Topic starter
19/01/2007 2:25 pm
This isn't a steamboat question, but it does relate to river history.
I have heard that there was a boatyard in Leavenworth, Kansas, that built some class of landing craft during the Second World War. The story has it that these craft were driven individually down the Missouri River to St. Louis.
I have two questions about this. What type of craft were they--LS...? And once they arrived at St. Louis, were they loaded onto barges for shipment to New Orleans, (or possibly onto a railroad,) or did they continue down the Mississippi as individual vessels?
Thanks.
19/01/2007 4:02 pm
I don't know about that particular yard, but LSTs were certainly built on the inland waters. Capt. C.W. Stoll piloted some on their delivery trips down the Ohio and Mississippi. He had a lengthy article in the March 1976 Reflector about his experiences. He mentions: Dravo near Pittsburgh, Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co., Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co. at Evansville, and American Bridge at Ambridge. LST= Landing Ship Tanks 327 x 50, drawing 12 ft. aft; twin props GM 900 hp diesels. C.W. reported that 1058 LSTs were delivered to the Navy, 724 of them builit at inland yards and navigated down the Mississippi. Dravo produced one every 3.5 days. So its very likely your yard info is correct. And they were delivered individually under their own power down to New Orleans, not shipped on barges.
19/01/2007 4:08 pm
The LST's, LCI's mine layers, and mine sweepers were delivered afloat and under their own power. A number of river pilots (The Catfish Navy) were organized to move them with navy crews aboard. At least one submarine (and maybe more) was strapped between two barges and delivered by towboat. As for the Leavenworth Yard, I do not know what they built. In November, 1942, these craft were passing New Orleans about every half-hour, round-the-clock.
19/01/2007 4:19 pm
Missouri Valley Bridge Co. of Leavenworth built 64 LCT ( Landing Craft Tank) # 268 to 287, 763 to 775, 893 to 914 and 1278 to 1288. These craft were about 114'long so I'm sure thet had to go on their own to the gulf. They also built 20 LCM's. Also up the Missouri at Kansas City the Kansas City Structural Steel Co. built 85 LCT's, 16 LCM's and unknown number of LCP's.
19/01/2007 4:47 pm
Wasn't there a landing craft called the Higgins boat that was built in New Orleans during the war? Seems it was widely used...
19/01/2007 4:49 pm
There is at least one landing craft still in use that I know about. And I'm sure there are hundreds of others. The one I used to see with some regularity works Key West harbor, ferrying trucks and other construction vehicles to islands just off shore to work new condo developments.
19/01/2007 5:26 pm
yes, that's a top feature of the WWII Museum in NOLA now, and they've renamed a street there after Higgins.
19/01/2007 6:51 pm
The craft Judy refers to is a LCVP. Higgins built over 20,000 boats. They were of wood and considered expendable. An interesting fact was that ALL were crewed by Coast Guard, not Navy men. Higgins employed over 25,000 people at seven yards. Higgins also was famous for PT boats. Also built LCT's and LCPL's. An interesting note is that Capt. John Beatty, here in Cincinnati, in 1949 built an excursion boat the "Miss B" out of a Higgins built PT, #791. I also believe several Higgins PT's are on display in Germantown, Tn. Maybe Capt. Bob Reynolds knows more.
19/01/2007 11:55 pm
Capt. Bill,, I had never known about PT boats in Germantown. If they are on display, they must keep the fact pretty well hidden. At one time (25 years ago???) there was a PT boat on Mud Island, but it, too, is gone now to some unknown fate.
20/01/2007 1:13 pm
When I was a Boy Scout in the early 1970's, we used two areas for campouts. One of them was a beach that was only accessible by boat. We used WWII era LST's to get there. By the time we reached the beach it was clear why the veterans called them Large Standing Targets.
20/01/2007 3:14 pm
Large standing targets they may have been, but, they were a key factor in winning the war. One of the problems was delivery from N.O. They could only get six or eight of them on a ship. Gen Trudeau, I believe, suggested that they send them knocked down to a staging area and assemble them. I believe many of them were so assembled in Australia for the South Pacific Campaign. Cap'n Walnut.
20/01/2007 5:01 pm
Tom: You must be referring to the smaller craft like LCVP. The LST's were ships of a large size and 100% complete when the left the yards.
20/01/2007 5:51 pm
Apa 44, USS FREMONT
Those small landing craft were carried aboard Attack Transports, designated as APA's. During the 1968 Republican Convention in Miami, FL, I was assigned temporary duty (TDY) aboard the APA 44, the USS FREMONT, aka, “Fighting Freddie".
The FREMONT was at Iwo Jima, Siapan, Palau, Luzon, and Leyte, among other famous battles of the Second War. Although I really enjoyed my short TDY aboard Freddy, most of my fellow Air Force chums abhorred the experience. I am proud to say that I am listed on the Muster Rolls of the APA 44, the only AF dude to be so honored.
The USS FREMONT's compliment of landing craft were:
4 LCM-6 (Mike) boats, 56 foot, 28 ton steel landing craft for carrying troop and vehicles -- capacity, 120 combat equipped troops each.
12 LCVP (Peter) boats, 36 foot, 9 ton armored wooden landing craft for carrying troops and vehicles -- capacity 36 combat equipped troops each.
2 LCPL, 36 foot, 9 ton steel fiberglass boats used primarily as command craft.