Landing Ship, Tank (LST) 1942–2002

Of the 933 LST(2)s and conversions operated by the USN, only 26 were lost to enemy action and 13 to collisions, explosions, fire, storms, and groundings. Ten of the 115 RN Lend-Lease LST(2)s (including FDT-216) were lost to the enemy and four to accidents. This was far fewer than originally feared for the “large slow targets” – during early operations such as those at Sicily 70 percent losses were expected. Most LSTs lost to enemy action were to mines, torpedoes (submarine, aerial, E-boat), aerial bombs, radio-guided bombs, or kamikazes. Many were fired on by artillery and while some were hit, none were lost.

There are two notable incidents involving multiple LST losses. The most controversial occurred during Operation Tiger, a Normandy landing rehearsal conducted at Slapton Sands on Britain’s southeast coast on April 28, 1944. Nine German E-boats launched torpedo attacks on eight LSTs, sinking LST-507 and 531 and damaging LST-289. Some 750 soldiers and sailors were dead or missing. Recent accusations of a cover-up are unfounded. The action was not publicly revealed because of wartime security and its overshadowing by the war’s events.