficult. At that time, due to the intensive operation, the operations were cancelled and the plans were changed. The navy is planning to eliminate a batch of landing ships. Perhaps the damages of the ship have not been repaired. Perhaps due to the difficulty of on-site operations and the severe damage of the ship. The ship was decommissioned early, but she was too ugly to be placed in the Yehliu tourist area. Perhaps it was a policy guidelines. The ship was towed out by the Great Lakes ship at 8:30 am on February 5, 1985 and sank at 10:50. 2500 yards north of Yeliu. At that time, the captain of the ship was Pannan Village.

Awards

''LST-1033'' have earned the following awards: *

China Service Medal The China Service Medal was a service medal awarded to U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel. The medal was instituted by Navy Department General Order No. 176 on 1 July 1942. The medal recognized service in and around China befo ...

(extended) *

American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had per ...

* Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2

battle stars A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. T ...

) *

World War II Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal was a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. Histo ...

Navy Occupation Service Medal The Navy Occupation Service Medal was a military award of the United States Navy which was "Awarded to commemorate the services of Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard personnel in the occupation of certain territories of the enemies of the United St ...

(with Asia clasp) *

Combat Action Ribbon The Combat Action Ribbon (CAR) is a United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States Marine Corps military decoration awarded to United States sea service members "who have actively participated in ground or surface combat." Coast ...

(retroactive, Iwo Jima, 19 February 1945)

Citations

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:LST-1033 LST-542-class tank landing ships Ships built in Boston World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United States LST-542-class tank landing ships of the Republic of China Navy 1944 ships